BARBARY PIRATES. The power of the piratical coast population of northern Africa arose in the 16th century, attained its greatest height in the 17th, declined gradually throughout the 18th and was extinguished by the French conquest of Algiers in 1830. From 1659 onwards the coast cities of Algeria and Tunisia, though nominally forming parts of the Turkish empire, were in fact anarchical military republics which chose their own rulers and lived by plunder. The maritime side of this long-lived brig andage was conducted by the captains, or reises, who formed a class or even a corporation. Cruisers were fitted out by capital ists and commanded by the reises. The treasury of the pasha or his successors, who bore the titles of Agha or Dey or Bey, received Io% of the value of the prizes. Bougie was the chief shipbuilding port. Until the 17th century the pirates used gal leys, but Simon Danser, a Flemish renegade, taught them the advantage of using sailing ships. In the first half of the 17th century more than 20,000 captives were said to be imprisoned in Algiers alone. The rich were allowed to redeem themselves, but the poor were condemned to slavery. Their masters would not in many cases allow them to secure freedom by professing Mohammedanism.
After the general pacification of 1815, the British made two vain attempts to suppress Algerian piracy, which was only ended by the French invasion of 1830.