Piri Reis

c. 1465 – 1553

Piri Reis (c. 1465 - 1553) was an Ottoman admiral, navigator, and cartographer. He is famous for his 1513 world map, one of the earliest surviving maps to show the Americas, and for his Kitab-i Bahriye (Book of Navigation), a detailed portolan atlas of the Mediterranean. After a long naval career he commanded the Ottoman Indian Ocean fleet and was executed in Cairo in 1553.

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Life events

Born in Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire
c. 1465

Piri Reis, whose full name was Ahmed Muhiddin Piri, was born around 1465, most likely in Gallipoli on the Dardanelles.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Began seafaring under his uncle, the corsair Kemal Reis
c. 1481

Around 1481 the young Piri joined the crews of his uncle Kemal Reis, learning navigation and naval warfare in the Mediterranean.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Entered official Ottoman naval service with Kemal Reis
1495

In 1495 Kemal Reis and his crews, including Piri, were invited into the service of the Ottoman Imperial fleet by Sultan Bayezid II.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Drew his first world map, an early surviving map showing the Americas
1513

In 1513 Piri Reis compiled a world map in Gallipoli drawing on some twenty older charts, including Portuguese and reportedly Columbian sources; a fragment survives in Topkapi Palace.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Presented his world map to Sultan Selim I in Egypt
1517

In 1517, during the Ottoman conquest of Egypt, Piri Reis presented his 1513 world map to Sultan Selim I in Cairo.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Completed the Kitab-i Bahriye (Book of Navigation)
1521 – 1526

Piri Reis finished the first version of his great portolan atlas of the Mediterranean in 1521 and presented an expanded version to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1526.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Produced his second world map
1528

In 1528 Piri Reis drew a second world map, of which a fragment showing the North Atlantic and the newly discovered coasts of North America survives.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed commander of the Ottoman Indian Ocean fleet
1547

In 1547 Piri Reis became admiral of the Ottoman fleet based in Suez, operating against the Portuguese in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Led the Ottoman campaign against Portuguese-held Muscat and Hormuz
1552

In 1552 Piri Reis captured Muscat and besieged Hormuz, but withdrew to Egypt, abandoning most of his fleet at Basra.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Executed in Cairo
1553

In 1553 Piri Reis was beheaded in Cairo, at nearly ninety years of age, after being blamed for abandoning the fleet during the Hormuz campaign.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓