Fakirlik, Soğuk ve Türkler: Türk Olmayan Türklerin 1627’deki İzlanda Seferi ve Kuzey Avrupa’daki Türk İmgesinin Kökenleri
Poverty, Cold, and Turks: The Origins of the Turkish Image in Northern Europe through the Icelandic Expedition of Non-Turkish Turks in 1627

Summary/Abstract: In 1627, pirates from Morocco and Algeria launched an expedition against Iceland, which was under Danish rule at the time. They plundered the island and brought many Icelanders back to their country as prisoners. This event, known in Icelandic sources as 'Tyrkjaránið', is considered by many Icelanders one of the most significant in their history, leading to increased familiarity with the Turks. Ironically, the perpetrators of this event, often referred to in Icelandic sources as Turkish raids, were primarily sailors of Dutch, English, Danish and German origin who had converted to Islam and turned to piracy, aided by Moroccan and Algerian pirates. Consequently, the actual influence of the Turks on this expedition was quite limited. However, since Muslim identity was considered synonymous with Turkish identity at the time, both Icelanders and Europeans emphasized the Turkish aspect of this event. The alleged leader of the expedition, Küçük Murad Reis, was mentioned as a Dutch-born sailor, and it is believed that the idea was proposed to him by his Danish slave, further supporting this assumption. The expedition, which began with a ship from Morocco that arrived in Iceland in June 1627, set off for the western part of the island, but missed its target due to limited knowledge of the area. The pirates were unable to land properly due to their lack of familiarity with the island. In addition, the presence of the Icelandic governor Holgeir Rosencrantz in the region and the preparations he had made the pirates' task more difficult, so they moved to the north of the island. When they learned shortly afterwards that ships of the Kingdom of England were in the area, the pirates were forced to return to Morocco without realizing their plans. After this first attempted raid in the west of the island, three ships from Algeria led by Murad Reis set off for the east of the island in July 1627. This second expedition to the eastern part proved to be much more successful; the pirates captured a considerable number of prisoners, goods and livestock. When the pirates reached the eastern part of the island, they landed on the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago under the guidance of local fishermen and successfully disembarked on Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the Vestmannaeyjar. After spending a few days on Heimaey, the pirates systematically controlled the island, captured about 250 people, all of whom were from Vestmannaeyjar, killed 30 to 40 people and seized the ships of Danish merchants. After the raiders successfully returned with their captives, many Icelanders were sold in slave markets, while others were held for ransom demands from the Kingdom of Denmark, which ruled Iceland. Due to Denmark's involvement in the Thirty Years' War and its economic difficulties, the kingdom struggled to meet the pirates' demands and raise the necessary funds. Through the efforts of the Danish church, part of the ransom was paid in 1635, leading to the return of around 30 Icelanders to their homeland. The most famous figure among those who returned to Iceland was Guðríður Símonardóttir, who had spent nine years in Algeria and fully adapted to Turkish culture. Guðríður Símonardóttir, who later married Hallgrímur Pétursson, one of Iceland's best-known poets, was referred to by Icelanders as 'Turk-Gudda'. Due to her complete Turkification during her stay in Algeria, Guðríður Símonardóttir became a significant figure in Icelandic literature. In summary, primary sources were consulted, including Kláus Eyjólfsson, who was among the first to document the Turkish attack within the legislative body of the Icelandic parliament; Olafur Egilsson, an eyewitness to the looting in the region who was later taken to Algeria; and Björn Jónsson, the author of History of the Turkish Raids. The research of scholars such as Bernard Lewis, Emrah Safa Gürkan, Aziz Samih İlter, Þorsteinn Helgason and Jón Þorkelsson was also examined. Furthermore, letters from Icelanders who lived in the Maghreb and reports from people who visited the region were used as additional sources. This study examines the Icelandic expedition staged by pirates from Morocco and Algeria in 1627, shedding light on the lives of those in the Maghreb during the expedition.

• Details
• Contents