The Capture of Béjaïa or Capture of Bougie occurred in 1555 when

Salah Rais Salah Rais () ( 1488 – 1568) was the 7th King of Algiers, an Ottoman privateer and admiral. He is alternatively referred to as ''Sala Reis'', ''Salih Rais'', ''Salek Rais'' and ''Cale Arraez'' in several European sources, particularly in Sp ...

, the Ottoman ruler of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, took the city of

Béjaïa Béjaïa ( ; , , ), formerly known as Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean seaport, port city and communes of Algeria, commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province. Geography Location Béjaïa owes its ...

from the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

. The main fortification in Béjaïa was the Spanish ''

presidio A presidio (''jail, fortification'') was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire mainly between the 16th and 18th centuries in areas under their control or influence. The term is derived from the Latin word ''praesidium'' meaning ''pr ...

'', occupied by about 100 men under first under Luis Peralta, and then his son Alonso Peralta.''The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean world in the age of Philip II'' Fernand Braudel p.933

/ref> The city was captured by Salah Rais from his base of Algiers, at the head of several thousand men and a small fleet consisting in two galleys, a barque, and a French ''saëte'' ("flèche" or "arrow") requisitioned in Algiers. Peralta had sent messages to Spain for help, and

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was an Italian statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. From 1528 until his death, Doria exercised a predominant influe ...

prepared to leave with a fleet from

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, but it was too late.

Background

Former capital of the dissident

Hafsid The Hafsid dynasty ( ) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. that ruled Ifriqiya (modern day Tunisia, w ...

emirs of Bougie, the city was taken by the Spaniards in 1510. Emir Abderrahmane withdrew to the Kalâa of Beni Abbès and established a principality around the fortified city. The sultans of the Kalâa maintain the dream of taking over the city to reconstitute the ancient kingdom of Bougie. In this context, the views of the regency of Algiers on Bougie are perceived, on the one hand as an obstacle for the sultans of the Kalâa and on the other hand as a necessity with a view to holy war and disputes between Christianity and Islam.

Preparations

According to Féraud, the troops of Salah Raïs consist of 4,000 soldiers on land and 22 galleys armed with cannons by sea. A weak Spanish garrison of 500 to 1,000 men was spread over the three main forts of the city, according to Braudel, the Spaniards had a total of 1,000 men and a few dozen horses.

Battle

The attack was sudden,

galleys A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for warfare, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during antiquity and continued to exist ...

bursted into the harbor and bombarded the city. Salah Rais took possession of the plain and the surrounding mountain of Yemma gouraya. The strategy of Salah Raïs aimed to successively beat the forts of the city with artillery: the imperial fort (bordj Moussa), the fort of the sea (bordj Abdelkader) then the Casbah were successively targeted. From the heights a battery first ruined bordj Moussa. It was almost deserted by the Spaniards who were concentrating their forces on the other two forts. Salah Raïs then directed his artillery towards Bordj Abdelkader, defended by around forty soldiers who surrendered after five days of fighting. Governor Don Alfonso de Peralta, surrounded in the Kasbah with the rest of his troops, surrendered on September 27, after 25 days of siege without food or ammunition. The Spanish force was defeated, but Salah Rais promised that Alonso Peralta would be allowed to leave unharmed with 40 men of his choice. According to De Grammont, the promise was violated by the Turks and Kabyles, who captured the soldiers with the exception of don Alonso and Luis.

Luis del Mármol Carvajal Luis del Marmol Carvajal (Granada, Spain, 1524 - Velez Malaga, Spain, 1600) was a Spanish chronicler living many years among the formerly Moorish Granada kingdom morisco's inhabitants and in the North African regions in the mid 16th century. Ca ...

recounts that the capitulation was given in return for the freedom of all the Spaniards of the place, but according to Minana, the governor only negotiated his freedom and that of his people. On the 28th of September the Algerians indefinitely occupied the city, took a rich booty and divided amongst themselves 600 slaves. Salah Raïs taking prisoner all the Spaniards in the place with the exception of Governor Peralta and his retinue was therefore considered, according to Marmol's version, as having breached his word. Don Alfonso de Peralta returned to Spain aboard a French

caravel The caravel (Portuguese language, Portuguese: , ) is a small sailing ship developed by the Portuguese that may be rigged with just lateen sails, or with a combination of lateen and Square rig, square sails. It was known for its agility and s ...

, he was severely criticized and was eventually arrested by order of Charles V for his failure and was executed in the main square of

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

Consequences

The capture of Béjaïa permitted the Ottomans to encircle the Spanish position at

Goletta La Goulette (, ), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia. La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is the point of co ...

and that of their ally

Ahmad Sultan Ahmad Sultan (), is a Lebanese singer, musician, and songwriter. whose diverse vocal ability and style has attracted a following from different countries in the Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known a ...

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, as they now had strong bases in Béjaïa and

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

. The recovered city quickly became a point of disagreement between the kingdom of Beni Abbès (descendant of the local Hafsid emirs who reigned over the city before the Spanish conquest of 1509) and Salah Raïs who wanted to ensure its direct administration. This taking possession of the city of Bougie by the regency of Algiers ruined the hopes of the Sultan of Kalâa to restore the old medieval kingdom of Béjaïa. He also established an alliance with the Sultan of Koukou to counterbalance the hostility of Abdelaziz El Abbes. Salah Raïs entrusted Kuku with the immediate hinterland, including the strategic supply of wood (qarasta) for the city and shipbuilding.

Notes

{{coord missing, Algeria

16th century in the Regency of Algiers 1555 in the Ottoman Empire 1555 in Africa

History of Béjaïa Province Battles involving the Kingdom of Kuku