Ulcinj was the home of famous pirates, the legend also mentions writer Miguel de Cervantes!

In Ulcinj, the pearl of the Adriatic located in the south of Montenegro, the legend still circulates that the man who is considered the father of the modern novel, the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), was a slave of the Ulcinj pirates as a young man.

Moreover, it is believed that his most famous work, Don Quixote, is related to his alleged imprisonment in Ulcinj.

Miguel de Cervantes, statue in Ulcinj, Photo: Adria fun

Several researchers have recognized in his Dulcinea del Toboso the Ulcinian woman, the main heroine of his novel, since his greatest book was written, according to this legend, after his imprisonment in Ulcinj, which is called Dulcigno in Romance languages. And, Dulcineja is another name for Ulcinjanka.

Miguel de Cervantes plaque, Ulcinj, Photo: Adria fun

Legend has it that Cervantes, who was then 28 years old, was imprisoned “one day in 1575, when three “leuts“, pirate ships known in Ulcinj, under the command of the terrifying captain Arnaut Mami, attacked a Spanish frigate in the Mediterranean Sea, near Corsica.

In a bloody battle, the pirates defeated the warlike Spaniards and brought their ship, together with the people they captured, to the home port of Ulcinj. Among those prisoners was Cervantes.

Museum of Ulcinj pirates, Photo: Adria fun

In Ulcinj, under the Ottoman Empire, for more than 200 years, there was a Slave Square, a place where prisoners from enemy countries were brought and sold. The pirates would inform the families or their birthplace that they were in captivity, and when the family, relatives, or someone else decided to pay the ransom, they would sell them on neutral ground, usually in Dubrovnik.

It costs from 30 to 100 gold coins, sometimes 200 to buy a slave. They demanded an incredible 500 gold thalers for Cervantes, and since no one from Spain wanted to pay such a high price, he remained in captivity for 5 years.

Museum of Ulcinj pirates, Photo: Hotel Palata de Venezia

The people of Ulcinj called Cervantes – Servet. His strange behavior was of particular interest to the local population. He would stay up late into the night in his cell, thinking and writing down his thoughts.

During the day, he sang mesmerizing Spanish serenades, which made girls appear at the windows just to listen to him.

Statue of Miguel de Cervantes in Ulcinj, Photo: Adria fun

According to legend, one of the girls couldn’t get enough of just listening to him, so she followed him whenever he went out for the daily walk he was allowed. That’s how they fell in love.

A few years later, Cervantes’ father sold their estate to free his son, and returning to his homeland, Cervantes brought with him a beautiful girl from the old town. She was the daughter of the manager of the fortress, which meant that by marrying her Cervantes, according to legend, somehow became related to Ulcinj itself.

Amphora, Ulcinj, Photo: Adria fun

The people of Ulcinj even made a film about these events, firmly believing that the legend is true, although historical data says a little different…

In the fortress in the Old Town in Ulcinj, everything reminds me of Miguel de Cervantes. There is a sculpture, there is also an interesting museum about the famous pirates of Ulcinj, and you can have lunch in the excellent restaurant of  Old Town in Ulcinj with a view of the whole of Ulcinj. So let the legend live on…

Restaurant Miguel de Cervantes, Photo: Adria fun