Campaign of Cherchell (1531)

Last updated
Campaign of Cherchell
DateJuly 1531
Location
Result Victory of the Regency of Algiers [1]
Belligerents

Charles V Arms-personal.svg Empire of Charles V:


Pavillon royal de la France.svg  France [2]
Flag of Algiers.jpg Regency of Algiers
Commanders and leaders
Andrea Doria Hayreddin Barbarossa
Strength
1,500 men
32 galleys
8 galleons
5 brigantines
2 lateen sails
3 ships
35 galleys
Casualties and losses
heavy
600 captured
22 galleys
Unknown

The Campaign of Cherchell occurred in July 1531 when Charles V sent the admiral Andrea Doria to take Cherchell as a bridgehead in North Africa. [3] [4]

A French fleet of 13 galleys took part under Andrea Doria. [2] Doria was supported by 32 galleys, eight galleons, five brigantines, two lateen sails and three ships. [5]

In July 1531 the admiral left Genoa and landed at Cherchell with 1,500 men. [1] He seized the city and liberated several hundred Christian slaves. [1] While the troops disbanded to engage in looting, the Turks took advantage, and massacred and routed the invaders. [6] [1] [3] The Turks took 600 captives. [3]

Some of the other Turks opened fire on the galleys. As a result Doria set sail fearing that he might see his vessels sink and understanding that his soldiers were hopelessly lost. [7] Barbarossa, equipped with 35 galleys, attacked Doria near Genoa and burned 22 Genoese galleys. [4]

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References

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  2. 1 2 "VI. Relations with France to 1536" In Suleiman the Magnificent, 1520-1566, 126-144. Cambridge, MA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Ring, Trudy, and Noelle Watson. Middle East and Africa: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Servantie, Alain. "The Mediterranean Policy of Charles V." A New World: Emperor Charles V and the Beginnings of Globalisation (2021): 83.
  5. Espinosa, Aurelio. "The Grand Strategy of Charles V (1500-1558): Castile, War, and Dynastic Priority in the Mediterranean", Journal of Early Modern History 9, 3 (2005): 239-283, doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/157006505775008446
  6. Moliner-Violle, Michel Francois Auguste, and Michel-F-A. Moliner-Violle. Précis de géographie historique de l'Algérie. A. Jourdan, 1877.
  7. de Haëdo, Diego, and Henri-Delmas de Grammont. "Kheir-ed-Din Barberousse, second roi." Histoire du Maghreb (1998): 50-75.