Campaign of Cherchell (1531)
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Campaign of Cherchell
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| partof = Spanish–Ottoman wars
| date = July 1531
| place = Cherchell
| result = Algerian victoryMERCIER, Ernest. [http://www.alger50.org/alger50new/images/alger-ouvrages/1868_Histoire_de_L_Afrique_septentrionale_Berberie_Mercier_tome3-AS.pdf "L’AFRIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE."] I888, I (1888): 182. Page 33.
| combatant1 = 16px Empire of Charles V:
- {{flagicon|Spain|1506}} Spain
- {{flagcountry|Republic of Genoa}}
{{flagcountry|Kingdom of France|valois}}[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.4159/harvard.9780674421059.c7/html "VI. Relations with France to 1536"] In Suleiman the Magnificent, 1520-1566, 126-144. Cambridge, MA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2013.
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Algiers.jpg}} Regency of Algiers
| commander1 = Andrea Doria
| commander2 = Hayreddin Barbarossa
| strength1 = 1,500 men
32 galleys
8 galleons
5 brigantines
2 lateen sails
3 ships
| strength2 = 35 galleys
| casualties1 = Heavy
600 captured
22 galleys
| casualties2 = Unknown
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Spanish-Ottoman War}}{{Campaignbox Ottoman-Habsburg Wars}}{{Spanish colonial campaigns}}
}}
The Campaign of Cherchell occurred in July 1531, when Charles V sent the admiral Andrea Doria, to take Cherchell as a bridgehead in North Africa.Ring, Trudy, and Noelle Watson. Middle East and Africa: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge, 2014.Servantie, Alain. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ts1xEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 "The Mediterranean Policy of Charles V."] A New World: Emperor Charles V and the Beginnings of Globalisation (2021): 83.
A French fleet of 13 galleys took part under Andrea Doria. Doria was supported by 32 galleys, eight galleons, five brigantines, two lateen sails, and three ships.Espinosa, Aurelio. "The Grand Strategy of Charles V (1500-1558): Castile, War, and Dynastic Priority in the Mediterranean", Journal of Early Modern History 9, 3 (2005): 239-283, doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/157006505775008446
In July 1531, the admiral left Genoa and landed at Cherchell with 1,500 men. He seized the city and liberated several hundred Christian slaves. While the troops disbanded to engage in looting, the Turks took advantage, massacred and routed the invaders,Moliner-Violle, Michel Francois Auguste, and Michel-F-A. Moliner-Violle. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZVpBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA37 Précis de géographie historique de l'Algérie.] A. Jourdan, 1877. as well as, took 600 captives.
Some of the other Turks opened fire on the galleys. As a result, Doria set sail fearing that he might see his vessels sink and understanding that his soldiers were hopelessly lost.de Haëdo, Diego, and Henri-Delmas de Grammont. [https://www.cairn.info/histoire-des-rois-d-alger--2912946042-page-50.html "Kheir-ed-Din Barberousse, second roi."] Histoire du Maghreb (1998): 50-75. Barbarossa, equipped with 35 galleys, attacked Doria near Genoa and burned 22 Genoese galleys.