Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands (1558)
Encyclopedia
An Ottoman raid of the Balearic islands was accomplished by the Ottoman Empire
in 1558, against the Spanish
Habsburg territory of the Balearic islands
.
. Then followed the sacks of Pollença
(in 1531 and 1550), the Sack of Mahon
in 1535, Alcúdia
(1551), Valldemossa
(1552), Andratx
(1553), Sóller
(1561). Ottoman attacks only decreased after the Battle of Lepanto
in 1571, although they would continue until the 17th century.
On 30 December 1557, Henry II of France
, who was in conflict with the Habsburgs in the Italian War of 1551–1559, had written a letter to Suleiman, asking him for money, saltpeter
, and 150 galleys to be stationed in the West. Through the services of his ambassador Jean Cavenac de la Vigne
, Henry II obtained the dispatch of an Ottoman fleet in 1558.
Suleyman the Magnificent sent his fleet as a diversion to help his French allies against the Habsburgs
. The Ottoman armada left Istanbul in April 1558. On June 13, 1558, the Ottoman fleet ravaged Italy
, with little effect however apart from the sack of Sorrento
, then part of the possessions of Spain
in southern Italy, where they took 3,000 captives.
The Ottoman force consisted in 15,000 soldiers on 150 warships. The Ottomans, after renounced an attack on Mahón
, attacked the citadel of Ciutadella in Menorca, which was only garrisoned with 40 soldiers.
On the 9th of July 1558, the Turks under Piyale Pasha
and Turgut Reis
, put the town under siege for eight days entered and decimated the town. After the fall of the citadel, the city was ravaged and the population enslaved. All of Ciutadella's 3,099 inhabitants who survived the siege
were taken as slaves to Turkey together with other inhabitants of surrounding villages. In total, 3,452 residents were sold into slavery
in the slave markets of Istanbul
.
The Balearic islands were ravaged, and 4,000 people were taken as prisoners.
An obelisk was set up in the 19th century by Josep Quadrado in the Plaza d'es Born in memory of the offensive, with the following inscription:
Every year on July 9, a commemoration takes place in Ciutadella, remembering "l’Any de sa Desgràcia", or "the Year of the Disaster".
, the same Ottoman fleet was delayed from joining a French fleet in Corsica
near Bastia
, possibly due to the failure of the commander Dragut to honour Suleiman's orders. Suleiman would apologize in a letter to Henry at the end of the year 1558.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1558, against the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Habsburg territory of the Balearic islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
.
Background
The Ottomans had already attacked the Balearic Islands many times previously, as in the 1501 Ottoman raid on the Balearic islandsOttoman raid on the Balearic islands (1501)
An Ottoman raid on the Balearic islands occurred in 1501 under the Ottoman admiral Kemal Reis. This raid was combined with attacks on Sardinia and Pianosa ....
. Then followed the sacks of Pollença
Pollença
Pollença is a town and municipality situated in the far north corner of the island of Majorca, near Cap de Formentor and Alcúdia. It lies about 6 km west of its port, Port de Pollença.-History:...
(in 1531 and 1550), the Sack of Mahon
Sack of Mahon
The Sack of Mahon occurred in 1535, when Hayreddin Barbarossa attacked the harbour of Mahon in the Balearic Islands.The expedition followed closely the defeat of Barbarossa in the Conquest of Tunis by Charles V. Barbarossa had escaped Tunis, and boarded his fleet in Bône.In Mahon, Barbarossa took...
in 1535, Alcúdia
Alcúdia
Alcúdia is a municipality and township of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.It is the main tourist centre in the North of Majorca. It is a large resort popular with families.Most of the hotels are located in Port d'Alcúdia and Platja d'Alcúdia along the 14 km long beach that...
(1551), Valldemossa
Valldemossa
Valldemossa or Valldemosa is a village and municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands....
(1552), Andratx
Andratx
Andratx is a municipality on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the southwest tip of the island.-History:...
(1553), Sóller
Sóller
Sóller is a town and municipality near the north west coast of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. The town is some 3km inland, from the Port de Sóller, in a large, bowl-shaped valley that also includes the village of Fornalutx and the hamlets of Biniaraix and Binibassi. The combined...
(1561). Ottoman attacks only decreased after the Battle of Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto normally refers to the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman fleet. There were also three earlier battles fought in the vicinity of Lepanto:*Battle of Naupactus in 429 BC, an Athenian victory during the Peleoponnesian War...
in 1571, although they would continue until the 17th century.
On 30 December 1557, Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
, who was in conflict with the Habsburgs in the Italian War of 1551–1559, had written a letter to Suleiman, asking him for money, saltpeter
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
, and 150 galleys to be stationed in the West. Through the services of his ambassador Jean Cavenac de la Vigne
Jean Cavenac de la Vigne
Jean Cavenac de la Vigne, seigneur d'Auvilliers, was French Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1556 to 1566. He was the successor of Michel de Codignac, who had returned to Europe in 1558, passing through Venice in July 1558, and betrayed the French cause by entering in the service of Philip II...
, Henry II obtained the dispatch of an Ottoman fleet in 1558.
Suleyman the Magnificent sent his fleet as a diversion to help his French allies against the Habsburgs
Franco-Ottoman alliance
The Franco-Ottoman alliance, also Franco-Turkish alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the king of France Francis I and the Turkish ruler of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent. The alliance has been called "the first non-ideological diplomatic alliance of its kind between a...
. The Ottoman armada left Istanbul in April 1558. On June 13, 1558, the Ottoman fleet ravaged Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, with little effect however apart from the sack of Sorrento
Sorrento
Sorrento is the name of many cities and towns:*Sorrento, Italy*Sorrento, Florida, United States*Sorrento, Louisiana, United States*Sorrento, Maine, United States*Sorrento, Victoria, a township on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia...
, then part of the possessions of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in southern Italy, where they took 3,000 captives.
Raid
In July, the fleet then started to ravage the Balearic islands.The Ottoman force consisted in 15,000 soldiers on 150 warships. The Ottomans, after renounced an attack on Mahón
Mahon
Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...
, attacked the citadel of Ciutadella in Menorca, which was only garrisoned with 40 soldiers.
Piyale Pasha
Piyale Pasha , born in Viganj on the Pelješac peninsula, was a Croatian Ottoman admiral between 1553 and 1567 and an Ottoman Vizier after 1568. He was also known as Piale Pasha in the West or Pialí Bajá in Spain; )....
and Turgut Reis
Turgut Reis
Turgut Reis was an Ottoman Admiral and privateer who also served as Bey of Algiers; Beylerbey of the Mediterranean; and first Bey, later Pasha, of Tripoli. Under his naval command the Ottoman Empire maritime was extended across North Africa...
, put the town under siege for eight days entered and decimated the town. After the fall of the citadel, the city was ravaged and the population enslaved. All of Ciutadella's 3,099 inhabitants who survived the siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
were taken as slaves to Turkey together with other inhabitants of surrounding villages. In total, 3,452 residents were sold into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in the slave markets of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
The Balearic islands were ravaged, and 4,000 people were taken as prisoners.
An obelisk was set up in the 19th century by Josep Quadrado in the Plaza d'es Born in memory of the offensive, with the following inscription:
Every year on July 9, a commemoration takes place in Ciutadella, remembering "l’Any de sa Desgràcia", or "the Year of the Disaster".
Aftermath
As a later consequence of the 1553 Franco-Ottoman Invasion of CorsicaInvasion of Corsica (1553)
The Invasion of Corsica of 1553 occurred when French, Ottoman and Corsican exile forces combined to capture the island of Corsica from the Genoese....
, the same Ottoman fleet was delayed from joining a French fleet in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
near Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, possibly due to the failure of the commander Dragut to honour Suleiman's orders. Suleiman would apologize in a letter to Henry at the end of the year 1558.