TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Battle · 1541
After the defeat of the Holy League fleet at Preveza, Emperor Charles V led in person a naval expedition against Algiers to break Ottoman supremacy in the Mediterranean. According to the TDV article on Algiers, the expedition ended in complete disaster (1541); the article on Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha likewise says that Charles V's expedition of 1541 turned into a rout because of a storm. The failure strengthened Ottoman rule in Algiers.
| Date | October 1541 |
|---|---|
| Location | Algiers |
| Result | The Spanish expedition ended in disaster in the face of storm and defence |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Spanish Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Charles V |
Took place during the reign of Suleiman I (1520–1566). Suleiman I
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 3,633,000 km² in 1541; at the start of Suleiman I's reign they measured 3,034,000 km², at its end 5,127,000 km².
During Suleiman I (1520–1566) the atlas records 20 regions gained and 1 region lost.
Regions gained: Belgrade–Šabac (1521), Rhodes and the Dodecanese (1522), Eastern Slavonia and Syrmia (Osijek–Vukovar) (1526), Lika–Krbava (1527), Baghdad–Basra (1534), Požega (central Slavonia) (1537), Kars–Ardahan–Artvin (1537), Yemen–Asir (1538), and 12 more.
Regions lost: Kars–Ardahan–Artvin (1565).
With a reign of forty-six years he ruled longer than any other sultan. He brought the state to its military, legal and cultural peak; yet the executions of his sons Mustafa and Bayezid are the gravest instances of violence within the dynasty.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “CEZAYİR” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Algiers expedition (1541): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/algiers-expedition-1541/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections