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| Barbary–Portuguese conflicts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofBarbary piracy | |||||
 Portuguese Action with Barbary Pirates, c. 1685 | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Kingdom of PortugalOthers:  Kingdom of Spain Kingdom of Sicily Order of Malta Kingdom of Naples |  Regency of Algiers Regency of Tunis Republic of SaléOthers:  French corsairs | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
 Pedro da Cunha Vasco da Cunha Nuno da Cunha Luís de Sousa (DOW) Bernardo Ramires Esquível [pt] Manuel Nobre José Breyner Luís Seguin Deshon † | Xaramet Arraes (POW) Hassan Reis Tabaco ReisRaïs Hamidou | ||||
TheBarbary–Portuguese conflicts were a series of military engagements between theKingdom of Portugal and theBarbary states ofNorth Africa from the 16th to the 19th century.
In 1554, off the coast ofAlbufeira, came eight oared vessels fromAlgiers, commanded by the corsair Xaramet Arraes,[1] or Cazale,[2]Captain-Major Dom Pedro da Cunha sailed in pursuit. Upon sighting four of the enemy ships, he gave chase. The corsairs, seeing escape was impossible, turned to battle. It lasted for over two hours before Dom Pedro's forces overcame the corsairs, killing forty and capturing the commander. Meanwhile, his brother, Dom Vasco da Cunha, engaged another corsair ship, capturing it after an hour of fight. Dom Nuno da Cunha pursued two fustas, capturing one while the other escaped into the night.[2][3]
In total, over two hundred corsairs were taken, along with a hundred Christian captives, who were freed from their chains. The remaining enemy ships fled.[2]
In 1617, Algerian forces arrived inMadeira with eight ships and 800 men. They raided the island, enslaving 1,200 of its inhabitants. During the attack, the Algerians destroyed the island's archives and looted various items, including church bells. It is also reported that they devastated the nearby island ofPorto Santo in the Madeira archipelago, capturing 663 people and enslaving them.[citation needed]
TheNossa Senhora da Conceição was a Portuguese carrack that leftGoa,India, in March 1621, heading for Lisbon with 600–800 people and 22 cannons. After passing theAzores, the captain received reports ofBarbary corsairs, but reassurances came from a Portuguese fleet. On October 8, the Conceição mistook a fleet of Algerian ships for friendly vessels and was surrounded. Despite fierce resistance, the Portuguese repelled the attackers after 11 hours of battle. The next day, the ship was repaired, but on October 11, it became stranded nearEriceira. The corsairs returned, launching incendiary attacks that set the ship on fire. With the crew unable to fight back, the Portuguese surrendered. The carrack sank, and the survivors were taken as prisoners toAlgiers, where most remained captive. Captain Luís de Sousa died from his injuries shortly after.
On November 5, 1669, likely at a time when no Armada ships were patrolling the coast, two ships returning alone fromBrazil engaged in combat with an Algerian frigate that had set up an ambush nearCabo da Roca. However, after the combat, the Portuguese ships managed to safely reachLisbon.[4]
In 1671, Barbary corsairs captured a ship returning fromMazagan and attacked a small vessel (patacho) heading toIndia. This occurred nearCabo de São Vicente, where thepatacho had sought refuge from a storm.[5]
In 1674, the mission to patrol the coast was assigned to the frigateNossa Senhora da Piedade. However, the vessel was reportedly lost in combat againstBarbary corsairs fromNorth Africa.[5]
Later that year, despite the presence of naval patrols, a merchantcharrua was captured by Barbary corsairs nearMadeira. Its crew and passengers were taken toAlgiers, where they were sold as slaves.[5]
In 1675, Algerian ships attacked the island ofSanta Maria in theAzores. Several inhabitants of the island were captured.[5]
In May 1675, a Portuguese fleet composed of three galleons, three ships and a frigate, among others, patrolled the coast. This force forced two corsair ships to run aground near the coast ofAlgiers. Additionally, the shipMadre de Deus engaged in combat with four corsair frigates nearVigo, managing to drive them away.[6]
However, despite Portuguese efforts, the corsairs remained highly active. A corsair vessel with 16 guns captured a merchant ship armed with 26 guns in the port ofFunchal. Additionally, corsairs captured several fishermen near the mouth of theTagus River.[7]
Later in 1675, Portuguese ships recovered three English vessels from a group of corsairs. The shipNossa Senhora Madre de Deus fought a three-hour battle with a corsair frigate, eventually forcing it to flee. In August, two Portuguese galleons previously mentioned engaged three corsair vessels nearCádiz, sinking one of them. Around the same time, the galleonSão Francisco Xavier fought against a Muslim ship during a mission near theAzores.[7]
On August 1, 1677, a Portuguese naval force was assembled to relieve the city ofOran, which was under siege by Muslim forces. Although the exact actions taken by the force are unclear, it is believed they captured two enemy ships.[7]
In July 1692, a Portuguese fleet intercepted a group of Algerian corsairs offTétouan. After a combat, the Portuguese forces set one of the corsair ships on fire and captured another, rescuing a Spanish vessel in the process.[8]
In the summer of 1694, Portuguese frigatesNossa Senhora da Boaventura,Nossa Senhora da Penha de França, and others engaged a corsair ship fromAlgiers offMamora, forcing it to run aground.[8]
In 1702, a report came of the capture of the patachoNossa Senhora do Pópulo by corsairs fromAlgiers on its route betweenLisbon andMazagan, the crew was later rescued.[9]
In early March 1714, three corsair ships fromAlgiers attacked a Portuguese merchant ship that was coming fromBrazil with a large load of sugar bound for Lisbon, betweenSão Miguel andLisbon. After an eight-hour battle, the corsairs eventually withdrew, and the Portuguese ship entered theTagus River, with about 20 dead, many injured, and damage to the ship.[10]
Later that same month, another Portuguese merchant ship, armed with 28 guns, was attacked near theBerlengas by threeNorth African frigates, one with 50 guns, another with 40, and the last with 30. After nearly 24 hours of combat, the corsair ships eventually abandoned their target, which enteredLisbon without major issues.[10]
In December 1716, a Portuguese 12–gun ship,Rio Real, had been captured offCape Espichel by a 38–gun corsair ship after a half day combat and only after a second approach. Later, another ship, en route fromPorto toBrazil, was captured 25 leagues offLisbon. News of these actions only arrived in Portugal in March 1717.[11]
On September 18, 1719, two Portuguese caravels, carrying wood betweenGalicia andCádiz, were captured by Maghreb corsairs.[12]
In late spring of 1723, seven merchant ships, escorted by three warships, were attacked nearCape Verde by two Barbary ships. This attack was unsuccessful, and the Portuguese ships continued their journey to Brazil.[12]
In 1723, theNossa Senhora da Vitória, during her return from a mission inCape Verde, encountered three Algerian ships, ranging from 60 to 35 guns, offCabo da Roca. After a brief exchange of fire, the corsairs disappeared under cover of night.This same ship, before ending its mission, on late November, captured an Algerian ship with 36 guns, 10 of which were stone throwers, and 250 men offCabo Mondego after a prolonged fight.[13]
In early 1724, seven ships fromPorto on their way toBahia, three of them armed for war, confronted three Algerian ships 15 leagues off the city of Argel. No major disturbance was made.[13]
Before July 1728, theNossa Senhora da Oliveira fought six Algerian frigates, one with 40 guns and others with 50–56 guns, before seeking refuge under the protection ofPeniche Fortress.[14]
Despite the presence of Portuguese warships along the coast, in late July, a ship returning from Brazil sighted two vessels off the Berlengas Islands, one of which was a captured ship, and the other an Algerian xaveco with about 300 men aboard. The corsairs attempted to board the Portuguese ship but failed, suffering heavy casualties.[15]
A Portuguese hiate traveling from Cádiz to Porto was attacked by a Salé xaveco, which attempted to board the hiate four times but eventually withdrew.[16]
In August 1754, three Portuguese caravelas traveling fromViana do Castelo toLisbon were intercepted by five North African corsair ships. After several hours of combat and with casualties, the caravels were assisted by a ship fromPernambuco. The corsairs attacked again during the night but failed. One of the caravelas was lost after hitting a rock, possibly near theBerlengas.[16]
In August 1778, Algerian corsairs captured several ships off the coast ofLisbon. In response, a warship was dispatched from Lisbon to patrol theAlgarve coast, and the frigateSão João Baptista was put on guard duty, remaining at sea until October.[17]
Because of the continuous activity of the North African corsairs, mainly against Spanish fleets, the kingdom was forced to carry out an attack on Algiers. Portugal participated in the operation, bringing their shipsSanto António,S. José andNossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso, commanded byBernardo Ramires Esquível.[18]
On May 5, 1786, a Portuguese fleet, which included theNossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso,Princesa do Brasil, andCisne, conducted multiple patrols in the Strait and Mediterranean, including an action against Algerian corsairs. TheTritão, commanded by captain Manuel Ferreira Nobre,[19] fought an Algerian ship offGibraltar, resulting in the corsair ship getting stuck and its crew fleeing.[20]
Portuguese forces also dealt with French corsairs, notably in May 26 or June, 1789, when the French shipLe Désir was spotted by Portuguese ships off the coast of Argel. After a few hours of exchange of fire, the Portuguese were unable to capture the corsair due to shallow waters and the arrival of reinforcements fromAlgiers.[21][22]
The Portuguese cutter Balão, armed with 16 guns, captured an Algerian xebec armed with 20 guns. The xebec was traveling from Cádiz to Algiers when it was intercepted and taken. Both the Balão and the captured xebec entered Lisbon on April 9, 1800.[23]
In May 1802, the frigateCisne, armed with 36–44 guns, was the sole Portuguese vessel patrolling the Strait. On the night of May 5, the crew sighted an unknown frigate approaching. At dawn, the vessel revealed to be an Algerian corsair frigate under the command ofRa'is Hamidu ibn 'Ali.After a combat of approximately 90 minutes, the frigateCisne was eventually captured.[24][25]
After continued expenses and losses due to Algerian corsairs, Portugal negotiated a peace treaty in 1815 that included the release of Portuguese prisoners.[26]
In January 1818, theEsquadra do Estreito was formed, consisting of the frigatesPérola,Amazona, andVénus, along with the xebecBom Português. This squadron forced two Tunisian corsair ships, one of which was a corvette, to retreat intoGibraltar.[27]
The Portuguese fleet, reinforced with smaller vessels, established a blockade of the Tunisian ships in Gibraltar, which lasted until April 12, 1819, when a new truce was signed between Portugal and Tunis.[28]
Corsair activity based inAlgiers did not entirely cease until Franceconquered the state in 1830, which ended the long threat.[29]