Ivan Dirkie de Veenboer (died 10 October 1620 near Cartagena) was a 17th-century Dutch corsair. A privateer during 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 later turned to piracy and became an officer under Simon the Dancer. He later converted to Islam, becoming known as Süleyman Reis (also spelled Sulayman, Soliman, or Slemen Reis), and had a highly successful career as an Ottoman captain 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 ...

commanding the Algiers corsair fleet during his later years.

Biography

Born in

Hoorn Hoorn () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. It is the largest town an ...

, De Veenboer first came to prominence as a privateer for the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

against the Spanish during the

. He operated legally under a

letter of marque A letter of marque and reprisal () was a Sovereign state, government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, known as a privateer or French corsairs, corsair, to attack and capture vessels of a foreign state at war with t ...

from the Dutch Admiralty but left the service of the Republic after little success. He joined other former corsairs operating in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, becoming an officer under Simon the Dancer sometime between 1606 and 1609. De Veenboer found far more success on 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 ...

and, while in Algiers, he converted to

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

and changed his name to Sulayman. He was later given the title of Reis (or Admiral) while visiting the

Sunni Caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entir ...

's capital in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

; by 1617 he was in command of his own fleet. He most often used the colours 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 ...

, however, his crew were predominantly Dutch and always had the Dutch flag raised when attacking the Spanish. He eventually wished to return to the Netherlands and attempted to negotiate with Dutch authorities through Wynant de Keyser van Bollandt, who was the Dutch consul in Algiers, to receive a pardon. Although he had stopped attacking Dutch shipping for the most part, taking care of the safe return of its crew when he did, an argument with de Keyser ended his hopes to be exonerated for his crimes. In 1618, he was at the height of his power, commanding fifty warships in his fleet which were split into separate squadrons. Several future corsairs sailed in his fleet, most notably

Jan Janszoon Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Reis Mourad the Younger (c. 1570 – c. 1641), was a Dutch pirate who later became a Barbary corsair in the Regency of Algiers and the Republic of Salé. After being captured by Algerian corsairs o ...

who worked as a steerer, and also converted to Islam. That same year, De Veenboer lost his position of leadership to

Mustapha Reis Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa A ...

. After battling with several merchant ships, involving five Dutch ships, one French and one Italian ship, Reis and another corsair captured two of the ships while the remainder were allowed to escape. He decided to retire, capturing one last ship with a cargo of sugar, before settling in Algiers. His retirement lasted only a brief time however as, in early 1620, he sailed out from port capturing a rich French prize. While sailing off the coast in July of that year, he and four other ships were slowed by a

dead calm Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shor ...

and surprised by three Dutch

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 Captains 't Hoen, Cleijnsorgh and Schaeff. He and two other ships managed to escape, although his flagship was heavily damaged. He managed to make his way to Algiers in August and, after a month in port undergoing repairs, he once again left Algiers with eight ships under his command. He and his small fleet were at sea for over two months before encountering a naval squadron of one Dutch, two French, and two English warships on 10 October 1620. De Veenboer decided to engage them and, after a long battle at the Cartagena harbour, was killed after being struck by a cannonball shattering both his legs. A sloop containing his corpse was returned to shore by his enemies.

Biography

References

Further reading