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French-Tripolitania War (1681-1685)
|
---|
Bombardment of Chios by the fleet of
Admiral Duquesne
in 1681
|
Date
| 1681-1685
|
---|
Location
| Chios, Tripoli and Tunis
|
---|
Result
|
French Victory
- Bombardment of Chios 1681
- French Victory
- Peace signed with Tripolitanian Captains
[1]
- Peace rejected on their return to Tripoli
- Bombardment of Tripoli 1685
- Tripoli heavily damaged
[3]
- Dey of Tripoli pays tribute to
Louis XIV
, signs peace, frees Christian slaves and asks for forgiveness
[4]
- Tunis capitulates without fight
- Pays French Expedition costs and frees Christian captives
[5]
|
---|
Territorial
changes
|
none
|
---|
|
Belligerents
|
---|
France
|
|
Commanders and leaders
|
---|
Louis XIV
Abraham Duquesne
Jean II d'Estrees
|
The
French?Tripolitania War
(1681-1685) was part of a wider campaign by France against the
Barbary Pirates
in the 1680s.
Background
[
edit
]
In June 1681,
corsairs
from the
Regency of Tripolitania
captured French merchant ships off the coast of
Provence
.
Louis XIV
sent Admiral
Abraham Duquesne
, with nine ships under his command, to hunt down the pirates. He tracked them to Chios, which had recently been captured by the
Ottoman Empire
where they were taking refuge.
[6]
Bombardment of Chios (1681)
[
edit
]
Duquesne sends an emissary, M. de Saint-Amand, to summon the pacha commanding in Chios to send out the corsairs, under penalty of destruction of the port and the fortresses, which he refuses.
[7]
On July 23, 1681, Duquesne ordered the ships of his squadron to bombard the city and the port. The French fire was so vigorous that in less than four hours the Barbary fleet, the fortresses and the port were badly damaged. A Turkish account of the time recounts this attack: "The French infidels came to Scio, they fired for four hours on the vessels of Tripoli Barbary, they also damaged the fortresses and the mosques. "Many Greeks are among the victims because they are the majority on the island. Several Orthodox churches are affected."
[8]
Despite the relentless bombardment, the Pirates refused to surrender to the French. The French in turn then establish a blockade of the Port. This created diplomatic issues between France and the
Ottoman Empire
as France is infringing on their Sovereignty.
Louis
did not want war with the Ottomans due to French economic interests in maintaining good relations with the Ottomans and therefore makes the French merchants in
Constantinople
pay 80,000 Crowns compensation to the Turkish Authorities to appease them.
[9]
After several weeks of blockade, the pirates finally capitulate and come to terms for peace, which is signed at the end of December 1681.
[10]
The Treaty brings allededly brings end to the war and all captured slaves are freed.
[11]
On the Pirates return to
Tripoli
this peace is rejected by the Dey and the Captains are beheaded.
[12]
Further French action would be required in 1685.
Bombardment of Tripoli (1685)
[
edit
]
This action carried out by
Jean II d'Estrees
would destroy large parts of Tripoli
[13]
and bring the Dey of Tripoli to terms with France.
[14]
The Devastation of the city would cause panic in the neighbouring Recency of Tunis leading to their capitulation without a fight.
[15]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
D'autres sources, cependant, donnent la paix signee le 25 octobre 1681.
- ^
Jean Beranger, in Verge-Franceschi 2002 , p. 347-348
- ^
Guy Le Moing, Les 600 plus grandes batailles navales de l'Histoire, Rennes, Marines Editions, May 2011, p.620
- ^
Michel Verge-Franceschi ( dir. ), Dictionary of Maritime History , Robert Laffont editions , coll. "Books",2002
- ^
Guy Le Moing, Les 600 plus grandes batailles navales de l'Histoire, Rennes, Marines Editions, May 2011, p.620
- ^
Jean Beranger, in Verge-Franceschi 2002 , p. 347-348
- ^
Jean Beranger, in Verge-Franceschi 2002 , p. 347-348
- ^
Jean Beranger, in Verge-Franceschi 2002 , p. 347-348
- ^
Jean-Christian Petitfils , Louis XIV , Paris, Perrin editions,1995, p.775
- ^
Jean-Christian Petitfils , Louis XIV , Paris, Perrin editions,1995, p.775
- ^
Jean Beranger, in Verge-Franceschi 2002 , p. 347-348
- ^
Jean Beranger, in Verge-Franceschi 2002 , p. 347-348
- ^
Guy Le Moing, Les 600 plus grandes batailles navales de l'Histoire, Rennes, Marines Editions, May 2011, p.620
- ^
Michel Verge-Franceschi ( dir. ), Dictionary of Maritime History , Robert Laffont editions , coll. "Books",2002
- ^
Guy Le Moing, Les 600 plus grandes batailles navales de l'Histoire, Rennes, Marines Editions, May 2011, p.620