From the Adriatic to the Western Mediterranean: Albanians and Dalmatians in Algiers during the 16th Century

Abstract

The sixteenth century is considered as the last golden age of the Mediterranean. This splendor of the Mediterranean was shared by the people inhabiting this “Great Sea”. In this century the Mediterranean is seen as a maritime space contested between two rival powers: the Habsburg Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The rivalry between the Habsburgs and the Ottomans developed in the Western fringe of the Mediterranean, while the eastern and central part of the Great Sea remained uncontested dominions of the Ottoman state. In this Mediterranean splendor and rivalry, the role and agency of many people and local communities should not be undervalued. The aim of this paper is to highlight the presence of the Albanian and Dalmatian sailors, soldiers, and traders in Algiers, which was undoubtedly one of the most important centers of the Mediterranean, with a vibrant trade and an important place of political, cultural, and commercial links and impact. People from the Eastern Adriatic shore, especially Albanians and Dalmatians (i.e., Croats, Bosnians, etc.) were increasingly present in Algiers as well as in North African Mediterranean in a scale never documented before. Apart from the increase in numbers, in the 16th century also changes the quality of their presence in the Western Mediterranean.