Piri Reis: Difference between revisions
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{{Quote|For ten months I have been working on a new map for Bayezid. But he is old, and I am a perfectionist... Perhaps the next Sultan will appreciate my efforts.|Piri speaking of Sultan Bayezid II.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}} | {{Quote|For ten months I have been working on a new map for Bayezid. But he is old, and I am a perfectionist... Perhaps the next Sultan will appreciate my efforts.|Piri speaking of Sultan Bayezid II.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}} | ||
Piri was born in Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire, and became a seafarer from a young age. By his early teens, Piri traveled as a privateer with his uncle {{Wiki|Kemal Reis|Kemal}}, with whom he completed several expeditions in and around the Mediterranean; though their work was described to be of "dubious legality." | Piri was born in Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire, and became a seafarer from a young age. By his early teens, Piri traveled as a privateer with his uncle {{Wiki|Kemal Reis|Kemal}}, with whom he completed several expeditions in and around the Mediterranean; though their work was described to be of "dubious legality." | ||
His father's name was Hacı Mehmed Piri. The honorary and informal Islamic title Hadji (Turkish: Hacı) in Piri's and his father's names indicate that they both had completed the Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage) by going to Mecca during the dedicated period. | |||
Eventually, by the time Piri was in his twenties, he and his uncle turned to a more respectable trade, and joined the naval forces of Sultan [[Bayezid II]]. As a navigator in the Ottoman Navy, Piri fought in the {{Wiki|Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503)|Ottoman-Venetian War}} from 1499 to 1503, losing many friends in the fight. | Eventually, by the time Piri was in his twenties, he and his uncle turned to a more respectable trade, and joined the naval forces of Sultan [[Bayezid II]]. As a navigator in the Ottoman Navy, Piri fought in the {{Wiki|Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503)|Ottoman-Venetian War}} from 1499 to 1503, losing many friends in the fight. | ||
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[[File:Crafting 5.png|thumb|250px|Piri meeting Ezio Auditore]] | [[File:Crafting 5.png|thumb|250px|Piri meeting Ezio Auditore]] | ||
Using his experience as a sailor, Piri invented specialized bomb variants and casings, all specifically for the Assassins' use. These he offered for a price at his workshop, given that those who wished to buy them were willing to learn how to use them first. | Using his experience as a sailor, Piri invented specialized bomb variants and casings, all specifically for the Assassins' use. These he offered for a price at his workshop, given that those who wished to buy them were willing to learn how to use them first. | ||
Piri began engaging in government-supported privateering (a common practice in the Mediterranean Sea among both the Muslim and Christian states of the 15th and 16th centuries) when he was young, in 1481, following his uncle Kemal Reis, a well-known corsair and seafarer of the time, who later became a famous admiral of the Ottoman Navy. During this period, together with his uncle, he took part in many naval wars of the Ottoman Empire against Spain, the Republic of Genoa and the Republic of Venice, including the First Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Zonchio) in 1499 and Second Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Modon) in 1500. When his uncle Kemal Reis died in 1511 (his ship was wrecked by a storm in the Mediterranean Sea, while he was heading to Egypt), Piri returned to Gelibolu, where he started working on his studies about navigation. | |||
In 1511, Piri heard of Ezio Auditore's arrival in Constantinople from Yusuf, and met the Mentor himself shortly afterwards. Yusuf had directed Ezio to Piri to ask for directions to the trading post of [[Niccolò Polo|Niccolò]] and [[Maffeo Polo]], which Piri readily gave. The cartographer also introduced Ezio to the variety of bombs he had for sale, as well as offered to instruct him in their use. | In 1511, Piri heard of Ezio Auditore's arrival in Constantinople from Yusuf, and met the Mentor himself shortly afterwards. Yusuf had directed Ezio to Piri to ask for directions to the trading post of [[Niccolò Polo|Niccolò]] and [[Maffeo Polo]], which Piri readily gave. The cartographer also introduced Ezio to the variety of bombs he had for sale, as well as offered to instruct him in their use. | ||
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By 1513, Piri continued his work as a cartographer, and produced what would come to be known as his most famous map, which contained one of the earliest, accurate depictions of the eastern shore of South America. | By 1513, Piri continued his work as a cartographer, and produced what would come to be known as his most famous map, which contained one of the earliest, accurate depictions of the eastern shore of South America. | ||
In | By 1516, he was again at sea as a ship's captain in the Ottoman fleet. He took part in the 1516–17 Ottoman conquest of Egypt. In 1522 he participated in the Siege of Rhodes against the Knights of St. John, which ended with the island's surrender to the Ottomans on 25 December 1522 and the permanent departure of the Knights from Rhodes on 1 January 1523 (the Knights relocated briefly to Sicily and later permanently to Malta). In 1524 he captained the ship that took the Ottoman Grand Vizier Pargalı İbrahim Pasha to Egypt. | ||
In 1547, by the time he was 80, Piri had become a legend in the Ottoman Navy, and was officially granted the title of "Reis" or "Admiral,"<ref name="Revelations" /> as the Commander of the Ottoman Fleet in the Indian Ocean and Admiral of the Fleet in Egypt, headquartered in Suez. On 26 February 1548 he recaptured Aden from the Portuguese, followed in 1552 by the capture of Muscat, which Portugal had occupied since 1507, and the strategically important island of Kish. Turning further east, Piri Reis captured the island of Hormuz in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. When the Portuguese turned their attention to the Persian Gulf, Piri Reis occupied the Qatar peninsula and the island of Bahrain to deprive the Portuguese of suitable bases on the Arabiancoast. | |||
He then returned to Egypt, an old man approaching the age of 90. When he refused to support the Ottoman Vali (General) of Basra, Kubad Pasha, in another campaign against the Portuguese in the northern Persian Gulf, Piri Reis was beheaded in 1553. | He then returned to Egypt, an old man approaching the age of 90. When he refused to support the Ottoman Vali (General) of Basra, Kubad Pasha, in another campaign against the Portuguese in the northern Persian Gulf, Piri Reis was beheaded in 1553. | ||
Revision as of 14:25, 31 December 2015
- "I am a navigator in the Sultan's navy, currently on leave to study cartography. But through my soldiering, I have also gained an appreciation for artillery and explosives. And it has served the Assassins well."
- ―Piri Reis, 1511.[src]
Haci Ahmed Muhiddin Piri (c. 1467 – 1553), more commonly known as Piri Reis for his legendary stature in the Ottoman Navy, was a famed admiral and cartographer.
Unknown to most, Piri was also a member of the Assassin Order, and a Master Assassin of the Ottoman Assassin Brotherhood. Though not involving himself in missions of violence, Piri served the Assassins as a technician, primarily providing them with materials and methods for crafting bombs.
He was a trusted friend of the Ottoman Assassin leader Yusuf Tazim, and also later befriended Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Mentor of the Italian Assassins.
Biography
Early life
- "For ten months I have been working on a new map for Bayezid. But he is old, and I am a perfectionist... Perhaps the next Sultan will appreciate my efforts."
- ―Piri speaking of Sultan Bayezid II.[src]
Piri was born in Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire, and became a seafarer from a young age. By his early teens, Piri traveled as a privateer with his uncle Kemal, with whom he completed several expeditions in and around the Mediterranean; though their work was described to be of "dubious legality."
His father's name was Hacı Mehmed Piri. The honorary and informal Islamic title Hadji (Turkish: Hacı) in Piri's and his father's names indicate that they both had completed the Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage) by going to Mecca during the dedicated period.
Eventually, by the time Piri was in his twenties, he and his uncle turned to a more respectable trade, and joined the naval forces of Sultan Bayezid II. As a navigator in the Ottoman Navy, Piri fought in the Ottoman-Venetian War from 1499 to 1503, losing many friends in the fight.
In 1503, after the war had ended, Piri decided to halt his military adventures, and took a leave from the navy. He resided in Constantinople in order to shift his interests to a more intellectual area, setting up a small studio in the Grand Bazaar, where he began to study cartography.[1]
That same year, a group of Italian Assassins sent from Rome to Constantinople by Ezio Auditore infiltrated Piri Reis' shop to steal some of his maps detailing the New World, in order to match the Templars' expansion into the new lands.[2]
Assassin alliance
- Ezio: "We fight to end the fighting. It is a sad irony."
- Piri: "It will always be an irony, evet (yes). But perhaps one day it will not be so sad."
- —Ezio and Piri, regarding the Assassins' motives.[src]
Despite his earlier conflict with the Assassins, Piri joined the Ottoman Assassin Brotherhood in 1506 to serve as a scholar and technician,[1] and even eventually progressed to the rank of Master Assassin.[3]
Having witnessed and grown tired of the many artificial boundaries that had divided the nations he had traveled to, Piri was drawn to the Assassin philosophy, which he saw as the "truest intellectual freedom."
Using his experience as a sailor, Piri invented specialized bomb variants and casings, all specifically for the Assassins' use. These he offered for a price at his workshop, given that those who wished to buy them were willing to learn how to use them first.
Piri began engaging in government-supported privateering (a common practice in the Mediterranean Sea among both the Muslim and Christian states of the 15th and 16th centuries) when he was young, in 1481, following his uncle Kemal Reis, a well-known corsair and seafarer of the time, who later became a famous admiral of the Ottoman Navy. During this period, together with his uncle, he took part in many naval wars of the Ottoman Empire against Spain, the Republic of Genoa and the Republic of Venice, including the First Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Zonchio) in 1499 and Second Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Modon) in 1500. When his uncle Kemal Reis died in 1511 (his ship was wrecked by a storm in the Mediterranean Sea, while he was heading to Egypt), Piri returned to Gelibolu, where he started working on his studies about navigation.
In 1511, Piri heard of Ezio Auditore's arrival in Constantinople from Yusuf, and met the Mentor himself shortly afterwards. Yusuf had directed Ezio to Piri to ask for directions to the trading post of Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, which Piri readily gave. The cartographer also introduced Ezio to the variety of bombs he had for sale, as well as offered to instruct him in their use.
Over time, as the Assassins Guild completed contracts all over the Mediterranean, Piri would periodically ask for their help in surveying the region, in order to aid in his cartography efforts. Additionally, when any new city came under the control of the Assassins, Piri would receive special bomb ingredients from the region, and place them for sale in his Grand Bazaar shop.
Ezio discovered the delivery of several firearms to equip the Byzantine Templar army, and reported his findings to Prince Suleiman I. Suleiman ordered Piri to bring Ezio safely to Derinkuyu, where the Templars' headquarters was located.
Despite the Janissaries' attempts to stop any ships from leaving by raising the Great Chain across the Golden Horn, Ezio managed to destroy it with a bomb that had "fifty times the kick of [the Assassins'] regular bombs", and set the Ottoman fleet ablaze with Greek Fire. Piri only commented on Ezio's less than subtle approach, before setting sail.
After arriving at Cappadocia in 1512, Piri awaited Ezio aboard his ship, as the Mentor set off to kill the Byzantine heir and Templar Manuel Palaiologos, and to retrieve the last of the Masyaf Keys. After Ezio had succeeded, setting much of the underground city into chaos after destroying their armory, he returned to the ship, which Piri directed back to Constantinople.[1]
Later life
By 1513, Piri continued his work as a cartographer, and produced what would come to be known as his most famous map, which contained one of the earliest, accurate depictions of the eastern shore of South America.
By 1516, he was again at sea as a ship's captain in the Ottoman fleet. He took part in the 1516–17 Ottoman conquest of Egypt. In 1522 he participated in the Siege of Rhodes against the Knights of St. John, which ended with the island's surrender to the Ottomans on 25 December 1522 and the permanent departure of the Knights from Rhodes on 1 January 1523 (the Knights relocated briefly to Sicily and later permanently to Malta). In 1524 he captained the ship that took the Ottoman Grand Vizier Pargalı İbrahim Pasha to Egypt.
In 1547, by the time he was 80, Piri had become a legend in the Ottoman Navy, and was officially granted the title of "Reis" or "Admiral,"[1] as the Commander of the Ottoman Fleet in the Indian Ocean and Admiral of the Fleet in Egypt, headquartered in Suez. On 26 February 1548 he recaptured Aden from the Portuguese, followed in 1552 by the capture of Muscat, which Portugal had occupied since 1507, and the strategically important island of Kish. Turning further east, Piri Reis captured the island of Hormuz in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. When the Portuguese turned their attention to the Persian Gulf, Piri Reis occupied the Qatar peninsula and the island of Bahrain to deprive the Portuguese of suitable bases on the Arabiancoast.
He then returned to Egypt, an old man approaching the age of 90. When he refused to support the Ottoman Vali (General) of Basra, Kubad Pasha, in another campaign against the Portuguese in the northern Persian Gulf, Piri Reis was beheaded in 1553.
Personality and characteristics
- Ezio: "Piri Reis? I think I have seen some of your earliest work."
- Piri: "Reis? Did Yusuf Tazim send you? That sounds like one of his exaggerations."
- —Piri, regarding his title as "Reis," 1511.[src]
Piri was an intelligent and witty man, who would appear disgruntled if interrupted.[3] He was a self-proclaimed perfectionist, who initially felt that his drafting skills were under-appreciated by his patron. Regardless, he was described to be a man of "rare artistic and technical talent."
Piri was a close friend of Yusuf, whom he spoke with regularly. Yusuf thought quite highly of him, referring to him as "Reis" forty years before he had even officially received the title.[1]
Trivia
- Christoffa Corombo's atlas contained one of Piri's maps, which Ezio recovered from the Templars.[4]
- In one of Abstergo Industries' dossiers, it was speculated that Piri's map of Europe was secretly a map of the First Civilization Temples.[1]
- Piri Reis believed in heliocentrism, regarding geocentrism to be "a bunch of horsepiss".
Gallery
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Concept art for Piri Reis
-
Piri showing Ezio the location of the Polo trading post
References
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