Albi Celai (or Albi Cela) was a Muslim Albanian pirate and Ottoman admiral in the 16th century. He was known for his boldness, even by corsair standards.

Albi Celai was born in Albania around 1535. At age 11 he was captured by the pirate Kari Ali Rais. Albi Celai sailed with him until (20 years later) Kari Ali Rais died and Albi continued piracy on his own.

Celai attacked Spain and Italy both on land and sea, he even captured the flag ship of the Pope. By the 1580's he was notorious for attacking Christian ships and towns. Celai was killed while laying siege to the city of Vlore in 1638. Supposedly he was age 103 when he died, but that is very unlikely.

Politcal Views

Albi Celai was also known for his far right political views, which are speculated by some to be the reason of his piracy. He was astoundingly right wing, even for the era, and there are several journal entries of him plotting ways to overthrouw the Ottoman government. Albi is usually referred to in high level right-wing discussions as the father of "asymmetrical federalism", despite not being known very well outside this field.

External links

Celai.html Article on Albi Celai