دراسات وأبحاث
Volume 18, Numéro 2, Pages 29-39
2026-04-15

The Representation Of Captives In Foreign Writings During The Ottoman Regency Of Algiers.

Authors : Delbaz Mohammed .

Abstract

The issue of captives in the early modern period constituted one of the most significant humanitarian and diplomatic concerns shaping foreign relations between the traditional maritime powers and the Ottoman Porte in general, and the Ottoman Regency of Algiers in particular. This issue became especially prominent with the intensification of maritime jihad (corsairing), which represented a major source of revenue for the Regency’s treasury through goods and human captives. In the absence of international laws regulating captivity, captives were considered the property of the sailors of the Regency, with the Dīwān sharing in the spoils and profits, leading to their depiction as human merchandise. Owing to the sensitivity of this issue, Western writings varied in their representation of captives in Ottoman Algiers, particularly regarding their origins, numbers, methods of sale in the badestans, living conditions, labor, and ransom practices.

Keywords

the early modern ; captives ; the Ottoman Regency of Algiers ; the badestans ; the most significant humanitarian and diplomatic