Albania, located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, you might not think of as have being known for piracy. While they weren't as famous as some nations, they did have their fair share of Sea Warfare.

One of the more famous of Albanian Pirates was, Murat Reis.




He started his career at a young age. Sailing for a time with the famed Ottoman Captain, Barbarossa Hayreddin. Murat Reis helped lead several successful battles and was later name Commander in Cheif of the Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet.

Murat was in charge of 25 galleys which helped protect important trade routes between Crete, Rhodes and Cypus.

In 1585 he led the first expedition of the Barbary corsairs in the Atlantic ocean and captured several of the Canary Islands. During the attacks among others he captured the Spanish governor of Lanzarote, who was later ransomed and released.

Murat Reis was later assigned with the task of controlling the lucrative trade routes between Egypt and Anatolia which were often raided by the Venetians, the French and the Maltese Knights. In 1609, he heard of the presence of a joint French-Maltese fleet of ten galleys, including the famous Galeona Rossa, a large galleon armed with 90 cannons which was known among the Ottomans as the Red Inferno, under the command of a knight named Fresine, off the island of Cyprus, and sailed there to engage them. After successfully striking the enemy ships with cannons from both long distance and close range, he severely damaged the Red Inferno and captured the ship. Six out of the ten French-Maltese galleys were captured, along with the 500 soldiers aboard, and the total of 160 cannons and 2000 muskets which they carried. During the battle Murat Reis was seriously injured. In 1638 he took part in siege of Vlorë, during which he died.

The flag of Albania is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength and valor, while the double-headed eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania located in the Balkans.