Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

of crusading Europe against Islam. For that, they adopted corsairing “as a
military form of war against the Christian states.” 121
As such, corsairing
acquired a dimension that was both legitimate and religious. 122 This form of
holy warfare functioned according to well-defined rules and ethics which
Algiers defended and brought Europe’s powers to recognize in a succession of
treaties. The Founding Corsairs institutionalized corsairing on a basis of faith
and law and gave it an international dimension; and this is exactly the opposite
of piracy which is, by nature, faithless and lawless. 123
3. 1. A Question of Sovereignty
Taking into consideration the prerequisites of legitimate corsairing, one
may concede that the founders of the regency of Algiers were indeed free-lance
corsairs in their early maritime carrier. As they were preying on Christian
shipping without any state authorization, their activity may be seen as private
pirate enterprise. 124 Nevertheless, taking into account the religious background
and persisting hostility of Christians towards Muslims, this may not be
considered as such because, even during their early life, they acted under the
aegis of a Turkish prince and illustrated themselves by fighting Christian
d’Alger, pp. 117-18; Iqbal F. Quadir, “When Barbarossa Brothers ruled the Mediterranean,” Defence
Journal, Feb. 2001. (Accessed June 4 2008). http:www.defencejournal.com/2001/feb/barbarossa.htm.
This also could be said about Dragut Rais who was enslaved by the Knights of Malta.
121 Panzac, Corsaires barbaresques, p. 11.
122 According to the founding principles of Algiers, this form of war was called ‘el-djihad fi el-bahr’
(or holy war at sea).
123 Saint-Vincent, “La guerre de course,” p. 159; Panzac, Corsaires barbaresques, p. 12.
124 Lane-Poole, Barbary Corsairs, pp. 34, 92.
100