Bombardment of Algiers: Anglo-Dutch fleet forces the Dey to free Christian slaves

Background. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the Royal Navy no longer needed the Barbary states as a source of supplies for Gibraltar and the Mediterranean fleet. This freed Britain to exert considerable political pressure to force the Barbary states to end their piracy and practice of enslaving European Christians. In early 1816, Exmouth undertook a diplomatic mission to Tunis, Tripoli, and Algiers, backed by a small squadron of ships of the line, to convince the Deys to stop the practice and free the Christian slaves. He believed he had negotiated a treaty to stop the slavery of Christians and returned to England.

Bombardment. The Anglo-Dutch fleet bombarded ships and harbour defences in Algiers. Exmouth claimed the fleet destroyed the Dey's navy, storehouse, arsenal, and half his batteries. The action was a 'signal chastisement' for atrocities against Christians and disregard of diplomatic demands made in the name of the Prince Regent.

Terms and Aftermath. Following the bombardment, the Dey of Algiers freed around 3,000 slaves and signed a treaty against the slavery of Europeans, according to one account; another states the Dey freed 1,083 Christian slaves and the British Consul, repaying about £80,000 in ransom money taken in 1816. Sources thus conflict on the number freed. The outcome was only partially successful: the Dey set about rebuilding the city's defences, putting its Jewish inhabitants to forced labour in place of Christian slaves, and the Barbary slave trade continued under subsequent Deys, making the long-term impact difficult to assess.