The bombardment of Salé in May 1628 was carried out by

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

troops commanded by Tomás de Larraspuru y Churruca against the Moroccan city of

Salé Salé (, ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form together a single m ...

, which at that time was a city-state

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

ruled by

Barbary corsairs The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

Background

Following the death of

Ahmad al-Mansur Ahmad al-Mansur (; 1549 – 25 August 1603), also known by the nickname al-Dhahabī () was the Saadi Sultanate, Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1578 to his death in 1603, the sixth and most famous of all rulers of the Saadis. Ahmad al-Mansur was an ...

in 1603, a war of succession broke out in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, prompting other groups to rebel, including the

Republic of Salé The Republic of Salé, also known as the Bou Regreg Republic and the Republic of the Two Banks, was a city-state maritime Barbary pirates, corsair republic based at Salé in Morocco during the 17th century, located at the mouth of the Bou Regre ...

, a

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

ruled by

. Among the main targets of the corsairs of

was

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, which held several cities on the Moroccan coast. During the 1620s, they besieged La Mamora several times, being expelled each time. In 1628, they attempted another siege but were driven back by a Spanish fleet of 35 ships commanded by Tomás de Larraspuru y Churruca, causing many casualties among the corsairs.

Bombardment

A few days after the siege, Tomás de Larraspuru went to Salé with his fleet with the aim of bombing the city. The bombing lasted for several days and was a success, costing few casualties to the Spanish and achieving its objective of restoring normality to the '' presidios''.

Aftermath

Relations between Salé and Spain improved after the conflict, there were even attempts to peacefully incorporate the city into Spain. However, this never happened, mainly because internal conflicts in Morocco resumed in 1636. La Mamora was besieged by Morocco several times until it finally

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

in 1681. Other Spanish cities on the Moroccan coast would fall, such as Larache in 1689 or Asilah in 1691. However, other cities would resist these sieges, such as

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

and

Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera () also known as Hajar Badis () is a Spanish exclave and rocky tidal island in the western Mediterranean Sea connected to the Moroccan shore by a sandy isthmus. It is also connected to a smaller islet to the east, La Isleta, by a rocky isthm ...

, which today remain Spanish enclaves.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend Naval battles involving Spain Barbary piracy 17th century in Morocco 1620s in Spain Conflicts in 1628 Punitive expeditions Salé