Early shipboard cannon fired slowly enough to invite a joke about crews sleeping between shots. The discussion then turns to how the Ottoman system rewarded Kemal Reis. Sultan Bayezid II gave the admiral ten captured Venetian ships and hired those vessels for imperial service. The arrangement enriched Kemal Reis while keeping his resources available for the sultan's wars. The ships may also have concentrated the admiral's most loyal followers, making patronage a way to identify and organize dependable personnel. Captured warships functioned as rewards, income, and a structure for personal allegiance.
Notable Point · 27:10-28:38
Captured ships reward Kemal Reis and bind his following
The closing aside joins the novelty of cannon fire to the sultan's grant of captured Venetian ships to Kemal Reis as reward, income, and a focus for loyal crews.