Fall of Tlemcen (1518)

Kingdom of Tlemcen Abu Hammou The fall of Tlemcen occurred in 1518, when the Ottoman admiral Oruç Barbarossa captured the city of Tlemcen from its sultan, Abu Zayan, the last member of the Banu Zayan lineage.

The fall of Tlemcen followed the capture of Ténès, also by Oruç and his brother, Hayreddin. The Sultan of Tlemcen then fled to Fez in Morocco. Oruç crowned himself king of Tlemcen. The only survivor of Abu Zayan's dynasty was Sheikh Buhammud, who escaped to Oran and called for Spain's assistance.

This victory put Oruç in control of the backcountry behind the Spanish base of Oran, which greatly threatened their usual supply routes. This victory put Oruç in control of a considerable territory, the size of colonial French Algeria.

The Spanish, however, soon reacted in 1518 by launching an attack under the governor Martín d'Argote against Tlemcen, which was 70 mi away from Oran, and managed to corner and kill Oruç. They took possession of the region of Tlemcen. According to the diary of Hayreddin Barbarossa, Oruç died as a result of his sympathy for the inhabitants of Algiers and Tlemcen who formed part of his army. Hayreddin declared that Oruç returned to fight with his soldiers until he died, as he could not bear to hear the cries of those who had fell into the hands of the Spanish forces.

Soon however, the king of Morocco raised a considerable army and marched on Tlemcen, expelling the Spanish. The Ottomans would again exert direct influence in Tlemcen from 1553. That year, the Wattassid ruler of Morocco, Sultan Ahmad, was taken prisoner by his rivals, the sharifian Saadians. His successor, Ali Abu Hassun, regent for Ahmad's young son Nasir al-Qasiri, decided to pledge allegiance to the Ottomans in order to obtain their support.