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| | conflict = Battle of the Gulf of Tunis | | conflict = Battle of the Gulf of Tunis | ||
| | partof = ] | | partof = ] | ||
| | date = |
| date = June 4, 1624 | ||
| | place = ], ] | | place = ], ] | ||
| | result = Spanish–Maltese victory | | result = Spanish–Maltese victory | ||
| | combatant1 = ] ]<br>] ] | | combatant1 = ] ]<br>] ] | ||
| | combatant2 = ] ] | | combatant2 = ] ] | ||
| | commander1 = ] ] | | commander1 = ] ] | ||
| | commander2 = ] Ali Arraez Rabazin | | commander2 = ] Ali Arraez Rabazin | ||
| | strength1 = |
| strength1 = 14 galleys | ||
| | strength2 = 3 galleons | | strength2 = 3 galleons | ||
| | casualties1 = Minor | | casualties1 = Minor | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| The '''Battle of the Gulf of Tunis''' was a naval battle between a Spanish and Maltese galley fleet, commanded by ], and a ] flotilla captained by Ali Arraez |
The '''Battle of the Gulf of Tunis''' was a naval battle between a Spanish and Maltese galley fleet, commanded by ], and a ] flotilla captained by Ali Arraez Rabazin. | ||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| In 1624, the spies of Viceroy of ], ], spies found out that a Tunisian fleet had sailed off from ] and joined another fleet from the ], gathering 13 galleys which hounded around the North African coast. On 21, Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides came out from ] in their search with |
In 1624, the spies of Viceroy of ], ], spies found out that a Tunisian fleet had sailed off from ] and joined another fleet from the ], gathering 13 galleys which hounded around the North African coast. On May 21, Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides came out from ] in their search with 14 galleys, nine from Sicily, one from Spain and four from the ].{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} However, after reaching ] in Tunis, he found a ] galleon, which he captured and brought to Sicily on 24 before resuming his mission. He headed for Tunis again, and after leaving behind Cape Bon, he sent two scouts to ] and ], at the other sides of the ], to learn about local privateering activity.{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} | ||
| Bazán ran into the ships Barbary corsair Ali Arraez Rabazin, known by the war name of ], a Ferrarese renegade converted to Islam who harassed the coasts of Sicily, ] and ]. Rabazin had been a ] in Bazán's own ship, and now sailed in the service of ] of Tunis.{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=184}}{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} He was not the same as the Tunisian corsair Suleyman Sanson, beaten by ] in 1624,{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=372}} nor the ] Sanson, whom Carlo Doria and Clemente Hidalgo defeated in the ] in March 1621.{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=392}} | Bazán ran into the ships Barbary corsair Ali Arraez Rabazin, known by the war name of "]", a Ferrarese renegade converted to Islam who harassed the coasts of Sicily, ] and ]. Rabazin had been a ] in Bazán's own ship, and now sailed in the service of ] of Tunis.{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=184}}{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} He was not the same as the Tunisian corsair Suleyman Sanson, beaten by ] in 1624,{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=372}} nor the ] Sanson, whom Carlo Doria and Clemente Hidalgo defeated in the ] in March 1621.{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=392}} | ||
| ==Battle== | ==Battle== | ||
| On |
On June 4, Bazán sighted a galleon sport Tunisian flag, and two other galleons joined it, turning out to be Rabazin's ships. The corsair accepted battle despite his large disadvantage in numbers, trusting the size and artillery of his three galleons, composed by a 40-gun ] ship, a 28-gun ] one and a 18-gun ] one. Bazán knew his own artillery pieces were fewer, but superior in quality, caliber and range, therefore he opened fire on the Tunisians while keeping distance so they would be rendered unable to hit him back.{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=184}} | ||
| Increasingly punished, Rabazin |
Increasingly punished, Rabazin on against the encircling Bazán on the hope of ramming his way out of the gulf, but the Christian galleys surrounded him and overwhelmed his flagship with artillery fire, killing 100 of his 300-men crew.{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} After six hours of battles, the Tunisians disengaged and fled towards the coast, where they ran aground their ships and started evacuating them. Bazán followed them and boarded the immobile ships. During the boarding, his own flagship's captain, Serafín Salort, was killed by a cannonball, but the rest of his crews easily overcome and captured many of the escapees on the beaches. The wounded Rabazin was captured along with his ships.{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=185}} | ||
| Bazán ordered his captain Simón Costa to repair the galleons to take them back to Sicily, and distributed the corsair ships' booty among his crews as a prize for the victory, numbering in 100,000 '']s''. They freed 200 Christian hostages and made 212 prisoners, among them Rabazin, who was chained again, while the rest of his men either drowned or died in battle. Bazán returned on June 9 to Palermo.{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} | Bazán ordered his captain Simón Costa to repair the galleons to take them back to Sicily, and distributed the corsair ships' booty among his crews as a prize for the victory, numbering in 100,000 '']s''. They freed 200 Christian hostages and made 212 prisoners, among them Rabazin, who was chained again, while the rest of his men either drowned or died in battle. Bazán returned on June 9 to Palermo.{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} | ||
| ==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
| The victory was celebrated with a parade in Palermo due to Rabazin's past infamy among the locals. Captain and chronicler ] participated in the battle and wrote a commemorative poem. Meanwhile, Bazán captured a separate fleet of Barbary ]s,{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=185}} before eventually finding and destroying the in the ]. | The victory was celebrated with a parade in Palermo on June 9 due to Rabazin's past infamy among the locals. Captain and chronicler ] participated in the battle and wrote a commemorative poem. Meanwhile, Bazán captured a separate fleet of Barbary ]s,{{sfnp|Fernández Duro|1885|p=185}} before eventually finding and destroying the in the ].{{sfnp|Gómez|2019}} | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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Latest revision as of 15:45, 31 December 2024
Naval battle between Spain and Ottoman Tunisia| Battle of the Gulf of Tunis | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ottoman–Habsburg wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spanish Empire.svg){kind=small} Order of St. John |
.svg){kind=small} Eyalet of Tunis | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides |
Ali Arraez Rabazin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 14 galleys | 3 galleons | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Minor |
All vessels captured 212 prisoners Many dead | ||||||
The Battle of the Gulf of Tunis was a naval battle between a Spanish and Maltese galley fleet, commanded by Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides, Marquis of Santa Cruz, and a Barbary corsair flotilla captained by Ali Arraez Rabazin.
Background
In 1624, the spies of Viceroy of Sicily, Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, spies found out that a Tunisian fleet had sailed off from Bizerte and joined another fleet from the Regency of Algiers, gathering 13 galleys which hounded around the North African coast. On May 21, Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides came out from Palermo in their search with 14 galleys, nine from Sicily, one from Spain and four from the Order of St. John. However, after reaching Cape Bon in Tunis, he found a Dutch galleon, which he captured and brought to Sicily on 24 before resuming his mission. He headed for Tunis again, and after leaving behind Cape Bon, he sent two scouts to La Goulette and Cape Farina, at the other sides of the gulf of Tunis, to learn about local privateering activity.
Bazán ran into the ships Barbary corsair Ali Arraez Rabazin, known by the war name of "Samson", a Ferrarese renegade converted to Islam who harassed the coasts of Sicily, Naples and Spain. Rabazin had been a galley slave in Bazán's own ship, and now sailed in the service of Yusuf Dey of Tunis. He was not the same as the Tunisian corsair Suleyman Sanson, beaten by Francisco de Rivera in 1624, nor the English renegade Sanson, whom Carlo Doria and Clemente Hidalgo defeated in the Battle of Chios in March 1621.
Battle
On June 4, Bazán sighted a galleon sport Tunisian flag, and two other galleons joined it, turning out to be Rabazin's ships. The corsair accepted battle despite his large disadvantage in numbers, trusting the size and artillery of his three galleons, composed by a 40-gun Danish ship, a 28-gun French one and a 18-gun Flemish one. Bazán knew his own artillery pieces were fewer, but superior in quality, caliber and range, therefore he opened fire on the Tunisians while keeping distance so they would be rendered unable to hit him back.
Increasingly punished, Rabazin on against the encircling Bazán on the hope of ramming his way out of the gulf, but the Christian galleys surrounded him and overwhelmed his flagship with artillery fire, killing 100 of his 300-men crew. After six hours of battles, the Tunisians disengaged and fled towards the coast, where they ran aground their ships and started evacuating them. Bazán followed them and boarded the immobile ships. During the boarding, his own flagship's captain, Serafín Salort, was killed by a cannonball, but the rest of his crews easily overcome and captured many of the escapees on the beaches. The wounded Rabazin was captured along with his ships.
Bazán ordered his captain Simón Costa to repair the galleons to take them back to Sicily, and distributed the corsair ships' booty among his crews as a prize for the victory, numbering in 100,000 escudos. They freed 200 Christian hostages and made 212 prisoners, among them Rabazin, who was chained again, while the rest of his men either drowned or died in battle. Bazán returned on June 9 to Palermo.
Aftermath
The victory was celebrated with a parade in Palermo on June 9 due to Rabazin's past infamy among the locals. Captain and chronicler Diego Duque de Estrada participated in the battle and wrote a commemorative poem. Meanwhile, Bazán captured a separate fleet of Barbary brigantines, before eventually finding and destroying the in the Battle of the Dalmatian Coast.
References
- ^ Gómez (2019).
- ^ Fernández Duro (1885), p. 184.
- Fernández Duro (1885), p. 372.
- Fernández Duro (1885), p. 392.
- ^ Fernández Duro (1885), p. 185.
- Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1885). El gran duque de Osuna y su marina: jornadas contra turcos y venecianos (1602-1624). Sucesores de Rivadeneyra.
- Gómez, Antonio (2019). Con balas de plata VI. 1621-30. Difundia. ISBN 9788417799991.
- de la Guardia, Ricardo (1914). Notas para un Cronicón de la Marina Militar de España. Anales de trece siglos de historia de la marina. El Correo Gallego.