‘ulama’
‘ulama’ (ulema). The learned of Islam, i.e., the religious teachers, canon lawyers, judges, and high state religious officials like the Shaykh al-Islam. They came to have, in a wide and vague fashion, the ultimate decision on all questions of constitution, canon law and theology. They might be government functionaries, either controlled by the government or keeping the government in a certain awe; or they might be private and independent students of canon law and theology.
The Arabic word ‘ulama’ is the plural of the word ‘alim. The word ‘alim means “one who knows, an expert, or a scholar.” The term ‘ulama’ is the collective designation for Muslim religious scholars, “those who possess [right] knowledge (‘ilm)” and thus are authorities for all aspects of Islamic life. Apparently from the beginning of Islam, Muslims looked for direction to those men and women noted for their competence in the quadrivium of Islamic learning. The quadrivium of Islamic learning consists of: (1) Arabic language (grammar and lexicology), (2) Qur’an and Qur’anic studies, (3) hadith and hadith studies, and (4) fiqh (religious law). Often the foci of pious opposition to political authority perceived as unjust, the ‘ulama’ were also those to whom rulers and administrators turned for guidance and for legitimation. What began, however, as the informal and consensual role of the most learned -- as custodians of the sunna and critics of its neglect -- gradually became institutionalized, so that the ‘ulama’ became a recognized professional class. So uniform did their role throughout Islam become that a fourteenth century ‘alim could move from Andalusia to Egypt or even India and be accepted and employed at once. In many areas they formed an aristocratic and sometimes endogamous social class.
There were two major factors in this transformation to a professional role. (1) The crystallization of religious law (fiqh), through which ‘ilm became less a personal quality and more a mastery of particular data and methods. The ‘ulama’ became the arbiters of the now authoritative ijma’ as well as conservators of the tradition of Qur’an and hadith interpretation and perpetuators of taqlid -- the system of binding legal precedent. (2) The increasingly important role of the ‘ulama’ in society. Particularly after the tenth century decline of stable central government, the ‘ulama’ came to be powerful both as representatives of the universally acknowledged sharia and as mediators of lawsuits, administrators of inheritances and endowments, large property holders, teachers, preachers, and judges. The elaboration of the madrasa system of education consolidated their position and standardized their training.
It is not then surprising that the renascent central authorities of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals attempted to control or suppress the ‘ulama’. The Ottomans, for example, organized them into a regimented hierarchy. Those who wanted official position were promoted through standard grades and, in the madrasas, ranked by status. All ‘ulama’ came under direction of the Shaikh al-Islam, the supreme judiciary authority of the empire, who had power to judge the legitimacy of civil law by recourse to the broader and higher standards of the sharia.
Despite governmental efforts to control the, the ‘ulama’ remain today a kind of fulcrum between the people and their rulers. This is most evident in Shi‘ite Iran, where the ‘ulama’ are uniquely powerful. The events there during the 1970s present the classical model of the ‘ulama’ uniting a demoralized people to repudiate an oppressive civil authority in the name of Islamic ideals.
‘Ulama’ is a term in Islam meaning the community of learned men. The direct translation would be “the ones possessing knowledge.” ‘Ulama’ is a plural term, and the singular is ‘alim. The term ‘alim can be translated into “learned, knowing man.”
Normally, ‘ulama’ is used for the group of men with religious education and religiously related professions. ‘Ulama’ is the group of men expressing the true content of Islam towards both the people and the rulers. Men belonging to ulama have education in the Qur’an, the Sunna, and sharia.
The ulama has considerable power in many Muslim countries, but their influence on the society often depends on how strong the secular authorities are. In most cases, the ulama cooperates with the rulers and plays often the role of defending or silently accepting the government’s politics.
The ulama has great influence on most Muslims, but this influence is easily destroyed when the ulama loses its credibility. The credibility of the ulama depends very much on their level of independence. If there is too much cooperation with the rulers, people will turn away from the ulama to find their religious guidance somewhere else, resulting in an ulama without power. An ulama which do not cooperate at all with the governments will face suppression and economic difficulties. There are cases where the ulama has overthrown the governments, as did happen in 1979 in Iran.
The growth of modern state structures in the Muslim world have weakened the ulama. While the ulama under weak rulers practised many activities normally connected to a state. The juridical ones, the modern state have limited the range of activities of the ulama. Because of this, the modern ulama are more than ever spiritual leaders.
Ulama, also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law. While the ulama are well versed in legal jurisprudence being Islamic lawyers, some of them also go on to specialize in other fields, such as philosophy, dialectical theology or Quranic hermeneutics or explanation. The fields studied, and the importance given them, will vary from tradition to tradition, or even from seminary to seminary.
In a broader sense, the term ulama is used to describe the body of Muslim clergy who have completed several years of training and study of Islamic sciences, such as a mufti, qadi, faqih, or muhaddith. Some Muslims include under this term the village mullahs, imams, and maulvis—who have attained only the lowest rungs on the ladder of Islamic scholarship. Other Muslims would say that clerics must meet higher standards to be considered ulama.
ulema see ‘ulama’
‘ulama’ (ulema). The learned of Islam, i.e., the religious teachers, canon lawyers, judges, and high state religious officials like the Shaykh al-Islam. They came to have, in a wide and vague fashion, the ultimate decision on all questions of constitution, canon law and theology. They might be government functionaries, either controlled by the government or keeping the government in a certain awe; or they might be private and independent students of canon law and theology.
The Arabic word ‘ulama’ is the plural of the word ‘alim. The word ‘alim means “one who knows, an expert, or a scholar.” The term ‘ulama’ is the collective designation for Muslim religious scholars, “those who possess [right] knowledge (‘ilm)” and thus are authorities for all aspects of Islamic life. Apparently from the beginning of Islam, Muslims looked for direction to those men and women noted for their competence in the quadrivium of Islamic learning. The quadrivium of Islamic learning consists of: (1) Arabic language (grammar and lexicology), (2) Qur’an and Qur’anic studies, (3) hadith and hadith studies, and (4) fiqh (religious law). Often the foci of pious opposition to political authority perceived as unjust, the ‘ulama’ were also those to whom rulers and administrators turned for guidance and for legitimation. What began, however, as the informal and consensual role of the most learned -- as custodians of the sunna and critics of its neglect -- gradually became institutionalized, so that the ‘ulama’ became a recognized professional class. So uniform did their role throughout Islam become that a fourteenth century ‘alim could move from Andalusia to Egypt or even India and be accepted and employed at once. In many areas they formed an aristocratic and sometimes endogamous social class.
There were two major factors in this transformation to a professional role. (1) The crystallization of religious law (fiqh), through which ‘ilm became less a personal quality and more a mastery of particular data and methods. The ‘ulama’ became the arbiters of the now authoritative ijma’ as well as conservators of the tradition of Qur’an and hadith interpretation and perpetuators of taqlid -- the system of binding legal precedent. (2) The increasingly important role of the ‘ulama’ in society. Particularly after the tenth century decline of stable central government, the ‘ulama’ came to be powerful both as representatives of the universally acknowledged sharia and as mediators of lawsuits, administrators of inheritances and endowments, large property holders, teachers, preachers, and judges. The elaboration of the madrasa system of education consolidated their position and standardized their training.
It is not then surprising that the renascent central authorities of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals attempted to control or suppress the ‘ulama’. The Ottomans, for example, organized them into a regimented hierarchy. Those who wanted official position were promoted through standard grades and, in the madrasas, ranked by status. All ‘ulama’ came under direction of the Shaikh al-Islam, the supreme judiciary authority of the empire, who had power to judge the legitimacy of civil law by recourse to the broader and higher standards of the sharia.
Despite governmental efforts to control the, the ‘ulama’ remain today a kind of fulcrum between the people and their rulers. This is most evident in Shi‘ite Iran, where the ‘ulama’ are uniquely powerful. The events there during the 1970s present the classical model of the ‘ulama’ uniting a demoralized people to repudiate an oppressive civil authority in the name of Islamic ideals.
‘Ulama’ is a term in Islam meaning the community of learned men. The direct translation would be “the ones possessing knowledge.” ‘Ulama’ is a plural term, and the singular is ‘alim. The term ‘alim can be translated into “learned, knowing man.”
Normally, ‘ulama’ is used for the group of men with religious education and religiously related professions. ‘Ulama’ is the group of men expressing the true content of Islam towards both the people and the rulers. Men belonging to ulama have education in the Qur’an, the Sunna, and sharia.
The ulama has considerable power in many Muslim countries, but their influence on the society often depends on how strong the secular authorities are. In most cases, the ulama cooperates with the rulers and plays often the role of defending or silently accepting the government’s politics.
The ulama has great influence on most Muslims, but this influence is easily destroyed when the ulama loses its credibility. The credibility of the ulama depends very much on their level of independence. If there is too much cooperation with the rulers, people will turn away from the ulama to find their religious guidance somewhere else, resulting in an ulama without power. An ulama which do not cooperate at all with the governments will face suppression and economic difficulties. There are cases where the ulama has overthrown the governments, as did happen in 1979 in Iran.
The growth of modern state structures in the Muslim world have weakened the ulama. While the ulama under weak rulers practised many activities normally connected to a state. The juridical ones, the modern state have limited the range of activities of the ulama. Because of this, the modern ulama are more than ever spiritual leaders.
Ulama, also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law. While the ulama are well versed in legal jurisprudence being Islamic lawyers, some of them also go on to specialize in other fields, such as philosophy, dialectical theology or Quranic hermeneutics or explanation. The fields studied, and the importance given them, will vary from tradition to tradition, or even from seminary to seminary.
In a broader sense, the term ulama is used to describe the body of Muslim clergy who have completed several years of training and study of Islamic sciences, such as a mufti, qadi, faqih, or muhaddith. Some Muslims include under this term the village mullahs, imams, and maulvis—who have attained only the lowest rungs on the ladder of Islamic scholarship. Other Muslims would say that clerics must meet higher standards to be considered ulama.
ulema see ‘ulama’
Ulama
Ulama. In Brazil, a highly respected Islamic teacher among Muslim slaves.
Ulama. In Brazil, a highly respected Islamic teacher among Muslim slaves.
Uleebalang
Uleebalang. Term which refers to an intermediary administrative official in the Malayan Sultanates.
Uleebalang. Term which refers to an intermediary administrative official in the Malayan Sultanates.
The uleebalang were the pillars of upholding the kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, but on the other hand, they were ordinary people who had many shortcomings in carrying out their roles in society. So, it is not uncommon for conflicts to occur between them and the community, even to the point of bloodshed, namely civil war as the climax.
Uli
Uli (Uli I) (Ouli) (Ali) (Wali). Thirteenth century ruler of the Mali Empire. He succeeded his father, the famous Sundjata. The Arab historian Ibn Khaldun described him as one of the greatest kings of Mali and noted that he performed the pilgrimage to Mecca. It was probably during his rule that Mali captured the important trading cities of Timbuktu, Gao and Walata. He was succeeded by a brother, Wati.
Mansa Uli (French: Ouli), also known as Ali or Wali in Arab sources, was the second mansa of the Mali Empire.
Born under the name Yérélinkon, he was the only biological son of the legendary Sundiata Keita. The mansas that followed Uli, Ouati and Khalifa, were the children of Mandinka generals and adopted by the emperor to be raised as members of the Keita clan.
According to oral sources Sundiata's brother, Manding Bory (alias Abubakari I), was supposed to ascend to the throne since Uli was too young to ascend the throne at the time of his father's death. Instead, the ambitious prince seized the throne for himself in 1255 and began a campaign of territorial expansion into West Africa.
Mansa Uli Keita also significantly increased the empire's agricultural production. On an economic and political level, Uli set a precedent by making the Hajj to Mecca during his reign. Unlike his father, Mansa Uli had no blood heirs leaving the throne to be fought over by his adopted brothers. During the ensuing power struggle, Ouati Keita seized the throne sidelining Manding Bory again.
Ouli see Uli
Ali see Uli
Wali see Uli
Uli (Uli I) (Ouli) (Ali) (Wali). Thirteenth century ruler of the Mali Empire. He succeeded his father, the famous Sundjata. The Arab historian Ibn Khaldun described him as one of the greatest kings of Mali and noted that he performed the pilgrimage to Mecca. It was probably during his rule that Mali captured the important trading cities of Timbuktu, Gao and Walata. He was succeeded by a brother, Wati.
Mansa Uli (French: Ouli), also known as Ali or Wali in Arab sources, was the second mansa of the Mali Empire.
Born under the name Yérélinkon, he was the only biological son of the legendary Sundiata Keita. The mansas that followed Uli, Ouati and Khalifa, were the children of Mandinka generals and adopted by the emperor to be raised as members of the Keita clan.
According to oral sources Sundiata's brother, Manding Bory (alias Abubakari I), was supposed to ascend to the throne since Uli was too young to ascend the throne at the time of his father's death. Instead, the ambitious prince seized the throne for himself in 1255 and began a campaign of territorial expansion into West Africa.
Mansa Uli Keita also significantly increased the empire's agricultural production. On an economic and political level, Uli set a precedent by making the Hajj to Mecca during his reign. Unlike his father, Mansa Uli had no blood heirs leaving the throne to be fought over by his adopted brothers. During the ensuing power struggle, Ouati Keita seized the throne sidelining Manding Bory again.
Ouli see Uli
Ali see Uli
Wali see Uli
Ulugh Beg
Ulugh Beg (Muhammad Turghay Ulugh Beg) (Muhammad Targai Ulugh Beg) (Ulug Beg)Ulugh Beg (Mīrzā Muhammad Tāriq bin Shāhrukh Uluġ Beg) (b. 1393/1394, Solṭānīyeh (Sultaniyeh), Timurid Iran (Persia) - d. October 27, 1449, Samarkand, Timurid empire [now in Uzbekistan]). Timurid ruler in Samarkand (r.1447-1449). A son of Shah Rukh Mirza, he became governor of a part of Khurasan and Mazandaran in 1407, and in 1408 of Turkestan. But he was first of all a man of letters, an artist and a poet. Being able to recite the Qur’an by heart according to all seven “readings,” he was also a great bibliophile and a learned mathematician, fond of poetry and history. He enriched Samarkand with superb buildings. Above all he was an astronomer, who built an observatory and invented new and powerful instruments for researches he carried out with other astronomers. He sought to correct Ptolemy’s computations, and compiled an astronomical almanac, known as “the new almanac of the sultan,” which became celebrated in Europe in the seventeenth century. Less happy in war and politics, he had to fight his son ‘Abd al-Latif, who in the end defeated his father and had him executed.
Ulugh Beg was a grandson of Timur (known in the West as Tamerlane), a Tartar prince and ruler of Turkestan. He was an exceptional astronomer and mathematician of the fifteenth century. Ulugh Beg was the son of the Timurid king Shah Rukh and was born in 1393 at Sultaniyya in Central Asia. He was a Hafiz -- someone who can recite the Qur’an by heart.
Ulugh Beg made Samarkand famous as one of the leading cities of Muslim civilization. In 1424, he constructed a madrasa, an institution of higher learning, where astronomy was taught. Later in 1428, Ulugh Beg began the construction of a magnificent three story observatory in Samarkand. It was more than two hundred fifty feet in diameter and one hundred twenty feet high. He appointed Ali-Kudsi, a Muslim astronomer as the director of the Observatory. Several well-known mathematicians and astronomers including al-Kashi and Kadizada worked there.
He equipped it with the best and most accurate astronomical instruments available then. The observatory included a Fakhri sextant (made of marble) which was used for determining the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, the point of the vernal equinox, the length of the tropical year, and other astronomical constants measured from observation of the sun. It also included a quadrant so large that part of the ground was removed to allow it to fit in the Observatory. Other instruments included a triquetram and an armillary sphere.
In 1437, Ulugh Beg published his most famous and enduring work, a new catalogue of stars entitled Zidj-i Djadid Sultani. In it, he revisited the positions and magnitudes of stars observed by Ptolemy. He found many errors in the computations of Ptolemy. It includes a diverse collection of observations and computations, the position of the fixed stars, the course of the stars, and the knowledge of time. An English translation of this work was published in 1917.
Ulugh Beg computed the length of the year as 365 years, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 15 seconds, a fairly accurate value. In addition, he prepared Tables of Planetary Motions which were very popular and in demand throughout the astronomical community. Ulugh Beg studied the yearly movements of the five bright planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury. His data is still considered very accurate. In 1437, Ulugh Beg also compiled a star catalog giving the positions of 992 stars. His compilation of tables of sines and tangents at one degree intervals are accurate to eight decimal places.
Ulugh Beg was a cultivated and scholarly man. His capital, Samarkand, became a great center of Islamic culture under his patronage. He embellished the city with numerous architectural monuments, among them a madrasa bearing his name and an astronomical observatory regarded by contemporaries as one of the wonders of the world. Keenly interested in mathematics and astronomy, he assembled around him the best astronomers of his day and compiled a new set of astronomical tables in which he sought to correct Ptolemy’s computations and which became famous in Europe. His rule, however, saw the growth of religious reaction led by a faction of the Naqshbandi order, as well as the encroachment of the nomadic Uzbeks. His death in 1449, at the hands of his son, Abd al-Latif, ushered in a new period of internecine struggles within the Timurid dynasty.
Ulugh Beg was assassinated in 1449 in Samarkand after a brief reign as ruler of Turkestan for three years. This catastrophe led to the neglect of the observatory and Samarkand slowly phased out as the leading center of astronomy. The observatory was eventually destroyed and its location was confirmed in 1908 by Russian archaeologists. Beer and Madler in their famous work Der Mond (1837) named a surface feature of the moon after Ulugh Beg. It is the name of a prominent elliptical ring.
Under the brief rule of Ulugh Beg, the Timurid dynasty of Iran reached its cultural peak. His father, Shāh Rokh, captured the city of Samarkand and gave it to Ulūgh Beg, who made it a center of Muslim culture. There he wrote poetry and history and studied the Qurʾān. His greatest interest was astronomy, and he built an observatory (begun in 1428) at Samarkand. In his observations he discovered a number of errors in the computations of the 2nd-century Alexandrian astronomer Ptolemy, whose figures were still being used.
Ulūgh Beg was a failure in more mundane affairs. On his father’s death in 1447 he was unable to consolidate his power, though he was Shāh Rokh’s sole surviving son. Other Timurid princes profited from his lack of action, and he was put to death at the instigation of his son, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf.
Muhammad Turghay Ulugh Beg see Ulugh Beg
Muhammad Targai Ulugh Beg see Ulugh Beg
Ulug Beg see Ulugh Beg
Mīrzā Muhammad Tāriq bin Shāhrukh Uluġ Beg see Ulugh Beg
Ulugh Beg (Muhammad Turghay Ulugh Beg) (Muhammad Targai Ulugh Beg) (Ulug Beg)Ulugh Beg (Mīrzā Muhammad Tāriq bin Shāhrukh Uluġ Beg) (b. 1393/1394, Solṭānīyeh (Sultaniyeh), Timurid Iran (Persia) - d. October 27, 1449, Samarkand, Timurid empire [now in Uzbekistan]). Timurid ruler in Samarkand (r.1447-1449). A son of Shah Rukh Mirza, he became governor of a part of Khurasan and Mazandaran in 1407, and in 1408 of Turkestan. But he was first of all a man of letters, an artist and a poet. Being able to recite the Qur’an by heart according to all seven “readings,” he was also a great bibliophile and a learned mathematician, fond of poetry and history. He enriched Samarkand with superb buildings. Above all he was an astronomer, who built an observatory and invented new and powerful instruments for researches he carried out with other astronomers. He sought to correct Ptolemy’s computations, and compiled an astronomical almanac, known as “the new almanac of the sultan,” which became celebrated in Europe in the seventeenth century. Less happy in war and politics, he had to fight his son ‘Abd al-Latif, who in the end defeated his father and had him executed.
Ulugh Beg was a grandson of Timur (known in the West as Tamerlane), a Tartar prince and ruler of Turkestan. He was an exceptional astronomer and mathematician of the fifteenth century. Ulugh Beg was the son of the Timurid king Shah Rukh and was born in 1393 at Sultaniyya in Central Asia. He was a Hafiz -- someone who can recite the Qur’an by heart.
Ulugh Beg made Samarkand famous as one of the leading cities of Muslim civilization. In 1424, he constructed a madrasa, an institution of higher learning, where astronomy was taught. Later in 1428, Ulugh Beg began the construction of a magnificent three story observatory in Samarkand. It was more than two hundred fifty feet in diameter and one hundred twenty feet high. He appointed Ali-Kudsi, a Muslim astronomer as the director of the Observatory. Several well-known mathematicians and astronomers including al-Kashi and Kadizada worked there.
He equipped it with the best and most accurate astronomical instruments available then. The observatory included a Fakhri sextant (made of marble) which was used for determining the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, the point of the vernal equinox, the length of the tropical year, and other astronomical constants measured from observation of the sun. It also included a quadrant so large that part of the ground was removed to allow it to fit in the Observatory. Other instruments included a triquetram and an armillary sphere.
In 1437, Ulugh Beg published his most famous and enduring work, a new catalogue of stars entitled Zidj-i Djadid Sultani. In it, he revisited the positions and magnitudes of stars observed by Ptolemy. He found many errors in the computations of Ptolemy. It includes a diverse collection of observations and computations, the position of the fixed stars, the course of the stars, and the knowledge of time. An English translation of this work was published in 1917.
Ulugh Beg computed the length of the year as 365 years, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 15 seconds, a fairly accurate value. In addition, he prepared Tables of Planetary Motions which were very popular and in demand throughout the astronomical community. Ulugh Beg studied the yearly movements of the five bright planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury. His data is still considered very accurate. In 1437, Ulugh Beg also compiled a star catalog giving the positions of 992 stars. His compilation of tables of sines and tangents at one degree intervals are accurate to eight decimal places.
Ulugh Beg was a cultivated and scholarly man. His capital, Samarkand, became a great center of Islamic culture under his patronage. He embellished the city with numerous architectural monuments, among them a madrasa bearing his name and an astronomical observatory regarded by contemporaries as one of the wonders of the world. Keenly interested in mathematics and astronomy, he assembled around him the best astronomers of his day and compiled a new set of astronomical tables in which he sought to correct Ptolemy’s computations and which became famous in Europe. His rule, however, saw the growth of religious reaction led by a faction of the Naqshbandi order, as well as the encroachment of the nomadic Uzbeks. His death in 1449, at the hands of his son, Abd al-Latif, ushered in a new period of internecine struggles within the Timurid dynasty.
Ulugh Beg was assassinated in 1449 in Samarkand after a brief reign as ruler of Turkestan for three years. This catastrophe led to the neglect of the observatory and Samarkand slowly phased out as the leading center of astronomy. The observatory was eventually destroyed and its location was confirmed in 1908 by Russian archaeologists. Beer and Madler in their famous work Der Mond (1837) named a surface feature of the moon after Ulugh Beg. It is the name of a prominent elliptical ring.
Under the brief rule of Ulugh Beg, the Timurid dynasty of Iran reached its cultural peak. His father, Shāh Rokh, captured the city of Samarkand and gave it to Ulūgh Beg, who made it a center of Muslim culture. There he wrote poetry and history and studied the Qurʾān. His greatest interest was astronomy, and he built an observatory (begun in 1428) at Samarkand. In his observations he discovered a number of errors in the computations of the 2nd-century Alexandrian astronomer Ptolemy, whose figures were still being used.
Ulūgh Beg was a failure in more mundane affairs. On his father’s death in 1447 he was unable to consolidate his power, though he was Shāh Rokh’s sole surviving son. Other Timurid princes profited from his lack of action, and he was put to death at the instigation of his son, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf.
Muhammad Turghay Ulugh Beg see Ulugh Beg
Muhammad Targai Ulugh Beg see Ulugh Beg
Ulug Beg see Ulugh Beg
Mīrzā Muhammad Tāriq bin Shāhrukh Uluġ Beg see Ulugh Beg
Uluj ‘Ali
Uluj ‘Ali (Ochialy) (Uluc Ali Reis) (Uluç Ali Paşa) (Kılıç Ali Paşa) (Occhiali) (Uchali) (Giovanni Dionigi Galeni) (1519 - June 21, 1587). Turkish corsair and admiral. Born in Calabria, he was captured and became a galley slave. Having converted to Islam, he was lieutenant to the Turkish admiral Turghud ‘Ali Pasha (d. 1565) during Charles V’s expedition against the island of Jerba, became Turghud’s successor as viceroy of Tripolis and later of Algiers. He took part in maritime expeditions against the Venetians and the Maltese, and commanded the left wing of the Ottoman fleet at the battle of Lepanto in 1571. He brought a part of the fleet safely back to Istanbul and became Grand Admiral until his death.
Uluj Ali was a Muslim corsair of Italian origin, who converted to Islam and later became an Ottoman admiral (Reis) and Chief Admiral (Kaptan-ı Derya) of the Ottoman Fleet in the 16th century.
He was also known by several other names in the Christian countries of the Mediterranean, and in the literature also appears under various names. He was often, especially in Italy, referred to as Occhiali, and Miguel de Cervantes called him Uchali in chapter XXXIX of his Don Quixote de la Mancha. Elsewhere he was simply called Ali Pasha. John Wolf, in his The Barbary Coast, refers to him as Euldj Ali.
Uluj Ali was born as Giovanni Dionigi Galeni, the son of seaman Birno Galeni and his wife Pippa de Cicco, in the village of Le Castella (near modern Isola Capo Rizzuto) in Calabria, Southern Italy. His father wanted him to receive a religious education, but on April 29, 1536, Giovanni was captured by Ali Ahmed, one of the corsair captains of Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, and was forced to serve as a galley slave. After several years, he converted to Islam and joined the corsairs. This was by no means unusual. Many Muslim corsairs in this period were converts from Christian lands.
Uluj Ali was a very able mariner and soon rose in the ranks, gaining sufficient prize booty to buy a share in a corsair brigantine sailing out of Algiers. Further success soon enabled him to become the captain and owner of a galley, and he gained a reputation as one of the boldest corsair reis on the Barbary Coast. He joined Turgut Reis, who was then the most feared corsair in the Mediterranean as well as an Ottoman admiral and Bey of Tripoli. Sailing with Turgut Reis, he also impressed the Ottoman admiral Piyale Pasha, with whom Turgut joined forces on a number of occasions. Due to his success in battles, the administration of the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea was awarded to him in 1550. In 1565 he was promoted to the rank of Beylerbey (Chief Governor) of Alexandria. The same year he joined the Siege of Malta with the Ottoman Egyptian fleet, and when Turgut Reis was killed during the siege, Piyale Pasha appointed Uluj Ali to become Turgut's successor as Bey of Tripoli. Uluj took Turgut's body to Tripoli for burial, assumed control of the province, and was subsequently confirmed as Pasha of Tripoli by Sultan Suleiman I. In the following years, he conducted numerous raids on the coasts of Sicily, Calabria and Naples.
In March 1568, the vice-regency of Algiers fell vacant, and upon the recommendation of Piyale Pasha, Sultan Selim II appointed Uluj Ali to become the Pasha and Beylerbey of Algiers, the most powerful of the increasingly semi-independent corsair states in North Africa. In October 1569 he turned upon the Hafsid Sultan Hamid of Tunis, who had been restored to his throne by Spain. Marching overland with an army of some 5000, he quickly sent Hamid and his forces fleeing and made himself ruler of Tunis. Hamid found refuge in the Spanish fort at La Goulette outside Tunis.
In July 1570, while ostensibly en route to Istanbul to ask the Sultan for more ships and men in order to evict the Spaniards from all of North Africa, Uluj Ali encountered five Maltese galleys, commanded by Francisco de Sant Clement, then the captain-general of the Order's galleys, near Cape Passaro in Sicily and captured four of them. (Sant Clement escaped, but on returning to Malta was condemned, strangled and his body put in a sack and dumped into the harbor.) This victory caused Uluj to change his mind and return to Algiers in order to celebrate. There, in early 1571, he was faced with a mutiny of the janissaries who demanded overdue pay. He decided to put to sea, leaving the mutinous soldiers to take their pay from anyone they could find and rob. Having learned of the presence of a large Turkish fleet at Coron in the Morea, he decided to join it. It was the fleet commanded by Müezzinzade Ali Pasha that was to meet disaster at Lepanto a few months later.
On October 7, 1571, Uluj Ali commanded the left flank of Ali Pasha's fleet in the Battle of Lepanto. He kept his squadron together in the melee, outmaneuvered his direct opponent, Gian Andrea Doria, and captured the flagship of the Maltese Knights with its great banner. When the Turkish defeat became obvious, he succeeded in extricating his ships, and gathered up the scattered remaining ships of the Ottoman fleet (some forty galleys and fustas) and others along the way to Istanbul, where he arrived with 87 vessels. There he presented the great flag of the Maltese Knights to the Sultan who gave him the honorary title of Kılıç (Sword) and on October 29, 1571 appointed him as Kaptan-ı Derya (Chief Admiral) and Beylerbey of the Isles. He was subsequently known as Kilic Ali Pasha (Turkish: Kılıç Ali Paşa).
Piyale Pasha and Kilic Ali Pasha almost immediately began to rebuild the Ottoman fleet. Kilic Ali placed special emphasis on the construction of a number of heavier ships modeled upon the Venetian galleasses, heavier artillery for the galleys, and firearms for the soldiers on board. In June 1572, now Chief Admiral, he set out with 250 galleys and a large number of smaller ships to seek revenge for Lepanto. He found the Christian fleet anchored in an inlet of Morea, but his strategy of trying to lure the enemy out and inflicting damage through repeated quick thrusts meant that a full-fledged battle never materialized, because the Christian fleet was too cautious to be trapped and encircled.
In 1573 Kilic Ali Pasha commanded the naval campaign on the coasts of Italy. In that same year, the regency of Algiers was transferred to Arab Ahmed, and Don Juan of Austria, the victor of Lepanto, recaptured Tunis. In 1574 Kilic Ali sailed to Tunis with a fleet of 250 galleys and a large army under the command of Cigalazade Sinan Pasha, captured the port fortress of La Goleta on August 25 and city of Tunis on September 13. He then proceeded to Morocco and on July 26, 1574 constructed a Turkish castle on the coastline facing Spain. In 1576 he raided Calabria and in 1578 put down another mutiny of the janissaries at Algiers who had assassinated Arab Ahmed. In 1584 he commanded a naval expedition to Crimea. In 1585 he put down revolts in Syria and Lebanon with the Ottoman Egyptian fleet based in Alexandria.
Kilic Ali Pasha died on June 21, 1587 in Istanbul. He is buried at the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque (1580), designed by the architect Mimar Sinan.
Part of the legacy of Ulij Ali (Kilic Ali Pasa) include:
* Construction of the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque (1580) and Baths (1583) in Istanbul.
* Several warships and submarines of the Turkish Navy being named after him.
* A statue in the center square of Le Castella in Calabria, Italy, where he was born.
Ochialy see Uluj ‘Ali
Uluc Ali Reis see Uluj ‘Ali
Uluc Ali Pasa see Uluj ‘Ali
Kilic Ali Pasa see Uluj ‘Ali
Giovanni Dionigi Galeni see Uluj ‘Ali
Galeni, Giovanni Dionigi see Uluj ‘Ali
Uluj ‘Ali (Ochialy) (Uluc Ali Reis) (Uluç Ali Paşa) (Kılıç Ali Paşa) (Occhiali) (Uchali) (Giovanni Dionigi Galeni) (1519 - June 21, 1587). Turkish corsair and admiral. Born in Calabria, he was captured and became a galley slave. Having converted to Islam, he was lieutenant to the Turkish admiral Turghud ‘Ali Pasha (d. 1565) during Charles V’s expedition against the island of Jerba, became Turghud’s successor as viceroy of Tripolis and later of Algiers. He took part in maritime expeditions against the Venetians and the Maltese, and commanded the left wing of the Ottoman fleet at the battle of Lepanto in 1571. He brought a part of the fleet safely back to Istanbul and became Grand Admiral until his death.
Uluj Ali was a Muslim corsair of Italian origin, who converted to Islam and later became an Ottoman admiral (Reis) and Chief Admiral (Kaptan-ı Derya) of the Ottoman Fleet in the 16th century.
He was also known by several other names in the Christian countries of the Mediterranean, and in the literature also appears under various names. He was often, especially in Italy, referred to as Occhiali, and Miguel de Cervantes called him Uchali in chapter XXXIX of his Don Quixote de la Mancha. Elsewhere he was simply called Ali Pasha. John Wolf, in his The Barbary Coast, refers to him as Euldj Ali.
Uluj Ali was born as Giovanni Dionigi Galeni, the son of seaman Birno Galeni and his wife Pippa de Cicco, in the village of Le Castella (near modern Isola Capo Rizzuto) in Calabria, Southern Italy. His father wanted him to receive a religious education, but on April 29, 1536, Giovanni was captured by Ali Ahmed, one of the corsair captains of Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, and was forced to serve as a galley slave. After several years, he converted to Islam and joined the corsairs. This was by no means unusual. Many Muslim corsairs in this period were converts from Christian lands.
Uluj Ali was a very able mariner and soon rose in the ranks, gaining sufficient prize booty to buy a share in a corsair brigantine sailing out of Algiers. Further success soon enabled him to become the captain and owner of a galley, and he gained a reputation as one of the boldest corsair reis on the Barbary Coast. He joined Turgut Reis, who was then the most feared corsair in the Mediterranean as well as an Ottoman admiral and Bey of Tripoli. Sailing with Turgut Reis, he also impressed the Ottoman admiral Piyale Pasha, with whom Turgut joined forces on a number of occasions. Due to his success in battles, the administration of the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea was awarded to him in 1550. In 1565 he was promoted to the rank of Beylerbey (Chief Governor) of Alexandria. The same year he joined the Siege of Malta with the Ottoman Egyptian fleet, and when Turgut Reis was killed during the siege, Piyale Pasha appointed Uluj Ali to become Turgut's successor as Bey of Tripoli. Uluj took Turgut's body to Tripoli for burial, assumed control of the province, and was subsequently confirmed as Pasha of Tripoli by Sultan Suleiman I. In the following years, he conducted numerous raids on the coasts of Sicily, Calabria and Naples.
In March 1568, the vice-regency of Algiers fell vacant, and upon the recommendation of Piyale Pasha, Sultan Selim II appointed Uluj Ali to become the Pasha and Beylerbey of Algiers, the most powerful of the increasingly semi-independent corsair states in North Africa. In October 1569 he turned upon the Hafsid Sultan Hamid of Tunis, who had been restored to his throne by Spain. Marching overland with an army of some 5000, he quickly sent Hamid and his forces fleeing and made himself ruler of Tunis. Hamid found refuge in the Spanish fort at La Goulette outside Tunis.
In July 1570, while ostensibly en route to Istanbul to ask the Sultan for more ships and men in order to evict the Spaniards from all of North Africa, Uluj Ali encountered five Maltese galleys, commanded by Francisco de Sant Clement, then the captain-general of the Order's galleys, near Cape Passaro in Sicily and captured four of them. (Sant Clement escaped, but on returning to Malta was condemned, strangled and his body put in a sack and dumped into the harbor.) This victory caused Uluj to change his mind and return to Algiers in order to celebrate. There, in early 1571, he was faced with a mutiny of the janissaries who demanded overdue pay. He decided to put to sea, leaving the mutinous soldiers to take their pay from anyone they could find and rob. Having learned of the presence of a large Turkish fleet at Coron in the Morea, he decided to join it. It was the fleet commanded by Müezzinzade Ali Pasha that was to meet disaster at Lepanto a few months later.
On October 7, 1571, Uluj Ali commanded the left flank of Ali Pasha's fleet in the Battle of Lepanto. He kept his squadron together in the melee, outmaneuvered his direct opponent, Gian Andrea Doria, and captured the flagship of the Maltese Knights with its great banner. When the Turkish defeat became obvious, he succeeded in extricating his ships, and gathered up the scattered remaining ships of the Ottoman fleet (some forty galleys and fustas) and others along the way to Istanbul, where he arrived with 87 vessels. There he presented the great flag of the Maltese Knights to the Sultan who gave him the honorary title of Kılıç (Sword) and on October 29, 1571 appointed him as Kaptan-ı Derya (Chief Admiral) and Beylerbey of the Isles. He was subsequently known as Kilic Ali Pasha (Turkish: Kılıç Ali Paşa).
Piyale Pasha and Kilic Ali Pasha almost immediately began to rebuild the Ottoman fleet. Kilic Ali placed special emphasis on the construction of a number of heavier ships modeled upon the Venetian galleasses, heavier artillery for the galleys, and firearms for the soldiers on board. In June 1572, now Chief Admiral, he set out with 250 galleys and a large number of smaller ships to seek revenge for Lepanto. He found the Christian fleet anchored in an inlet of Morea, but his strategy of trying to lure the enemy out and inflicting damage through repeated quick thrusts meant that a full-fledged battle never materialized, because the Christian fleet was too cautious to be trapped and encircled.
In 1573 Kilic Ali Pasha commanded the naval campaign on the coasts of Italy. In that same year, the regency of Algiers was transferred to Arab Ahmed, and Don Juan of Austria, the victor of Lepanto, recaptured Tunis. In 1574 Kilic Ali sailed to Tunis with a fleet of 250 galleys and a large army under the command of Cigalazade Sinan Pasha, captured the port fortress of La Goleta on August 25 and city of Tunis on September 13. He then proceeded to Morocco and on July 26, 1574 constructed a Turkish castle on the coastline facing Spain. In 1576 he raided Calabria and in 1578 put down another mutiny of the janissaries at Algiers who had assassinated Arab Ahmed. In 1584 he commanded a naval expedition to Crimea. In 1585 he put down revolts in Syria and Lebanon with the Ottoman Egyptian fleet based in Alexandria.
Kilic Ali Pasha died on June 21, 1587 in Istanbul. He is buried at the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque (1580), designed by the architect Mimar Sinan.
Part of the legacy of Ulij Ali (Kilic Ali Pasa) include:
* Construction of the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque (1580) and Baths (1583) in Istanbul.
* Several warships and submarines of the Turkish Navy being named after him.
* A statue in the center square of Le Castella in Calabria, Italy, where he was born.
Ochialy see Uluj ‘Ali
Uluc Ali Reis see Uluj ‘Ali
Uluc Ali Pasa see Uluj ‘Ali
Kilic Ali Pasa see Uluj ‘Ali
Giovanni Dionigi Galeni see Uluj ‘Ali
Galeni, Giovanni Dionigi see Uluj ‘Ali
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