Simon The Dancer
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Zymen Danseker ( – c. 1615), better known by his anglicized names Siemen Danziger and Simon de Danser, was a 17th-century
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
and
Barbary corsair The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...
based in
Ottoman Algeria The Regency of Algiers was an early modern semi-independent Ottoman province and nominal vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Africa from 1516 to 1830. Founded by the privateer brothers Aruj and Hayreddin Reis (also known as the Barb ...
. His name is also written ''Danziker'', ''Dansker'', ''Dansa'' or ''Danser''. Danseker and the English pirate John Ward were the two most prominent
renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *''Command ...
s operating in the
Barbary coast The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, a ...
during the early 17th century. Both were said to command squadrons in
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
and
Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
that were equal to their European counterparts, and, as allies, together represented a formidable naval power (much as had
Aruj Aruj Barbarossa ( 1474 – 1518), known as Oruç Reis () to the Turks, was an Ottoman corsair who became Sultan of Algiers. The elder brother of the famous Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa, he was born on the Ottoman island of Midilli (Le ...
and
Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa (, original name: Khiḍr; ), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's ...
in the previous century). Later in his Barbary career, Danseker became known by the Turkish epithet Simon Re'is. Commanding a vast squadron made up of English and Turks while in the service of
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
, Danseker captured more than 40 ships in a two-year period after "turning Turk" and was stopped only by his capture and execution in 1611. Both men are featured prominently in ''Kitab al-Munis fi Akhbar Ifriqiya wa Tunis'' written by Tunisian writer and historian .


Biography

A Dutchman, Danseker served as a privateer in the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...
. He settled in
Marseilles, France Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, ...
, marrying the governor's daughter. In 1607 he stole a ship and sailed for
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
. Finding himself in the service of Redwan Pasha of Algiers, he led a brief but infamous career as a
Barbary corsair The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...
. According to Ina B. McCabe, he introduced the round ship. It is unclear why he became a corsair. He ''was made welcome as an enemy of the Spaniards'' and, within a year of his arrival became a leading captain of the ''taife reisi''. Often bringing Spanish prizes and prisoners to Algiers, due to his exploits he became known under the names ''Simon Re'is'', ''Deli-Reis'' (Captain Crazy) and ''Deli Kapitan'' among the people on the Barbary coast and the
Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...
. He incorporated captured ships into his fleet, and was supplied by Algiers with men and the use of their shipyards. He was also the first to lead the Algiers through the
Straits of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
, the farthest distance they had ever successfully navigated, and traveled as far as
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
, which would later be attacked by Barbary corsairs in 1616. Simon took at least forty ships and sank many during the three years that followed. After three more years of pirating, he had become quite rich and lived in an opulent palace. Simon the Dancer attacked ships of any nation, making trading in the Mediterranean Sea increasingly difficult for every nation. Many nations therefore looked for ways to stop his attacks (by counterattack, bribes for safe-passage or employing him as a privateer in their navy). Simon soon became acquainted with other renegades, particularly English pirates
Peter Easton Peter Easton ( – 1620 or after) was an English privateer and later pirate in the early 17th century. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life. By 1602, Easton had become a highly successful privateer, commissioned to protect En ...
and
Jack Ward John Ward or Jack Ward ( 1553 – 1622), also known as Birdy, Sparrow or later as Yusuf Reis, was an English people, English pirate who later became a Barbary pirates, Corsair for the Ottoman Empire operating out of Ottoman Tunisia, Tunis ...
. He formed a powerful alliance with the latter. Eventually, a French fleet under the command of De Beaulieu de Pairsac, assisted by eight Spanish
galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
s, for a short time threatened to capture him, but because of a sudden storm he was able to escape; he sailed along the coast with his ships where his pursuers could not reach them. Eight more Spanish
men-of-war In Royal Navy jargon, a man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a powerful warship or frigate of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually rese ...
, under the command of Don Luis Fajardo, and an English squadron, under the command of Sir
Thomas Shoreley Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
, also tried to capture Simon the Dancer. In 1609, while taking a Spanish galleon off
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, Danziger sent a message to
Henri IV Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
and the French court through the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priests on board. He wanted to return to Marseilles, having long ago left his wife and children behind, and sought to be exonerated for his crimes. He was reunited with his family later that year, shortly after arriving in Marseilles (where a
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
awaited him) with four well-armed warships on November 17, 1609. Welcomed by the
Duke of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise ( , ) were titles in the French nobility. Originally a Fiefdom, seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René I of Naples, René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of ...
, he presented to him "a present of some Turks, who were at once sent to the galleys", as well as a considerable sum in Spanish gold. This was the spark that ignited the Franco-Algerian war of 1609–1628.Meredith Martin and Gillian Weiss
"A Tale of Two Guns: Maritime Weaponry between France and Algiers"
in Elisabeth A. Fraser, ed., ''The Mobility of People and Things in the Early Modern Mediterranean: The Art of Travel'' (Routledge, 2019), pp. 25–48, at 34: "Danser's 1609 theft f a pair of bronze cannons and some Turksbecame the ''causa belli'' for two decades of warfare, ended only byFrance’s return of the Algerian cannons and several captives in 1628".
Danseker had been residing in Marseilles for a year when French authorities asked him to lead an expedition against the corsairs. Despite rumors of his capture, he returned to France later that same year. In 1615 he was called up by Louis XIII to negotiate the release of French ships being held by
Yusuf Dey Yusuf Dey (c.1560 in Tripoli – 1637 at Tunis) was Dey of Tunis from 1610 until his death. Biography Son of Mustapha El Turki, an Ottoman Turkish soldier stationed at Tripoli, he took up a post in the militia of Tunis. He was recognised b ...
in Tunis. According to the account of William Lithgow, Danseker was led ashore in a ruse by Yusuf, captured by
janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...
, and beheaded.


References


Further reading

* Hebb, David Delison. ''Piracy and the English Government, 1616–1642''. Aldershot, UK: Scholar Press, 1994. * Wilson, Peter Lamborn. ''Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs and European Renegadoes''. Autonomedia, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Danziger, Simon 1570s births 1611 deaths 17th-century Dutch people Pirates from the Dutch Republic 17th-century pirates Barbary pirates (people) Dutch privateers People from Dordrecht Converts to Islam Dutch people of the Eighty Years' War Executed military leaders Pardoned pirates Emigrants from the Dutch Republic Immigrants to France Immigrants to the Ottoman Empire 17th-century Dutch criminals Dutch emigrants to France