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Home / Periods / Ottoman Empire / Barbary Corsairs and Mediterranean Captivity

Phase

Barbary Corsairs and Mediterranean Captivity

c. 1450–1830 CE

Corsairs operating from ports in North Africa attacked merchant shipping, coastal settlements and rival naval forces across the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Christian and Muslim powers both used private warfare, captivity and the seizure of ships as instruments of commerce and diplomacy.

Captured sailors, passengers and coastal inhabitants could be enslaved, ransomed, exchanged or incorporated into new communities. Religious orders, families, merchants and governments organised negotiations and redemption, while escaped or released captives returned with experiences that could leave lasting physical and psychological damage.

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14 Best Novels About Barbary corsairs and Mediterranean captivity

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1 Best Non-Fiction Book About Barbary corsairs and Mediterranean captivity

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