Der Admiral den Süleyman persönlich empfing — und der Europa das Mittelmeer wegnahm

246 ships. 60,000 soldiers. 2,500 cannons. The largest fleet the Mediterranean had ever seen. And on the other side: 122 Ottoman galleys. Not a single Ottoman ship was sunk. The European fleet withdrew. From that day forward, the Mediterranean belonged to the Ottomans for 33 years. But the most astonishing thing about Preveza is not the result. It is the man behind it. Hayreddin Barbarossa—born a simple sailor on the island of Lesbos, the son of a Greek mother and a Turkish father—became the most powerful naval commander of his time. He captured Algiers from the Spanish. He was personally received by the Sultan at Topkapi Palace. And he built the Ottoman navy into the strongest naval force in the Mediterranean. In this video, we tell the complete story—from Barbarossa's rise to power, through the campaigns of 1534–1537, the formation of the Holy League, to the day at Preveza that changed everything. Why the largest European fleet of all time couldn't defeat a smaller one. And why Europe never fully recovered. ▶ Subscribe to the channel for more stories about the Ottoman navy and the battles that changed history.