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

fanatics who had already sworn enmity to Islam. 125 The corsairs of the papal
state and those of the Order of the Knights of St. John were already aggressing
Muslims in the Eastern Mediterranean. 126 Overall, the Christian Knights were
no less a scourge to Islamdom than would later be Algerian corsairs to
Christendom. 127
More, starting from 1519, and according to established
European judicial standards, the founding corsairs may no longer be considered
as such. By integrating the Ottoman Empire, they conferred on themselves, and
on Algiers by the same way, a legitimate status: that of subjects of a legitimate
ruler, in this case, the Sublime Porte. When the Sultan provided Algiers with an
army of Janissaries, arms, and ammunitions, he was in fact authorizing them to
defend a land of Islam against Christian aggressions, and this is defensive
warfare not piracy.
Subsequent internal developments transformed Algiers from a mere
Ottoman dependency to a semi-independent state; but this does not imply loss
of legitimacy. In 1671, following failures of the Ottoman Empire to protect
Algiers against European attacks, particularly the English assaults of 1670-
1671, but also the Sultan’s tacit acceptance of European ‘punitive’ expeditions
against Algiers, the Janissaries and Ri’yas revolted. The revolt culminated in
the expulsion of the Beylerby, the Sultan’s appointed governor of Algiers, and
125 The capture of two Papal galleys in 1504 gave the Barbarossa their reputation of faith warriors. For
this feat see Lane-Poole, Barbary Corsairs, pp. 35-9.
126 Cassar, “The Maltese Corsairs,” pp. 137-38; Rang, Régence d’Alger, pp. 114-15.
127 For a comparison between Algerian corsairs and Knights of Malta see Marisa Huber, “Holy Wars
and Piratical Governments: Barbary Corsairs (With a Comparative Look at Maltese Corsairs), 2004.
(Accessed 18 May 2008). http://www.daviddfriedman.com Academic/Course_Pages/legal_systems
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