Tcxefien was succeeded by his son Joseph, a prince who inherited all his valour and enterprise. He laid the foundation of Morocco, which he intended to make the capital of his empire ; but while that city was buil ding, he found himself engaged in a formidable war. Tremecen, now a province of Algiers, was at that time occupied by a powerful sect of Mahometans called Zencti, to whom Joseph sent ambassadors for the pur pose, as he gave out, of reclaiming them to the true faith. The Zencti, resenting his interference, put the ambassador to death, and invaded his dominions with an army of 50,000 men. On hearing of these outrages, Joseph muttered an army, which he conducted by long marches into the country of the Zeneti, who, unable to oppose his progress, fled with precipitation towards Fez, from which they expected to procure assistance.
The Fezzans, however, wishing to recommend them selves to the favour of Joseph, attacked these unhappy people wiule encumbered with their families and bag gage, and fainting with fatigue and hunger. Most of the Zem-ti were put to the sword ; and the few, who surviv ed the carnage of the field, were either drowned in at tempting to cross a river, or precipitating themselves in their flight over some lofty rocks, were dashed to pieces by weir tall. On this occasion, not fewer than a million of Zencti, men, women, and children, are said to have lost their lives ; their country was reduced by Joseph to a mere desert, but was soon rcpeopled by a numerous colony of Fezzans, who settled there under the protec tion of the king, whose cause they had so zealously es poused. Yet even the services of the Fezzans did not save them from the restless ambition of Joseph. On sonic pretext he declared war against these faithful allies, and reducing them to the condition of tributaries, extended his conquests along the Mediterranean. His vengeance was next directed against some Arabian cheyks, who had refused to submit to his authority. Even their castles and fortresses, which till then had been deemed impregnable, could not protect them from the fury of this formidable conqueror : in a short time he completely subdued them, and thus established the ex tensive empire of the Morabites.
This empire was not long occupied by the descend ants of Joseph ; for, in the twelfth century, they were displaced by a Marabout, named Alohavedin. The race of priests whom Mohavedin introduced was quickly ex pelled by Abdulac, governor of Fez ; who was, in his turn, overpowered by the Snarifs of hasten, the descen dants of those Arabian princes whom Abu-Texeficn bad formerly dispossessed of these dominions.
To secure themselves in their new conquests, the Sharifs divided them into several petty kingdoms or dis tricts, of which the present kingom of Algiers contained four ; Tremecen, Tenez, Algiers Proper, and Bujeyah. For several centuries mutual friendship prevailed among those sovereigns ; but at length the king of Tremecen, having violated some articles of the league which united them, was attacked by Abul-farez, king of Tenez, who deprived him of his territory, and soon after obtained possession likewise of Bujeyah. After his death, new discords arose among his three sons, who inherited his dominions ; and Spain, taking advantage of their dissen sions, sent out against Barbary a powerful fleet and ar my, under the command of the count of Navarre, A. D. 1505. Alarmed by the progress of the Spaniards, who seized the important cities of Oran and Bujeyah, with some others, the Algerines had recourse to Selim Eutemi, a warlike Arabian prince. Eutemi hastened to their assistance with a number of his bravest sub jects ; but, in spite of his opposition, the Spaniards landed a powerful army near Algiers, which they ren dered tributary to Spain, and erected a strong fort on a small island opposite the city, which prevented the corsairs of Algiers from sailing either into or out of the harbour.
On the death of Ferdinand, king of Spain, (A. D. 1516,) the Algerines resolved to make an effort to shake off this galling yoke. With this they sent an embassy to Horne Barbarossa, a corsair, It hose name was dreaded from the Dardanelles to the Straits of Gibraltar. Barbarossa was on a cruise with a considera ble squadron of galleys, when the embassy of the Alger ines arrived, imploring his assistance in driving the Spaniards from their country, and promising him a gratuity adequate to such an important service. The corsair rejoiced in this invitation, which opened new prospects to his ambition ; and, despatching 18 galleys and 13 barks to the assistance of the Algernies, he himself advanced towards the city by land with 800 Turks, 3000 Jigelites, and 200U 1(101iSh Instead of marching immediately to Algiers, lie went first to Sher-shel, where Hassan, another celebrated pirate, had established his residence ; and having- indu ced him, by a promise of friendship, to surrender, the perfidious Barbarossa ordered his head to be struck off, seized on his ships, and obliged the Turks, who had been his adherents, to follow him in his expedition to Al giers.