Turkish Abductions

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In 1627, during the 16 days between the 4th of July and the 19th of July, both Austurland (The Eastern Region of Iceland) and Vestmannaeyjar (islands at the south coast of Iceland) were raided by Algerian Pirates and 242 of the inhabitants were sold into slavery at the Barbary. All those offering resistance were killed. The Barbary pirates only took young people and those in good physical condition. The pirates gathered old people in a church and later locked it up and burned it. The raid of Vestmannaeyjar is called Tyrkjaránið (the Turkish abductions), and is arguably the most horrible event in the history of Vestmannaeyjar.

When the pirates invaded Vestmannaeyjar, some of the inhabitants and a priest left for the mountains of the island to hide in a cave. Later that day, the priest went out of the cave to take a look, some pirates saw him and killed him and found the cave with all the people in it.

The most famous abductee of that raid was Guðríður Símonardóttir.