Spanish Expedition against Algiers, 1541



In 1509 the Spanish had conquered Oran, in 1510 they had fortified and garrisoned Penon de Algiers. In 1516 Selim bin Teumi, Pasha of Algiers, invited the corsairs Arouj and Khaireddin (better known as Barbarossa). Arouj had Selim assassinated, and took the throne himself; later he was succeeded by Khaireddin. In 1519, the Pasha of Algiers accepted the status of a vassall of the Ottoman Empire. Algiers became a major hub for Barbary coast pirates. In 1529 Khaireddin expelled the Spanish from Penon de Algiers. In 1534 Khaireddin ousted the ruler of Tunis; the city was recaptured by a Spanish-Imperial expedition the year after, and the former ruler reinstated.
In 1541 Emperor Charles V. sent an expedition (30,000 men) against Algiers, to punish Khaireddin and to deprive the pirates of their base. The fleet was diminished by a storm and then defeated by the Algerians.
Khaireddin's successors held on to the Pashalik, later Deylik of Algiers, and Algiers continued to be among the most prominent bases of the Barbary Coast pirates (this is what they were in the eyes of contemporary Europeans; contemporary North Africans would have justified their action as retaliation against Spanish and Portuguese aggression).




EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article Algiers, from Wikipedia, from Encyclopedia of the Orient
The Barbarossa Brothers, from The Pirates Realm
Article Barbary Pirates, from EB 1911
Kheireddine Barberousse, French language timeline
DOCUMENTS Image of Algiers 1575 (Braun-Hogenberg), from Historic Cities
Barbary Coast Flag, from FOTW
Khaireddin's War Standard, from FOTW
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on March 11th 2004, last revised on November 18th 2004

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