BAR 



plier, if the whimfical ftory be true, that, being exceed- 

 ingly perplexed concerning the meaning of Ariftotk's 

 Ev7:Xt;if;ia, a term which has perliaps never been underllood, 

 lie endeavoured, or pretended to confult tlie devil upon 

 the fubied." Gcfner in Bibliothec. Gen. Did. 

 . BARBAROSSA, lo called from the red coleur of 

 their beard, Arjc or Horuc, and Hayradin, were the fons 

 of a potter of the ifland of LelLos, or as fome fay, of a 

 Sicilian renegade ; who, prompted by a rclllcfs and enter- 

 prifing fpirit, forfooii their father's trade, and joined a 

 crew of pirates. They foon diftinguiihed themfelvcs by 

 their valour and activity, and becoming mnllers of a fmall 

 brigantinc, carried on their infamous trade with fueh con- 

 duct and fuecefs, that they aflcmbled a fleet of twelve 

 galleys, bcfides many veffels of fmaller force. Of this 

 fleet, Horuc, the elder brother, was admiral, and Hayradin 

 fecond in command, but with almoll equal authority. 

 They called themfclves the friends of the fea, and the ene- 

 mies of all who fail upon it j and their names foon became 

 terrible from the ftraits of the Dardanels to thofe of Gibral- 

 tar. Whilil they were afting as corfairs, they adopted 

 the ideas and acquired the talents of conquerors. They 

 often carried the prizes which they took on the coafts of 

 Spain and Italy, to which they extended their depreda- 

 tions about the year 1504, into the ports of Barbaiy ; and 

 enriching the inhabitants by the fale of their booty, and 

 the thoughtlefs prodigality of their crews, they were 

 welcome gueils in every place at which they touched. 

 The convenient fituation of thefe harbours, lying fo near 

 the greatell commercial ftates at that time in Chriltendom, 

 made the brothers wi(h tor an eftabUlTiment in. that coun- 

 try. An opportunity occurred for this purpofe, which 

 they eagerly Icized and improved to their own advantage. 

 Eutemi, king of Algiers, having made feveral unfuccefsful 

 attempts for taking a fort which the Spanilh governors of 

 Oran had built not far from his capital, fought the aflift-. 

 ance of Horuc, wiiofc valour the Africans confidered as 

 irrefiftible. The accive corfair gladly accepted the invitation, 

 and leaving his brother Hayradin with the fleet, marched 

 at the head of 5000 men to Algiers, where, in the year 

 1516, he was received as their deliverer. Such a force 

 gave him the command of the town. The ambitious con- 

 queror, having fecretly murdered the monarch whom he 

 came to affift, caufed himfelf to be proclaimed king of 

 Algiers in his Head. He then proceeded to eflablifh the 

 authority which he had ufurped, by arts fuited to the 

 genius of the people whom he had to govern ; by un- 

 bounded hberality to thofe who favoured his promotion ; 

 and by cruelty as unbounded towards all whom he had 

 any reafon to dillruft. Having detefted and defeated a 

 confpiracy formed againft him by the Arabs, and obliged 

 the king of Tunis, who marched to their fuccour with a 

 powerful army into the territory of Algiers, to feek refuge 

 in the mountains ; Barbaroffa laid fiege to Tunis, made 

 himfelf mailer of it, and was acknowledged as fovereign. 

 He then attacked the neighbouring king of Tremecen, 

 vanquifhed him in battle, and added his dominions to thofe 

 of Algiers. At the fame time he continued his depreda- 

 tions on the coall of Spain and Italy ; and the devaltations 

 which he committed obliged Charles V., at the beginning 

 of his reign, to furnifh the marquis dc Comares, governor 

 of Oran, with troops fufficicnt to attack him. That 

 officer, allifled by tiic dethroned king of Tremecen, executed 

 the commiffion with fuch fpirit and fuccefs, that Barbarofla's 

 troops being defeated in feveral encounters, he himfelf was 

 ftut up in the citadel of Trerascen. After defending it to 

 Vol. III. 



BAR 



the laft extremity, he was reduced by the upptchentiornt 

 of famine to the neccfiity of attempting an efcape by a 

 fubterraneous paflage ; and in order to delay the puifuit, 

 he fcattercd his treafurts upon the rond. At length the 

 Spaniards overtook him on the banks of the Huexda, eight 

 leagues from Tremecen ; and here Barbaroffa with his 

 1 nrkifli followers fought for fome time with an obltinate 

 valour, hut they were at laft totally defeated, and the con- 

 queror liimfelf was flain, in the forty-fourth year of his age, 

 A.D. 1518. " 



His brother Hayradin, known likewife by the name of 

 Barbarofla, afTumed the fceptre of Algiers with the fame 

 ambition and abilities, but with better fortune. His reign 

 being undillurbcd by the Spaniards, who were fully cm- 

 ployed in the wars among the Europ;-an powers, lie regu- 

 lated with admirable prudence the interior police of his 

 kingdom, carried on his naval operations with great vigour, 

 and extended his conquells on the continent of Africa. 

 For his greater fecurlty, he put his dominions under the 

 protection of the Grand Signior, and received from him a 

 body of Turkish foldiers fufficient for his defence againd 

 domeilic as wt.ll as foreign enemies. Solyman at length 

 A.D. lf33, offered him the command of the Turkifli licet, 

 in oppofition to Andrew Doria, who was the greateft fea- 

 ofiicer of that age. Barbarofla, proud of this diiUncf ion, 

 repaired to Conitantinople, and with a wonderful verfati- 

 lity of mind, combined the addrefs of a courtier with the 

 boldnefs of a corfair, and thus gained the entire confidence 

 of the fultan and his vizier. To them he communicated 

 a fcheme which he had formed of making himfelf matter 

 of Tunis, the moft flourifliing ki:;gdom, at that time, on 

 the coall of Africa ; and as they approved the fcheme, 

 they funiiilied him with every thing he demanded for carr\'- 

 ing it into execution. Availing himfelf of the intellinc 

 diviiions of the kingdom, and making perfidious ufe of the 

 name and interell of Abrafchid, an exiled prince, whom he 

 deceived and impriloncd, he was fupported by a powerful fleet 

 and a numerous army. His fleet confifl.td of 250 velTels, 

 with which he failed towards Africa ; and after ravaging 

 the coafts of Italy, he appeared before Tunis. Having 

 landed his men, he announced his intention of afl"erting the 

 right of Abrafchid, whom he pretended to have left fick 

 en board of the admiral galley, but who was in reality 

 confined in the feragho at Conftantinoplc, and who was 

 never heard of more. The fort of Goletta, which guards 

 the bay, foon fubmitted, and the inhabitants of Tunis 

 declared unanimouQy in favour of Abrafchid ; fo that the 

 gates were opened to Barbarofla, whom they confidered as 

 the reftorer of their lawful fovereign. But as Abrafchid 

 did not appear, they foon began to fufpect the corfair's 

 treachery ; and with arms in their hands, furrounded the 

 citadel into which Barbarofla had led his troops. Their 

 attack, however ardent and impetuous, was of no avail ; and 

 they were forced to acknowledge Solyman as their favereign, 

 and to fubmit to himfelf as his viceroy. Having put the 

 kingdom into a proper pofture of defence, he extended 

 his depredations to the Chriftiaa ftates, fo that complaints 

 of his outrages were conveyed to the emperor Charles by 

 his lubjefts both in Spain and Italy. The emperor con- 

 cluded a treaty with Muley-Hafcen, the exiled king 

 of Tunis, who implored his affiftance ; and made 

 preparations for invading Tunis. His fleet confifted of 

 nearly 500 vcfl'els, and they had on board above 30,000 

 regular troops. The armament failed from Cagliari, and 

 after a profperous navigation, landed within fight of Tunis. 

 Barbarofla alfembled at Tunis for oppcfing the imperial 



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