Hayreddin_Barbarossa_-_Fine_Art_Museum_Algiers

The Kapudan Pasha (, modern Turkish: ), also known as the (, modern: , "Captain of the Sea") was the grand admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Typically, he was based at Galata and Gallipoli during the winter and charged with annual sailings during the summer months. The title of ''Kapudan Pasha'' itself is only attested from 1567 onwards; earlier designations for the supreme commander of the fleet include (" bey of the sea") and ("head captain"). The title ''Derya Bey'' as an official rank within the Ottoman state structure originated during the reign of

Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...

(). Following the 1453 conquest of Constantinople,

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

raised Baltaoğlu Süleyman Bey to the status of sanjak bey for his efforts against the Byzantines in the Golden Horn.Shaw, Stanford J
''History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey''
Vol. 1, pp. 131 ff. Cambridge University Press (Cambridge), 1976. Accessed 12 Sept 2011. Baltaoğlu received the sanjak of Gallipoli (the principal Turkish naval base) and the kazas of Galata (until the Conquest a Genovese colony) and of İzmit (whose tax remittance consisted of ship timber). The success of Hayreddin Barbarossa (-1546) saw the Kapudan Pasha elevated to the ranks of beylerbey and vizier in 1535, with his territories expanded into the Eyalet of the Archipelago and

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

. Hayreddin's successors succeeded to these holdings, but saw their rank drop to two-horsetail vizier for several centuries. The official residence of the Kapudan Pasha was in the ''Divankhane'' in the Imperial Arsenal in the Golden Horn, but he was often away as his governorship of the Eyalet of the Archipelago entailed visiting its various provinces in person every year. The post was one of great power and prestige within the Ottoman hierarchy: Evliya Çelebi reports that it had an annual income of 885,000 silver . Additional income, to the amount of 300,000 in the 18th/19th centuries, came from leasing a number of Aegean islands to tax farmers (). The heyday of the post of Kapudan Pasha came in the 16th century, when a succession of capable holders brought Ottoman naval power to its height, and for a time ensured its supremacy in the Mediterranean. Although in theory the post could only be filled by a serving

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

(), a chief of the Imperial Arsenal () or, at the very least, by the of

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

, from the turn of the 17th century the appointment of court favourites and/or persons lacking in military or naval experience marked the beginning of Ottoman naval decline. As a part of the Tanzimat reforms of 1839-1876, the Eyalet of the Archipelago was reduced in rank and granted to the '' wali'' of Rhodes in 1848. The Kapudan Pashas retained their rank, but were thereafter solely military servicemen. A total of 161 captains served until 13 March 1867 when the post of Derya Kaptan was abolishedLangensiepen, B. & Güleryüz, Ahmet. ''The Ottoman Steam Navy, 1828–1923'', p. 197. Naval Institute Press (Annapolis), 1995. - "From 13 March 1867 the position of Derya Kaptan was abolished .." and replaced by ministers () of the Ottoman Naval Ministry. After 1877, these were replaced by the Fleet Commanders.

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