The Conquest of Oran
Noticia da destruiçam da armada argelina, que foy a Turquia buscar soccorro para sitiar Oran por mar, e terra [...].
4to. 8 pp. With woodcut title vignette and armorial headpiece. Wrapperless pamphlet.
€ 850,00
Very rare report about one of several unsuccessful attempts by Muslim forces to recapture Oran, causing the loss of five Algerian and two Ottoman battle ships. Published anonymously by José Freire de Monterroyo Mascarenhas (1670-1760), the polyglot editor of numerous travel accounts and topical pamphlets.
In Spanish hands since 1509, Oran had been captured by the Turks in 1708 while Spain was preoccupied with the War of the Spanish Succession. Spanish rule was re-established in Oran in July 1732, after which the fleet and the soldiers sent by Philip V returned to Spain, leaving a garrison of six thousand men in the city. In August of the same year, Hassan Bey intended to retake Oran, having asked for help from the Bey of Algiers. Hassan Bey repeatedly attacked the city for several months, allying himself with the Turks and the Algerians, but the city would remain under Spanish rule until 1792, when it suffered a massively destructive earthquake and King Charles IV handed the city back to the Ottoman Empire.
Rare; only 5 copies traceable in libraries worldwide.
Barbosa Machado II, 856. Inocêncio V, 348. BGUC Misc., 81. Fonseca, Pseudonymos, 236. OCLC 27862273.