The extension and intensification of corsair activity in the Mediterranean came with political and religious upheavals in Christendom and Islam. The Ottoman Empire was eager to protect Egypt from Christian corsairs and expanding the empire on the North African coast. In 1510 the Grand Sultan formed an alliance with the Barbarossa brothers, successful corsairs, who settles in Algiers. This alliance put corsairs not only at the middle of a religious struggle, but at the epicenter of Mediterranean politics. In response the corsairs of the Christian world became linked with the European powers and advanced the Christian resistance of Ottoman expansion.

 

Because of the corsairs newfound importance in political and religious struggles, they were far from marginal and rogue members of society. Instead Kheid-ed-Din Barbarossa led Algiers and became the head of the Ottoman fleet. Poor fisherman became the Knights of St. John and lead the Christian states. In this way the corsairs hit their peak of importance and stature in the Mediterranean, capitalizing on political and religious strife.

 

A decrease in political and religious struggles in the Mediterranean lead to a loss of importance of the corsairs. An uneasy please between the Ottoman Empire and Spain caused the corsairs (1580s) to act independently by refusing to observe the treaties of their sovereign states.

 

At this time “renegades” also became an important part of corsair society. These converts, attracted by the wealth of opportunity in Northern African chose Islam over Christianity out of their own free will or after a time in captivity. These guides and informers became the backbone of the new corsairs. Their unique knowledge of their homelands allowed for more successful forays into Christian territory. Unfortunately for Christendom, the intolerance of these “renegades” deterred the conversion and relocation of Islamic corsairs to Christendom; therefore they did not reap such benefits.

 

 

           With the immigration of corsairs to the African coast, the fame of the Barbary Corsairs grew. John Ward (banished from England) introduced the Mediterranean to a new type of vessel. While their knowledge of routes, captives and shelters made them an asset to the Barbary corsairs, their cruelty and greed made it impossible for these “renegades” to fit into the old mold of a Mediterranean corsair. The stigma of piracy and increased brutality rid their reputation of the moral validation that it was once afforded and called to question the “crusade” of the corsairs.

 

            The influx of Moors in North Africa changed that crusade instantly. By 1609 350,000 Moors immigrated to North Africa, the number of corsairs multiplied and the hatred that the exiles had for the people who turned them out of their lands intensified the struggle between Christendom and Islam, especially in the western Mediterranean. The Moors who were in exile came to leave Spain rather than convert to Christianity. Therefore the Moor corsairs fought the crusade with vengeance forming a stronghold on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

 

            This Atlantic base proved extremely important for the Barbary corsairs. As the ottomans and the Spaniards lost control of the corsairs, the British French and Dutch sought to fill the gap. As a means of maintaining political and religious power the corsairs eluded the alliances and found means of evading reprisals from these powers. Corsair activity became blended into the life of the Mediterranean. Corsairs were even used to settle feuds. The line between pirates and corsairs became thinner as corsairs became nation-less. Investments in corsair ventures became popular by merchants and corsairs could make a fortune out of captives and plunder, but again the moral inclination and purpose of the Mediterranean corsairs was dwindling. Though their religious affiliations were dwindling the strength of corsairs lay in their numbers and, more importantly, in their great activity. Corsairs took over 6,000 slaves and goods worth over 15 million lives between 1618-1626 and their customs registered 26,000-27,000 ducats worth of merchandize in the next decade.

 

Not unnaturally, trade in the Mediterranean suffered damage from attacks and scares by corsairs. The ravages of Mediterranean corsairs had a disastrous effect on Mediterranean trade and lead, in large part, to the decline of Venice. “The failure of merchants to protect themselves, and of the states to defend their territories, gave the corsairs an immediate advantage over their victims. Moreover, as we have seen, there was always a powerful state willing to protect any corsair group, whether out of religious sympathies, or political and commercial convictions.”

 

The bravery, religious inclination, and skill of corsairs is undeniable, but their importance in history lies not in their skill but in their utility. The political and commercial fates of the Mediterranean states in the sixteenth and Seventieth centuries were so intertwined with the utility or the corsairs that the romanticization of these corsairs was inevitable. Though portrayed as skilled rouges with sadistic grins, in reality, the Mediterranean corsair was a crusader, a politician, and a skilled sailor.