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Barbary Corsairs

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    Posted: 23-Feb-2009 at 20:03
Hello everyone, I have been reading about the Barbary Corsairs for an essay I will be looking to write. The question set is along the lines of 'the Barbary Corsairs caused European maritime havoc out of proportion to their size' Discuss.
I am having alot of trouuble finding particular statistics, and generally historical opinion which states this. Any knowledge provided by yourselves will be of great use.
Thanks
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23-Feb-2009 at 21:07
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  Quote Maharbbal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23-Feb-2009 at 21:19

A lot has been written about the Barbary Corsairs

I hope you can read French because most has been published in that language. In Italian and Spanish too.

To assess their importance, I'd advise you to check

all the articles by Alberto Tenenti, he assessed precisely the impact of the 'corso' (ie piracy) on Venice's maritime trade. Fortunately, you can read his conclusions summarized (with maps) in Fernand Braudel's masterpiece The Mediterranean and the World of Philip II.

B. and L. Benassar, Les Chrétiens d'Allah (a very good book and rather ideology-free based on the records of the Inquisition, a lot of maps and tables and graph too so even if you don't speak French you may get somethings from it)

I know Robert C Davis also wrote something on the subject but I haven't read it.

The French historiography on the subject is very expansive. I particularly recommend M. Fontenay (some articles on English I think, check on scholar.google.com) who explores the corso as at a Mediterranean level (inclusing the orders of Malta and San Stefano and the very informed views of D. Panzac (maybe some articles in English) who sees piracy as the only option left to seafaring people in North Africa confronted with the competition of European merchants and fishermen.

Finally in English I recommend Molly Greene's articles and books (one I sumarized here: http://premodeconhist.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/greene-m-2000-beyond-the-northern-invasion/)

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  Quote ma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-Jun-2010 at 02:05
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Apr-2011 at 21:21

Tomorrow i'll post some stuff about the Turkish corsair POTC's Captain Barbarossa is based on
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27-Apr-2011 at 19:35

Hayreddin Barbarossa and his brother Aruj terrorised the Mediterranean in the early 16th-century. They were known to fly fake flags and disguise themselves in European clothes to lure their enemies in. Aruj was killed fighting the Spaniards in 1518 but Hayreddin remained active until the 1540s. The Sultan rewarded Barbarossa with the title of Pasha for capturing Algiers. Barbarossa was also instrumental in forming a Franco-Turkish alliance in 1543 against the Holy Roman Empire, captured Sardinia from the Genoese and died peacefully in his palace in 1546.
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-Jan-2012 at 20:04
The surge of piracy in the early 16th century may have resulted from the expulsion of the Moors from Spain. Dispossessed Muslims, desperate to survive, attacked Catholic shipping in revenge
Barbary Corsairs
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20-Nov-2012 at 07:12
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23-Feb-2013 at 15:19
Kalisti, you may find the info on Captain Barbossa useful for your book
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  Quote Azita Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-Feb-2013 at 07:25
Very at a tangent here, I remember watching the British TV series Hornblower, enjoyed it so much i looked deeper into some of the "real"characters.

I remember that Edward Pellew, was somewhat pivotal in resolving the Barbary wars.
He really is a forgotten hero of the Royal navy.

Was not the US navy "formed" as a consequence of the Barbary pirates raiding US shipping, that had previously been protected by the French navy, after the failure of the treaty of Paris?

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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-Apr-2013 at 19:25
http://www.swordsaxe.com/images/products/detail/US_MARINE_CORPS_OFFICERS_SWORD.jpg
Interestingly, US Marine officers carry an Arabian-style scimitar rather than a sabre. The first sword of this type was given to Lt. O'Bannon the sultan following the Barbary Wars of 1805
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