The Battle of Issers was a conflict that took place in 1519 between the forces of Sidi Ahmed of
Kuku and
Hayreddin Barbarossa
Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ot ...
of 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 ...
.
In 1518 Sidi Ahmed and
Oruç Reis
Oruç Reis ( ota, عروج ريس; es, Aruj; 1474 – 1518) was an Ottoman corsair who became Sultan of Algiers. The elder brother of the famous Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa, he was born on the Ottoman island of Midilli (Lesbos in ...
led a joint expedition against the Spaniards in
Tlemcen which failed and resulted in the death of Oruç Reis.
[Hugh Roberts, Berber Government: The Kabyle Polity in Pre-colonial Algeria , IB Tauris] Hayreddin Barbarossa resented Sidi Ahmed as his troops had seemingly abandoned Oruç Reis.
Hayreddin Barbarossa assumed military command of Algiers and immediately organised an expedition against Sidi Ahmed which led to a sharp conflict.
The Hafsids had also sent reinforcements to Sidi Ahmed. Sidi Ahmed attacked the troops of the Regency of Algiers from behind and inflicted heavy losses on the army of Hayreddin Barbarossa, the battle was described as bloody.
L'Algérie sous les Turcs
- Mouloud Gaïd
Maison tunisienne de l'édition, Sidi Ahmed won the battle and went on to capture Algiers the following year.
References
16th century in Algiers
{{Algeria-hist-stub