The conquest of Oran by the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

took place on May 1509, when an army led by

Pedro Navarro Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto (c. 1460 – 28 August 1528) was a Navarrese military engineer and general who participated in the War of the League of Cambrai. At the Battle of Ravenna in 1512 he commanded the Spanish and Papal infantry, but w ...

on behalf of the

Cardinal Cisneros Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

seized the North African city, which was controlled by the

Kingdom 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 Sijil ...

Background

The Spanish captured the city of Mers-El-Kébir after a successful expedition against the local Algerian dynasty, the Zayyanids. In 1507, the Zayyanids ambushed the city of Mers-el-Kébir, with about 11,000 cavalry, gaining a decisive victory against the Spanish forces.

The siege

Preparations for the expedition began in September 1508. The Crown invested 39.6 million maravedis in the expedition. In comparison, the armada to

Castilla del Oro Castilla de Oro or del Oro () was the name given by the Spanish settlers at the beginning of the 16th century to the Central American territories from the Gulf of Urabá, near today's Colombian-Panamanian border, to the Belén River. Beyond that ...

in 1514 would cost 14 million and the armada of Maluco led by Hernando de Magallanes cost 8.35 million. A fleet left port from Cartagena on 16 May and sailed towards

Mers el-Kebir Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by ''Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus'' (MERS-CoV). Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. Typical symptoms include fever, cough, ...

, a city located near Oran and already (since 1505) under Spanish control. The fleet had 80 ''naos'' and 10 galleys, plus additional small boats. They carried around 8000-12,000 infantry-men and 3000-4000 cavalry-men. The army spent the night of 17 May in Mers el Kebir. The Christians stormed the city of Oran, then part of the

, combining the use of the fleet with a ground assault on 18 May. After breaking through the walls of the city the casualties numbered less than 30 on the assaulting side, while the 12,000 defenders suffered 4,000 casualties. On 20 May, Cisneros entered the city, already conquered. The city remained a part of the Spanish Empire until 1708, when it was seized by the Ottoman Dey of Algiers taking advantage of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. The city was conquered again by the Spanish in 1732. After the

1790 Oran earthquake The 1790 Oran earthquake occurred on October 10, striking near the coastal city of Oran in Algeria. The earthquake had an evaluated maximum seismic intensity of VIII to X on the European macroseismic scale (EMS-98). An estimated 3,000 people died ...

, they abandoned Oran and Mers el-Kebir in 1792.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Cite LSA, title=Presencia de España en Orán, 1509-1792, first=Gregorio, last=Sánchez Doncel, year=1991, isbn=84-600-7614-8, location=Toledo, publisher=Estudio Teológico de San Ildefonso, language=Spanish Conflicts in 1509 Military history of Spain Military history of Algeria Amphibious operations involving Spain