Some Notes on Life and Commerce in Algiers and Tunisia through the Unpublished Diary of Father Francisco Ximénez (18th century)

Abstract

Through the diaries that the Trinitarian monk Francisco Ximénez de Santa Catalina wrote during three years in Algiers (1718-1720), which remain still unpublished, we can experience a very valuable testimony of the life of the Regency of Algiers, especially in everything related to privateering and the life of the captives. Director of the Hospital of the Trinitarians, his work in Algiers made of him a privileged spectator of social and personal relationships not only between captives and authorities, but also between different social groups in Algerian society. His attention to what was happening around provides us with precious, very detailed information about everyday life in Algiers, but also about trade, the redemption of slaves and in general the economic life of 18th century Algiers.