The Fall of Tlemcen occurred in 1518, when the Ottoman admiral Oruç Barbarossa captured the city of

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...

from its sultan, Abu Zayan, the last member of the Banu Zayan lineage."The town of Tenes fell into the hands of the brothers, with an immense booty, and then Uruj marched on Tlemcen. The Sultan of Tlemcen, the last of the royal race of the Banu Zayan, did not await the coming of the corsair." i
''Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean'' by E. Hamilton Currey p. 72''ff''
/ref> The fall of Tlemcen followed the capture of

Ténès Ténès ( ar, تنس; from Berber TNS 'camping') is a town in Algeria located around 200 kilometers west of the capital Algiers. , it has a population of 65,000 people. History Ténès was founded as a Phoenician port in or before the 8th cen ...

, also by Oruç and his brother, Hayreddin. The

Sultan of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen ( ar, الزيانيون) was a Berber kingdom in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijilm ...

then fled to

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

in Morocco. Oruç crowned himself king of Tlemcen. The only survivor of Abu Zayan's dynasty was Sheikh Buhammud, who escaped to Oran and called for Spain's assistance. This victory put Oruç in control of the backcountry behind the Spanish base of

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, which greatly threatened their usual supply routes. This victory put Oruç in control of a considerable territory, the size of colonial

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

."With the fall of Tlemcen Uruj became master of a territory as large as the modern French colony of Algeria, and his exploits made many of the rulers about the Mediterranean quake in their shoes." in ''The book of pirates'' Henry Gilbert, 207-208 The Spanish however soon reacted in 1518 by launching an attack on Tlemcen, which was away from Oran, and managed to corner and kill Oruç. They took possession of the region of Tlemcen. Soon however, the king of Morocco raised a considerable army and marched on Tlemcen, expelling the Spanish. The Ottomans would again exert direct influence in Tlemcen from 1553.''A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period'' by Jamil M. Abun-Nasr p.155''ff''
/ref> That year, the Wattassid ruler of Morocco Sultan Ahmad was taken prisoner by his rivals, the

sharif Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, fr ...

ian

Saadians The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...

. His successor,

Ali Abu Hassun Ali Abu Hassun (), also Abu al Hasan Abu Hasun or Abu Hasun, full name Abu al-Hasan Abu Hasun Ali ibn Muhammad (died September 1554), was a Regent of the Crown of Morocco for the Wattasid dynasty, during the 16th century. Life In 1545, he succ ...

, regent for Ahmad's young son

Nasir al-Qasiri Nasir ad-Din al-Qasri Muhammad ibn Ahmad (), also Nasir al-Qasiri, was the young son of the Sultan of Fez, Sultan Ahmad. Life In 1545, his father Sultan Ahmad was taken prisoner by his southern rivals the Saadians. His successor, Ali Abu Hassu ...

, decided to pledge allegiance to the Ottomans in order to obtain their support.

References

{{Ottoman battles

16th century in Algeria 1518 in Africa 1518 in the Ottoman Empire