Ivan Dirkie de Veenboer (died October 10, 1620 near Cartagena) was a 17th-century Dutch corsair. A privateer during the Eighty Years' War, he later turned to piracy and became an officer under Simon the Dancer. He later converted to Islam, becoming known as Süleyman

Reis Reis may refer to : * Reis (surname), a Portuguese and German surname *Reis (military rank), an Ottoman military rank and obscure Lebanese/Syrian noble title Currency * Portuguese Indian rupia (subdivided into ''réis''), the currency of Portugu ...

(also spelled Sulayman, Soliman, or Slemen Reis), and had a highly successful career as an Ottoman captain and

Barbary corsair The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. This area was known in Europe as ...

commanding the Algiers corsair fleet during his later years.

Biography

Born in Hoorn, De Veenboer first came to prominence as a privateer for the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

against the Spanish during the Eighty Years' War. He operated legally under a letter of marque from the Dutch Admiralty but left the service of the Republic after little success. He joined other former corsairs operating in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, becoming an officer under Simon the Dancer sometime between 1606 and 1609. De Veenboer found far more success on the Barbary coast and, while in Algiers, he converted to Sunni Islam and changed his name to Sulayman. He was later given the title of

(or Admiral) while visiting the Sunni Caliphate's capital in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, by 1617 he was in command of his own fleet. He most often used the colours of Algiers, however, his crew were predominantly Dutch and always had the Dutch flag raised when attacking the Spanish. He eventually wished to return to the Netherlands and attempted to negotiate with Dutch authorities through

Wynant de Keyser van Bollandt Wijnands, Wynants and variants are Dutch patronymic surnames, meaning son of Wijnand (also spelled Wijnant, Winand, and, in Afrikaans, Wynand). Among more common variant spellings in the Low CountriesNumbers given are individuals in the Netherla ...

, who was the Dutch consul in Algiers, to receive a pardon. Although he had stopped attacking Dutch shipping for the most part, taking care of the safe return of its crew when he did, an argument with de Keyser ended his hopes to be exonerated for his crimes. In 1618, he was at the height of his power, commanding fifty warships in his fleet which were split into separate squadrons. Several future corsairs sailed in his fleet, most notably

Jan Janszoon Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Reis Mourad the Younger (c. 1570 – c. 1641), was an Ottoman and Salé Rovers Dutch pirate in Algeria and Morocco who converted to Islam after being captured by a Moorish state in 1618. He began ser ...

who worked as a steerer, and also converted to Islam. That same year, De Veenboer lost his position of leadership to

Mustapha Reis Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى , Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Mo ...

. After battling with several merchant ships, involving five Dutch ships, one French and one Italian ship, Reis and another corsair captured two of the ships while the remainder were allowed to escape. He decided to retire, capturing one last ship with a cargo of sugar, before settling in Algiers. His retirement lasted only a brief time however as, in early 1620, he sailed out from port capturing a rich French prize. While sailing off the coast in July of that year, he and four other ships were slowed by a

dead calm Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

and surprised by three Dutch

men-of-war The man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship or frigate from the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed w ...

under Captains 't Hoen, Cleijnsorgh and Schaeff. He and two other ships managed to escape, although his flagship was heavily damaged. He managed to make his way to Algiers in August and, after a month in port undergoing repairs, he once again left Algiers with eight ships under his command. He and his small fleet were at sea for over two months before encountering a naval squadron of one Dutch, two French, and two English warships on 10 October 1620. De Veenboer decided to engage them and, after a long battle at the Cartagena harbour, was killed after being struck by a cannonball shattering both his legs. A sloop containing his corpse was returned to shore by his enemies.

Biography

References

Further reading