Petrit Latifi

CAPTURE OF THE GALLEOTE ULQINA NEAR LOSINJ IN 1711

Since falling under Turkish rule in 1571, Tivat and Ulqin have developed into export centers, while Ulqin has also become a “nest” of pirates. By associating with pirates on the North African coast, the inhabitants of Ulqin have become an important maritime factor in the Adriatic Sea. Ulqin is often visited by North African pirates, and the people of Ulqin are frequent guests of Tripoli.

Ulqin as an export port and pirate nest experiences its greatest growth in the 18th century. According to an “exaggerated” Venetian estimate, the inhabitants of Ulqin had a fleet of 300 ships with 4,000-5,000 sailors at the beginning of the 18th century.

The Ulqin people, merchants and pirates, successfully performed both roles, standing out from all the pirates in the Mediterranean at that time. Usually, the pirates were poor, while the Ulqin people, as a rule, were wealthy people. The commander of the Adriatic Sea, Marin Capello, evaluates them as not like other pirates, who consist mainly of poor and hungry people who have nothing to lose; “They are all rich”.

The trade of Ulqin affected the economic interests of Venetian subjects, while their raids threatened navigation in the Adriatic Sea. Ulqin, which was under the Sanjakbey of Shkodra, became a phenomenon for the archaic Ottoman Empire in the 18th century. The Reis of Ulqin (shipowners), associated with the pirates from Tripoli and merged with local representatives of the authorities, became the most influential people in the city.

All orders of the Porte, addressed to the Sanjakbeys of Shkodra, remained a dead letter on paper. The representatives of the Turkish authorities in Ulqin, whose duty was to implement the will of the Sultan, were more interested in personal gain than in the interests of the state. By participating, directly or indirectly, in the equipment of pirate ships, they derived considerable profits.

The merchants of the Bay of Kotor, whose ships regularly visited the ports of the Albanian coast, suffered most from the attacks of Ulqin ships. The Ulqinians rarely ventured deeper into the Adriatic Sea, aware of the fact that the Venetian war fleet sailed in the Adriatic. They preferred to attack the coasts of southern Italy. Their incursions into the Adriatic Sea rarely ended in defeat. One of the most serious defeats experienced by the Ulqinians was in 1711, when a Venetian warship captured an Ulqin galleon near Lošinj.

The event happened by chance. The galley of co-commissioner Paolo Minotia, part of the fleet of the commander of the Adriatic Sea, was assigned to escort a trabacula in Kvarner and, after completing the task, return to Ancona. Due to a strong storm, the galley deviated from the intended course and ended up near Lošinj. On Sunday, September 20, 1711, the population of the island informed the commander Minotias about the appearance of a pirate galley near Lošinj.

Minotia immediately pursued the pirate ship. The commander of the pirate galley made a tactical error, fell into a trap and was captured along with the ship. After several artillery shots, the hit pirate ship surrendered immediately. It seems that the pirates did not offer a worthy resistance. The captured ship was first towed to Cres, where the local population robbed the captured pirates.

After the intervention of the commander Minotis, almost all the stolen goods were returned. The captured pirates were first transferred to Hvar and then imprisoned on Venetian warships in the port of Zadar. The commander of the Adriatic Sea, Marin Capello, in his report to the Venetian government, claims that the captured pirate ship was one of the two largest that the Ulqinians had, with seventeen seats, “armed with two cannons (petriere) and one iron cannon, with one hundred and two crew members and a slave who served as their guide”.

Captain Capello informed the bailiff in Constantinople, the Venetian consul in Durres and the resident in Naples about the capture of the pirate ship. Along with his report to his government in Venice, Capello submitted a list of the pirates killed and captured.

On the captured ship were eleven captured Apulians who were immediately released. We know nothing about the fate of the captured Ulqin, but, according to the practice of the time, they were probably all released.

Below is the list of killed and captured Ulcinj pirates in the original language:

• Reiset – Ship owners: Mehmet Hoxha (who gave sentences as Chancellor of Ulcinj – so he had a state post in Ulcinj) and Usein Aga
• Then 11 crew members are given who fled with two ships to Ulcinj
• List of the arrested in the number of seventy-three (73) who were in the galley, held in the port of Zadar under arrest
• The names of the killed were found
• Eleven slaves

Names of the Ulqin sailors from 1711

Ali Osman

Ibrahim Saban

Mehemet Saban

Yusuf Saban

Ussein Mustafa

Assan Ali

Moarem Sefer

Assan Mehemet

Mustafa Ussin

Smail Ali

Ali Mehemet

Seinel Agi

Ibrahim Osman et al

Osman Curbalich

Soliman Smacchia

Ali di Jusuf Hoza

Soliman Osman Mussa

Omer Yusuf Carsi

Mehemet Soliman Longa

Ussein Mustafa

Ibraim passa

Mehemet suits the great signore

Omar Osman

Radaman Agi

Mustafa Sefir

Mehemet Omer

Durach Mehemet Mustafa Cragnia

Giuseppe Antonio Reggiosi da Pescara

Domenica Manzetti

Angelo Antonio suo fratello

Cecilia sua sorella

Domenica di Giovani Balmi

Sebastiano suo fratello

Silvestro di Giuseppe

da Metignano

Stefano di Giuseppe

Giovani di Antonio Favossi

Giacomo Carapena and Antonio di Ottavio

NAMES OF THE MASTERS, KINGS AND SAILORS OF THE GALLEY. DOLCIGNOTTA ARRESTED FROM THE GALLERY OF QSUADRA OF HIS EXCELLENCE CAPTAIN IN GULF

Masters of the galley Mehmet Hoza the one who records the sentences as chancellor of Dolcigno and Usein aga.

Eleven who went with the two boats to Dolcigno:

Aidar Memisar

Ali Farz

Assan the renegade Marco

Marchievich Pastrovichio

Mehmet Mustafa Cruta

Mustafa Osman Cruta

Ressul Ahmat

Aivas from Constantinople

Ussein Soliman

Oruch Mehmet

Ibraim Soliman and

Mustafa Ussin

The four existing in the galley

Minoto

Ali Yusuf Hoza

Ussein renegade from Bari

Mussa Karz and

Soliman Krech

The arrested in number of seventy-three existing in the galley kept in the port of Zara under arrest:

Ussein Chiatip

Ahmat Assan

Ali Mehemet

Ali Regep

Moius Ali

Jonus Yusuf

Ussei Mustafa

Ussein Assan

Assan Ibrahim

Regep Mustafa

Ahmet Assan

Amurat Sefer

Assan Ali

Assan Ibrahim

Mehemet Scioban

Ramadan Ahmet

Idro Assan, other

Hydro Assan

Ibrahim Soliman

Ibrahim Saban

Mehemet Ussein

Chioban Mustafa

Mustafa Kurt

Osman Siobas

Usain meme

Mehemet Agi

Mustafa Kurt

Mehemet Ali

Assan Mustafa

Sula Mustafa

Ussei Ali

Seffer Usein

Usain Sinan

Saim Veli

Solimar. Ruz

Mustafa Ussin

Sefer Bobot

Assan Omer

Usain Ali

Curt Mehemet

Ali Demir

Durach Yusuf

Sinan Rama

Osman Asan

Ibrahim Osman

Ibrahim Assan

Mehemet Muio

Resul Mustafa

Assan Mehemet

Ussei Mehemet

Soliman Yusuf

Eles Ahmat

Omar Osman

Jusuf Omer

Soliman Ali

Osman Ali

Sefer Ali

Ibrahim Mehemet

Idro Osman