العائدات المالية لإفتداء الأسرى المسيحيين في الجزائر خلال العهد العثماني

Abstract EN

The naval fleet of ‘Ayala Algeria’ played an important and pivotal role in the Mediterranean Sea, with the increase in its activity and the development of the size of the naval spoils it was getting.

As a matter of fact, this activity was considered as Jihad and reaction to the Christian raids and campaigns against the Islamic outposts, whereas the Europeans described it as piracy, which spread widely at the beginning of the sixteenth century AD.In more intimate details, the naval spoils included a number of prisoners, as the number of Christian captives in Algeria doubled.Besides, it is worth noting that the European sources and studies have conflicted in estimating the numbers of prisoners.

Against this backdrop, the European countries, through Christian religious organizations, strived to free and redeem their captives in various ways and means.The liberation took many stages: from setting their prices to paying the rights and fees resulting from the redemption process until the prisoner’s release and departure from Algeria.

Quintessentially, the aim of this process was to collect ransom money at high prices.Furthermore, this process left financial resources for the owners of the prisoners, the treasury, and state employees.

To a very large extent, the value of the ransom and the prices of the prisoners were affected by the different internal and external political circumstances.