Sulayman Reis

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ivan de Veenboer, later known as Sulayman Reis, was a Dutch sailor who became a famous corsair in the early 1600s. He was born in Hoorn, Netherlands, around 1560 and began as a privateer for the Dutch against Spain during the Eighty Years’ War, operating under a letter of marque. After limited success, he left Dutch service and joined North African corsairs, becoming an officer under Simon the Dancer between 1606 and 1609.

In Algiers he converted to Sunni Islam and adopted the name Sulayman Reis. By 1617 he commanded his own fleet for the Algiers corsair squadron. His crew was mostly Dutch, and they would often fly the Dutch flag when attacking Spanish ships. He sought a pardon from the Dutch through the Dutch consul Wynant de Keyser van Bollandt, but a quarrel ended those hopes.

By 1618 Sulayman Reis was at the height of his power, commanding about fifty warships in several squadrons. Jan Janszoon and other future corsairs sailed with him, while leadership later passed to Mustapha Reis. After notable captures, he retired for a time, taking one last ship with a cargo of sugar and settling in Algiers.

Early in 1620 he sailed again, capturing a rich French prize. In July a dead calm slowed his fleet, but he escaped several Dutch ships and reached Algiers in August for repairs. He left again with eight ships and was at sea for more than two months before meeting a mixed squadron of Dutch, French, and English ships off Cartagena on 10 October 1620. Sulayman Reis fought a long battle at the harbor and was killed when a cannonball shattered both his legs. His body was sent back to shore in a sloop.