Barbary pirate

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Battle between the British frigate HMS Mary Rose and seven Algerine pirates, 1669.

Oluf Eigilsson was captured by Murat Reis the Younger (known as Morat Reis in the West) in 1627 at the island of Vestmannaeyjar near Iceland. He was taken to Algiers, but ransomed and released in 1628. After returning back to Iceland, he wrote a book, in Danish language, about his experience with the corsairs.

Though at least a portion of them are better described as privateers, the Barbary pirates, or corsairs, were pirates that operated out of Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, Salè and ports in Morocco, preying on shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea from the time of the Crusades as well as on ships on their way to Asia around Africa until the early 19th century. Their stronghold was along the stretch of northern Africa known as the Barbary Coast (a medieval term for the Maghreb after its Berber inhabitants), although their predation was said to extend throughout the Mediterranean, south along West Africa's Atlantic seaboard, and into the North Atlantic, purportedly as far north as Iceland. As well as preying on shipping, raids were often made on European coastal towns. The pirates were responsible for capturing large numbers of Christian slaves from Europe, who were sold in slave markets in places such as Morocco.

The most famous corsairs were the Turkish Barbarossa (meaning Redbeard) brothers, the nickname of Hızır (Hayreddin) and his older brother Oruç who took control of Algiers and turned it into the center of Mediterranean piracy and privateering for the next 3 centuries, as well as establishing the Ottoman Turkish presence in North Africa which lasted 4 centuries. Other famous Turkish privateer-admirals included Turgut Reis (known as Dragut in the West), Kemal Reis, Salih Reis and Murat Reis the Older.

In 1627 Murat Reis the Younger (known as Morat Reis in the West) sailed from Algiers with a force of 15 Ottoman galleys and raided the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain and France, capturing the island of Lundy on the Bristol Channel and turning it into his base for operations in the area. For the next 5 years, Lundy served as a base for both the corsairs and the Ottoman navy for operations in the Atlantic Ocean.

In Iceland Murat Reis is said to have taken 400 prisoners, later raided the nearby island of Vestmannaeyjar. Among those captured in Vestmannaeyjar was Oluf Eigilsson, who was released with a ransom the next year and, upon returning back to Iceland, wrote a detailed book in 1628 about his experience. In June 1631 Murat Reis, with pirates from Algiers and armed troops of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, stormed ashore at the little harbour village of Baltimore, County Cork. They captured almost all the villagers and bore them away to a life of slavery in North Africa. The prisoners were destined for a variety of fates -- some would live out their days chained to the oars as galley slaves, while others would spend long years in the scented seclusion of the harem or within the walls of the Sultan's palace. The old city of Algiers, with its narrow streets, intense heat and lively trade, was a melting pot where the villagers would join slaves and freemen of many nationalities. Only two of them ever saw Ireland again. A detailed account of the Sack of Baltimore, County Cork can be found in the book, The Stolen Village Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates by Des Ekin.

Although Barbary pirate attacks were more common in south and east Spain, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Elba, the Italian Peninsula (especially the coasts of Liguria, Toscana, Lazio, Campania, Calabria and Puglia), Sicily and Malta, they also attacked the Atlantic northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1617, the African corsairs launched their major attack in the region when they destroyed and sacked Bouzas, Cangas and the churches of Moaña and Darbo. Another attempt on Vigo was defeated by the city's garrison.

Some of them were renegades or Moriscos. Their usual ship was the galley with slaves or prisoners at the oars. Two examples of these renegades are Süleyman Reis "De Veenboer" who became admiral of the Algerian corsair fleet in 1617, and his quartermaster Murat Reis, born Jan Janszoon van Haarlem. Both worked for the notorious corsair Simon the Dancer, who owned a palace. These pirates were all originally Dutch. The Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter unsuccessfully tried to end their piracy.

Raids by Barbary pirates on Western Europe did not cease until 1816, when a Royal Navy raid, assisted by six Dutch vessels, destroyed the port of Algiers and its fleet of Barbary ships.

1 Conflict with the Knights of Rhodes and Malta
2 Barbary pirates and the U.S. Navy
3 Barbary pirates in literature
4 See also
5 Further reading
6 References
- 6.1 Iceland sources

[edit] Conflict with the Knights of Rhodes and Malta

The Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Knights of St. John, began their occupation of Rhodes in 1309. They began a new identity as the "Knights of Rhodes" and began to engage the Barbary Pirates in naval warfare, as part of their greater war on the Ottoman Empire.

To protect Rome from Islamic invasion, in 1530 Charles V deeded the island stronghold of Malta to the knights. The newly christened "Knights of Malta" widened their war against the pirates and their Ottoman masters to include the entire Mediterranean. In July of 1551, the Ottomans and Barbary Pirates retaliated by attacking the Maltese island of Gozo, kidnapping and enslaving the entire population of 5,000 to 6,000, taking them to Tarhuna Wa Msalata in Libya. Another reprisal occurred in 1561 when Nicolo Carriaciolo, the Bishop of Catani, was seized from a Maltese galley and held for ransom in Tripoli. [1]

From the 16th century until 1798, Malta served as a bastion defending Europe against the corsairs and pirates of Algeria and Barbary, and Christian nations respected her and kept friendly relations with the Order. Thus, Malta flourished in this golden age of the Order's history, and the pirate's booty was brought to the island, sold, and the money filled the Treasury of the Order. [2]

In 1798, Napoleon seized Malta enroute to his campaign in Egypt. Requesting safe harbor to resupply his ships, he waited until his ships were safely in port, and then brazenly turned his guns on his hosts. The Knights of Malta were unable to defend themselves from this internal attack and were forced to leave their island stronghold. Having held the Barbary Pirates in check for centuries, Napoleon's treachery created a power vacuum in the Mediterranean which the pirates greedily exploited.

[edit] Barbary pirates and the U.S. Navy

In 1783 the USA made peace with and was recognized by Britain, and in 1784 the first American ship was captured by pirates from Morocco. The stars and stripes was a new flag to them. After six months of negotiation, a treaty was signed, $60,000 cash was paid, and trade began. Morocco was the first independent nation to recognize the USA.

But Algeria was different. In 1784 two ships (the Maria of Boston and the Dauphine of Philadelphia) were captured, everything sold and their crews enslaved to build port fortifications. Christian slaves were preferred and forced to do degrading work and treated harshly so letters would be written home to prompt the payment of a bigger ransom.

American ships sailing in the Mediterranean chose to travel close to larger convoys of other European powers who had bribed the pirates. President Thomas Jefferson proposed a league of smaller nations to patrol the area, but the USA could not contribute. For the prisoners, Algeria wanted 60,000 dollars, America offered 4000. Jefferson said a million dollars would buy them off, but Congress would only appropriate 80,000. For eleven years Americans who lived in Algeria lived as slaves to Algerian Moors.

For a while, Portugal was patrolling the Straits of Gibraltar and preventing Barbary Pirates from entering the Atlantic. But they made a cash deal with the pirates, and they were again sailing into the Atlantic and engaging in piracy. By late 1793, a dozen American ships had been captured, goods stripped and everyone enslaved.

Portugal had offered some armed patrols, but American merchants needed an armed American presence to sail near Europe. After some serious debate, the United States Navy was born in March, 1794. Six frigates were authorized, and so began the construction of the United States, the Constellation, the Constitution and three more. A shipbuilder to match the Founding Fathers was chosen, Joshua Humphreys. And with his assistant Josiah Fox, they designed frigates for America with superior speed and handiness.

This new military presence helped to stiffen American resolve to resist the continuation of tribute payments, leading to a series of wars along the North African coast, starting in 1801. It was not until 1815 that naval victories ended tribute payments by the U.S., although some European nations continued annual payments until the 1830s.

The United States Marine Corps actions in these wars led to the line, "to the shores of Tripoli" in the opening of the Marine Hymn.