Michael Heberer, who was born around 1555 near the famous city of Heidelberg in southwestern Germany, was captured by the Ottomans in the Mediterranean in 1583. He rowed as a galley slave for many years in Ottoman galleys. He lived in Istanbul for a long time. After obtaining his freedom through ransom, Heberer made particularly interesting observations in Istanbul. His writings were published in Heidelberg in 1610 as the memoirs of a slave:
"Our patron was displeased due to the bad weather conditions we had to fight against, the fear we experienced, and the damage we suffered. Due to his unease, he wanted to reach Constantinople as soon as possible and was in a hurry.
After leaving the island, we did not benefit from the wind until we reached Capo Trojano (Cape of Troy) and had to row all the way. From there, the wind began to blow from the land again, filling our sails and bringing us to the two fortresses called Dardanellei at the entrance of the Dardanelles (Hellespont). We anchored in front of the fortress of Abidos on the Asian side and rested for a while.
The noble prisoners on the ship, Monsieur de Thenessie and Monsieur de Villerseaux, often came to me during the journey, offering comforting words and promising to do everything they could to help me regain my freedom. Both of them knew my master Monsieur de Chammesson very well, and it was certain that they would make every effort for his sake. I had even heard before of the Thenisse family, who were related to my master. Because of our mutual acquaintance, Monsieur Thenisse showed me more closeness than the other French slaves. After our patron finished his business, we continued our journey towards Constantinople. First, we exited the Hellespontus and reached a wider sea. To avoid the danger of being caught by the wind, we did not stray far from the Asian shores."