When the Turks at Algiers heard of their sovereign's death, they immediately proclaimed his brother Hay radin, known likewise by the name of Barbarossa, who, with equal Valour, possessed even greater abilities than Horne, and was more fortunate. Instead of pursuing his advantage, the Spanish general sent back his troops to Europe ; while ilayradin, freed from the terror of a foreign enemy, regulated with admirable prudence the interior police of his kingdom, which he raised to a de gree of strength and grandeur which it had never before possessed. Aware, however, of the hatred which his tyranny had excited in the Algerines, and apprehensive, perhaps, that his continual depredations would at length provoke the resentment of the Christians, he placed his dominions under the protection of the Grand Signior, who appointed him his viceroy or bashaw of Algiers, and furnished him with such a powerful army, as en abled him to set at defiance both his domestic and foreign enemies.
With this accession of power, Hayradin immediately entered on the execution of two important projects which he had long been meditating. The first was the destruction of the Spanish fort, which greatly annoyed his metropolis, in which, though the Spaniards held out to the last extremity, his superior force enabled him to succeed without much difficulty. His next undertaking was to form a commodious harbour for his navy,by unit ing the small island before Algiers to the main land, by means of a strong mole. By this important work, in which 30,000 Christian slaves were employed for three years without intermission, Hayradin rendered himself formidable not only to the Moors and Arabs, but even to the maritime Christian powers, and particularly to Spain. The Grand Signior, informed of the activity and success of his viceroy, granted him a fresh supply of money, by which he was enabled to build a stronger fort than that which he had wrested from the Spaniards, and to erect batteries on all places that might favour the landing of any enemy.
The future history of Hayradin becomes involved with that of Tunis, and is connected with a celebrated cam paign, which the emperor Charles V. undertook for the purpose of delivering his own subjects, and the Euro peans in general, from the insolence and exactions of the corsairs. The sultan was induced by the fame of his exploits to offer him the command of the Turkish fleet, as the only person whose skill and valour in naval affairs qualified him to oppose Andrew Doria, the greatest sea officer of his age. Havradin, proud of this distinction, repaired to Constantinople ; and, having gained the en tire confidence of Solyman and his Vizier, communicated to them a scheme for annexing the kingdom of Tunis to the Turkish dominions. Mahmed, the last king of that country, had appointed as his successor Muley Ilascen, One of the youngest of thirty-four sons, whom he had by different wives. That prince, who owed this preference
not to his own merit, but to the ascendency which his mother had acquired over the king, became impatient to mount the throne ; and, haying first poisoned his father, he then proceeded, with the barbarous policy usual in commies where polygamy prevails, and the right of suc cession is undefined, to murder all his brothers whom he could get into his power. Alraschid, one of the el dest, found means to escape his rage ; and having vainly endeavoured, with the assistance of some Arabian chiefs, to recover the throne which of right belonged to him, he fled to Algiers, and implored the protection of Nay radin. The ambitious corsair saw at once the advanta ges which might result from supporting the title of that unfortunate prince, and therefore received him with every mark of kindness and respect. As he vas then on the eve of embarking for Constantinople, he easily persuaded Alraschid to accompany him, assuring him of assistance from the grand signior, whom he represented as the most generous, as well as the greatest monarch in the world. When they arrived at Constantinople, the perfidious Hayradin, regardless of his promises to Alraschid, proposed to the sultan a scheme for obtain ing possession of the kingdom of Tunis, by making use of the name of the exiled prince, and co-operating with the party in that kingdom which favoured his cause. Solyman, approving of this treacherous proposal, entrus ted Hayradin with the command of a powerful fleet and numerous army ; and while Alraschid, grateful for this supposed generosity, was flattering himself that he should enter his capital in triumph, he was suddenly ar rested, shut up in the seraglio, and never heard of more. Meanwhile, Barbarossa sailed with a fleet of two hun dred and fifty vessels ; and having first ravaged the coasts of Italy, and spread terror through every part of that country, he appeared before Tunis, declaring, that lie had come to assert the right of Alraschid, whom he pre tended to have left sick on board the admiral's galley. The inhabitants of Tunis, weary of i\iuley Hascen's government, eagerly took arms in behalf of Alraschid, and threw open their gates to Ilayradin, whom they hailed as the restorer of their lawful sove reign. When that prince, however, failed to appear, and the name of Solyman alone was heard among the acclamations of the Turkish soldiers, they began to sus pect the corsair's treachery, and rushing furiously to arms, surrounded the citadel into which he had led his troops. By one brisk discharge of artillery from the ramparts, Barbarossa dispersed these numerous assail ants ; who thus intimidated, immediately acknowledged the authority of Solyman as their sovereign, and Ilayra din as his viceroy.