The bombardment of Algiers in 1688 was a military expedition ordered by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

against the

Regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers ( ar, دولة الجزائر, translit=Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) was a state in North Africa lasting from 1516 to 1830, until it was conquered by the French. Situated between the regency of Tunis in the east, the Sultanate o ...

in order to enforce the peace treaty of 1683 which had been violated by Algerian pirates. The squadron, comprising 31 ships and 10 bomb galiots, was commanded by

Jean II d'Estrées Jean, Comte d'Estrées, (3 November 1624 in Solothurn, Switzerland – 19 May 1707 in Paris), was a Marshal of France, and an important naval commander of Louis XIV. He was born into a noble family from Picardy. His aunt was Gabrielle d'Es ...

. D'Estrées' squadron arrived at Algiers on 26 June. It succeeded in inflicting serious damage on the city, but its artillery defences had been strengthened since the previous French expeditions in

1682 Events January–March * January 7 – The Republic of Genoa forbids the unauthorized printing of newspapers and all handwritten newssheets; the ban is lifted after three months. * January 12 – Scottish minister James Re ...

and

1683 Events January–March * January 5 – The Brandenburger—African Company, of the German state of Brandenburg, signs a treaty with representatives of the Ahanta tribe (in what is now Ghana), to establish the fort and settlement ...

. As a result the French fleet lost several ships and was obliged to retire after 16 days, without being able to enforce the peace treaty.

Aftermath

The power of the Dey of Algiers,

Mezzo Morto Hüseyin Pasha Hussein Mezzomorto ( tr, Mezamorta Hüseyin Paşa; died 1701) or Hajji Husain Mezzomorto ( tr, Hacı Hüseyin Mezamorta) was an Ottoman privateer, bey (governor), and finally Grand Admiral (Kapudan Pasha) of the Ottoman Navy. His epithet ''me ...

was destabilised by the French assault, and in the end he fled the city in the face of public discontent. His successor Hadj Chabane appointed an ambassador to

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

, Mohamed el Amin, to negotiate a lasting peace, which was concluded in 1690.

References

{{reflist Algiers 1688 Louis XIV Barbary pirates Navy of the Ancien Régime Conflicts in 1688 History of Algiers