TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1530
The Peñón fortress, on a small island just off the city of Algiers, was held by the Spanish and commanded the city's harbour. According to the TDV article on Algiers, Barbaros Hayreddin took this fortress in 1530 and built a mole between the island and the shore, creating a sheltered harbour for his ships. In the same period he carried some 70,000 Andalusian Muslims persecuted in Spain to Algiers in his ships. Algiers grew rich on the prizes taken in these years.
| Date | 1530 |
|---|---|
| Location | Island off the city of Algiers |
| Result | The Spanish fortress was taken; Algiers gained a sheltered harbour |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Spanish Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Barbaros Hayreddin |
Took place during the reign of Suleiman I (1520–1566). Suleiman I
Open the reign of Suleiman I on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 3,056,000 km² in 1530; 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, “Capture of Peñón of Algiers (1530): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/capture-of-penon-of-algiers/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections