Online Encyclopedia

time of the ocean; who were not finally suppressed till the 19th century was well advanced; and who are properly known as the Barbary pirates, arose in the 16th century, attained their greatest height in the 17th, declined gradually throughout the 18th and were • extinguished about 183o. Isolated cases of piracy have occurred on the Rif coast of See also:

MOROCCO

Morocco even in our time, but the pirate communities which lived by See also:

PLUNDER

plunder and could live by no other resource, vanished with the See also:

French conquest of See also:

ALGIERS (Fr. Alger, Arab. Jezair, i.e. The Islands)

Algiers in 1830. They are intimately connected with the See also:

general See also:

HISTORY

history of northern Africa from about 1492 to their end. The See also:

story of the See also:

ESTABLISHMENT (0. Fr. establissement, Fr. etablissement, late Norm. Fr. establishement, from O. Fr. establir, Fr. etablir, Lat. stabilire, to make stable)

establishment of See also:

TURKISH

Turkish See also:

RULE

rule in northern Africa and of the revolutions of Morocco must be sought under the heads of TuRREY, See also:

TRIPOLI, See also:

TUNISIA (Regency of Tunis)

TUNISIA, See also:

ALGERIA and MOROCCO. In dealing with the pirates, it will be sufficient to See also:

note a few leading See also:

DATES

dates. The conquest of See also:

Granada in 1492 by the See also:

CATHOLIC (Gr. KcaBoXuK6s, general, universal)

Catholic sovereigns of See also:

Spain drove See also:

man}-See also:

Moors into See also:

EXILE (Lat. exsilium or exilium, from exsul or exul, which is derived from ex, out of, and the root sal, to go, seen in salire, to leap, consul, &c.; the connexion with solum, soil, country is now generally considered wrong)

exile. They revenged themselves by piratical attacks on the See also:

SPANISH

Spanish coast. They had the help of Moslem adventurers from the See also:

LEVANT

Levant, of whom the most successful were Arouj and his See also:

BROTHER

brother Khair-ed-Din, natives of Mitylene, both of whom were known to the Christians by the See also:

NICKNAME

nickname of See also:

BARBAROSSA ("Redbeard")

Barbarossa (q.v.) or " Redbeard." Spain in self-See also:

defence began to conquer the coast towns of See also:

ORAN (Arabic Wahran, i.e. ravine)

Oran, Algiers and See also:

TUNIS

Tunis.

Arouj having fallen in See also:

BATTLE

battle with the Spaniards in 1518, his brother Khair-ed-Din appealed to See also:

SELIM

Selim, the See also:

SULTAN (an Arabic word meaning " victorious " or " a ruler," sultat, dominion)

sultan of See also:

TURKEY

Turkey, who sent him troops. He drove the Spaniards in 1529 from the rocky See also:

ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island in front of Algiers, where they had a fort, and was the founder of the Turkish See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power. From about 1518 till the See also:

DEATH

death of Uluch All in 1587, Algiers was the See also:

main seatof See also:

government of the beylerbeys of northern Africa, who ruled over Tripoli, Tunisia and Algeria. From 1587 till 1659, they were ruled by Turkish pashas, sent from See also:

Constantinople to govern for three years; but in the latter See also:

YEAR

year a military revolt in Algiers reduced the pashas to nonentities. From 1659 onwards, these See also:

AFRICAN

African cities, though nominally forming parts of the Turkish empire, were in fact anarchical military republics which See also:

CHOSE (Fr. for " thing ")

chose their own rulers and lived by plunder. It may be pointed out that during the first See also:

period (1518–I587) the beylerbeys were admirals of the sultan, commanding great fleets and conducting serious operations of See also:

war for See also:

POLITICAL

political ends. They were slave-hunters and their methods were ferocious, but their See also:

Christian enemies were neither more humane nor more chivalrous. After 1587, plunder became the See also:

SOLE (Solea)

sole See also:

OBJECT

object of their successors—plunder of the native tribes on See also:

LAND

land and of all who went upon the"sea. The maritime side of this See also:

long-lived See also:

BRIGANDAGE

brigandage was conducted by the captains, or reises, who formed a class or even a See also:

CORPORATION (from Lat. corporare, to form into a body, corpus, corporis)

corporation. Cruisers were fitted out by capitalists and commanded by the reises. Ten per cent of the value of the prizes was paid to the See also:

TREASURY

treasury of the See also:

PASHA

pasha or his successors, who See also:

BORE

bore the titles of Agha or See also:

DEY (an adaptation of the Turk. dai, a maternal uncle)

Dey or See also:

BEY (a modern Turk. word, the older form being beg, cf. Pers. baig)

Bey. Bougie was the See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief See also:

SHIPBUILDING

shipbuilding See also:

PORT

port and the See also:

TIMBER

timber was mainly See also:

DRAWN

drawn from the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country behind it.

Until the 17th century the pirates used galleys, but a Flemish renegade of the name of See also:

Simon Danser taught them the See also:

ADVANTAGE

advantage of using sailing See also:

SHIPS

ships. In this century, indeed, the main strength of the pirates was supplied by renegades from all parts of Christendom. An See also:

ENGLISH

English See also:

GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its original and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

gentleman of the distinguished See also:

Buckinghamshire See also:

FAMILY

family of See also:

VERNEY

Verney was for a time among them at Algiers. This port was so much the most formidable that the name of Algerine came to be used as synonymous with Barbary pirate, but the same See also:

trade was carried on, though with less See also:

ENERGY (from the Gr. ivipyela; iv, in, ipyov, work)

energy, from Tripoli and Tunis—as also from towns in the empire of Morocco, of which the most notorious was See also:

SALLI (Sla)

Salli. The introduction of sailing ships gave increased See also:

SCOPE (through Ital. scopo, aim, purpose, intent, from Gr. o'KOaos, mark to shoot at, aim, o ic07reiv, to see, whence the termination in telescope, microscope, &c.)

scope to the activity of the pirates. While the galleys, being unfit for the high seas, were confined to the Mediterranean and the coast, the sailing vessels ranged into the See also:

ATLANTIC

Atlantic as far as the Canaries or even to See also:

ICELAND (Dan. Island)

Iceland. In 1631 a Flemish renegade, known as See also:

MURAD, or AMURATH

Murad Reis, sacked See also:

Baltimore in See also:

Ireland, and carried away a number of captives who were seen in the slave-See also:

MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

market of Algiers by the French historian See also:

PIERRE

Pierre See also:

Dan. The first See also:

HALF

half of the 17th century may be described as the flowering time of the Barbary pirates. More than 20,000 captives were said to be imprisoned in Algiers alone. The See also:

rich were allowed to redeem themselves, but the poor were condemned to See also:

SLAVERY

slavery. Their masters would not in many cases allow them to secure freedom by professing Mahommedanism. A long See also:

list might be given of See also:

PEOPLE

people of See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good social position, not only Italians or Spaniards, but See also:

German or' English travellers in the See also:

south, who were captives for a time.

The chief sufferers were the inhabitants of the coasts of See also:

SICILY (Ital. Sicilia)

Sicily, See also:

Naples and Spain. But all traders be-longing to nations which did not pay See also:

BLACKMAIL

blackmail in See also:

order to secure See also:

IMMUNITY (from Lat. immunis, not subject to a munus or public service)

immunity were liable to be taken at sea. The See also:

PAYMENT (Fr. paiement, from payer, to pay; Lat. pacare, to appease, pax, peace)

payment of See also:

black-See also:

MAIL

mail, disguised as presents or ransoms, did not always secure safety with these faithless barbarians. The most powerful states in Europe condescended to make payments to them and to tolerate their insults. Religious orders—the Redemptionists and Lazarites—were engaged in working for the redemption of captives and large legacies were See also:

LEFT

left for that purpose in many countries. The continued existence of this African piracy was indeed a disgrace to Europe, for it was due to the jealousies of the powers themselves. See also:

France encouraged them during her rivalry with Spain; and when she had no further need of them they were supported against her by Great See also:

BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain and See also:

Holland. In the 18th century See also:

BRITISH

British public men were not ashamed to say that Barbary .piracy was a useful check on the competition of the weaker Mediterranean nations in the carrying trade. When See also:

Lord See also:

Exmouth sailed to coerce Algiers in 1816, he ex-pressed doubts in a private See also:

LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter whether the suppression of piracy would be acceptable to the trading community. Every power was, indeed, desirous to secure immunity for itself and more or less ready to compel Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, $alli and the See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest to respect its trade and its subjects. In 1655 the British See also:

ADMIRAL

admiral, See also:

Robert See also:

Blake, was sent to See also:

TEACH [THATCH OR THACH], EDWARD (d. 1718)

teach them a See also:

LESSON (through Fr. lecon from Lat. lectio, reading; legere, to read)

lesson, and he gave the Tunisians a severe See also:

HEATING

heating. A long See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of expeditions was undertaken by the British See also:

FLEET

fleet during the reign of See also:

Charles II., sometimes single-handed, sometimes in See also:

COMBINATION (Lat. combinare, to combine)

combination' with the Dutch.

In 1682 and 1683 the French bombarded Algiers. On the second occasion the Algerines blew the French See also:

consul from a See also:

gun during the See also:

ACTION

action. An extensive list of such punitive expeditions could be made out, down to the See also:

AMERICAN

American operations of 18or-5 and 1815. But in no See also:

case was the attack pushed See also:

home, and it rarely happened that the aggrieved Christian See also:

state refused in the end to make a See also:

MONEY

money payment in et-der to secure See also:

peace. The frequent See also:

WARS

wars among them gave the pirates numerous opportunities of breaking their engagements, of which they never failed to take advantage. After the general pacification of 1815, the suppression of African piracy was universally See also:

FELT (cognate with Ger. Filz, Du. vilt, Swed. and Dan. fill; the root is unknown; the word has given Med. Lat. filtrum, " filter ")

felt to be a See also:

NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity. The insolence of a Tunisian See also:

SQUADRON

squadron which sacked See also:

Palma in the island of See also:

SARDINIA (Gr. 'IXs'o"uva, from a fancied resemblance to a footprint in its shape, Ital. Sardegna)

Sardinia and carried off 158 of its inhabitants, roused widespread indignation. Other influences were at See also:

WORK

work to bring about their extinction. Great Britain had 'acquired See also:

Malta and the Ionian Islands and had now many Mediterranean subjects. She was also engaged in pressing the other See also:

EUROPEAN

European powers to join with her in the suppression of the slave trade which the Barbary states practised on a large See also:

scale and at the expense of Europe. The suppression of the trade was one of the See also:

OBJECTS

objects of the See also:

CONGRESS (Lat. congressus, coming together, from congredi; cum, with, and gradus, step)

congress of, See also:

Vienna. Great Britain was called on to See also:

ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act for Europe, and in.

1816 Lord Exmouth was sent to obtain See also:

TREATIES

treaties from Tunis and Algiers. His first visit produced See also:

DIPLOMATIC

diplomatic documents and promises and he sailed for See also:

England. While he was negotiating, a number of British subjects had been brutally See also:

ill-treated at See also:

Bona, without his knowledge. The British government sent him back to secure reparation, and on the 27th of See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August, in combination with a Dutch squadron under Admiral See also:

Van de Capellen, he administered a smashing See also:

BOMBARDMENT

bombardment to Algiers. The lesson terrified the pirates both of that See also:

CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city and of Tunis into' giving up over 3000 prisoners and making fresh promises. But they were not reformed and were not capable of See also:

reformation. Algiers renewed its piracies and slave-taking, though on a smaller scale, and the See also:

MEASURES

measures to be taken with it were discussed at the See also:

CONFERENCE

conference or congress of See also:

Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818. In 1824 another British fleet under Admiral See also:

Sir Harry See also:

Neal had again to See also:

BOMBARD (derived through Med. Lat. and Fr. forms from Gr. (3oµ(3eiv, to make a humming noise)

bombard Algiers. The great pirate city was not in fact thoroughly tamed till its conquest by France in 183o.

End of Article: BARBARY PIRATES

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
BARBARY APE

[next]
BARBAULD, ANNA LETITIA (1743-1825)