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

council of prizes, were sold by auction to the highest bidder. 38 The enslaved
captives then, even at times of hostilities, could be either ransomed, i.e.: bought
back from the person who acquired them at auction (slave-master), or
exchanged against other enslaved compatriots. This was certainly a solution
which provided some hope for those who happened to fall into corsairs’ hands,
Muslim and Christian alike, to recover their liberty.
For different reasons, however, Christian slaves at Algiers could be
redeemed easier and more speedily than their Muslim counterparts in Europe
even though sometimes at exorbitant prices. 39
For Muslim slaves in the
Christian Mediterranean countries, redemption was almost impossible—except
in very rare cases. 40
Forced on Christian galleys as oarsmen, they were a
valuable source of labor which the European monarchs were reluctant to
relinquish. 41 With the Netherlands where slavery did not exist, however, the
Algerian captives were sold in other Mediterranean Christian ports which made
exchange impossible. When not sold, they were simply, and cruelly, thrown
overboard by their Dutch captors. 42 This inequality and cruelty in treatment
could not be admitted by Algiers and was a source of much tension which often
precipitated negotiations and peace treaties into deadlocks. 43
38 At Algiers, the slavemarket was seen as having “the character of a stock exchange rather than a
cattlemarket.” Groot, “Ottoman North Africa and the Dutch Republic,” p. 135. Krieken, Corsaires et
marchands, pp. 15-7.
39 Daniel Panzac, “Les esclaves et leurs rançons chez les barbaresques (Fin XVIII e - Début XIX e
Siècle),” Cahiers de la Méditerranée, vol. 65, L’esclavage en Méditerranée à l’époque moderne, 2002,
pars. 66-77. (Accessed 6 Mars 2008). http://cdlm.revues.org/document47.html
40 The average duration of captivity for a Muslim slave varied between 35-40 years. Belhamissi,
Captifs Algériens, pp. 43-4.
41 Clark, “Barbary Corsairs,” p. 22.
42 Krieken, Corsaires et marchands, p. 17.
43 Belhamissi, Captifs Algériens, pp. 68-71, 73-7.
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