Kilij Ali Pasha (Uchali)

Giovanni Dionigi Galeni, born in Calabria, was captured as a youth by Ottoman corsairs and rose through sheer maritime genius to become Kilij Ali Pasha ('The Sword-like Ali'). In 1569, as Beylerbey of Algiers, he marched across the border, drove out the Spanish-backed Hafsid king, and took Tunis for the first time.

After being the sole Ottoman commander to successfully withdraw his wing intact from the Battle of Lepanto (1571), he was made Grand Admiral (Kapudan Pasha). In 1574, his fleet blockaded the Lake of Tunis and La Goulette, securing Tunisia's permanent Islamic sovereignty.