Turkish Navy - Seljuk Sultanate XI.-XIV. Century
Turks were introduced to the seas for the very first time as they settled in Asia-Minor in 1071. Turks began to sail towards the blue waters to study the mystical world of the endless seas, which reminded them of the eternity. In this way, the strong historical heritage and traditions, extending from the past and into the future, of Turkish Maritime emerged. Turkish Maritime influenced the history of world maritime with the great Admirals like Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha and Kiliç Ali Pasha as well as the pioneers of global cartography, Piri Reis and Ali Macar Reis.
The Ottoman Turks combined the ideas of the West, enlightened as the Renaissance emerged in the Mediterranean, with the Eastern, Islamic and ancient Turkish civilizations and therefore created unique works, which are still treasured today. The Turks, who had performed great miracles and turned the Mediterranean into an almost inland sea in their golden age in the seas, would nevertheless pay a heavy price in the periods when they withdrew from the seas.
In 1071, the Oguz Turks began to settle in Anatolia led by the Seljuk's Sultan Alparslan. The territories of the first Turkish principalities were extended to the coasts of the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. Emir Çaka Bey was the first pioneer, who introduced the maritime environment to the Turks. He was one of the most courageous raiders of the Seljuk's Army, but was captured by the Byzantine Empire in 1078 when the Turks were marching towards the West.
Çaka Bey constructed a shipbuilding facility, a kind of shipyard, deemed very modern for that era. The region around this facility developed to become a naval base. After this phase, ship-constructing activities commenced and the first Turkish Fleet of 50 sailing boats and rowboats was built in 1081. That year is extremely important in the history of the Turkish Navy, since it has been regarded as the foundation year of the Turkish Naval Forces. In the same year, Emir Çaka Bey sailed into the warm waters of the Aegean Sea with the first Turkish Fleet.
The Turks were introduced to the seas and built a bridge of affection and respect between the seas and themselves. Yet, a price would be paid for sailing on these sometimes dangerous seas: on 10 May 1090, Çaka Bey's fleet confronted the Byzantine Fleet off the coast of the Koyun Islands in the Central Aegean Sea. That there would be a battle was inevitable.
He commanded his fleet of 50 sailing boats skillfully and he probed repeatedly at the weakest points of the enemy. Having suffered heavy losses, the Byzantine fleet was forced to withdraw. After this victory, Emir Çaka Bey broadened his control zone in the seas and approached Çanakkale with his fleet. The sudden death of Emir Çaka Bey in 1095 slowed down the development of the Turkish Maritime.
The Turkish settlement in Anatolia incited the movements against the Turks and the Muslims in particular, which led the formation of the Crusader Army. During the period of intensive Crusades starting from 1096 in Anatolia, the Turks were kept under pressure. For this reason, they had to settle in Central Anatolia; also, they had to protect themselves against the Mongol invasions.
This sequence of events remarkably hindered the sea-oriented activities of the Seljuk Sultanate of Anatolia. Maritime activities were limited to a few ship construction and maintenance facilities in Sinop, Antalya, and Alanya. However, in this period, the Seljuk Sultan of Anatolia, Alaeddin Keykubat I , who was reputed to be "The Sultan of the Two Seas ", set up fleets with the ships constructed at the Alanya and Sinop Shipyards. The Alanya shipyard was considered to be the first organized shipyard constructed in 1220 by the Turks.
In 1308, after the collapse of the Seljuk Sultanate of Anatolia, as a result of Mongol invasions, frontier principalities were established, particularly in the Western Anatolia.The principality of Aydin (1300-1403) made significant progress in maritime issues especially in the period of Umur Bey. From 1334-48, Umur Bey, an experienced sailor, secured great victories against the Byzantine and the Genoese in the Aegean and ensured absolute sea control from Rhodes to the Çanakkale Strait, including the Peloponnesus and Rumelia shores.
In parallel with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, the principalities in Anatolia had lost their authority and, during the period of Mehmet II the Conqueror (1451-1481), all were annexed by the Ottomans. The Ottoman Empire benefited from the experiences, facilities, shipyards and harbors of these principalities. The Ottoman Navy, which had played an important role in the rise of the Ottomans, acquired a strategic dimension by adding firearms to its inventory during the reign of Mehmet II the Conquer.
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