Battle of Formentera (1529) | |||||||
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Barbarossa galley in France 1543. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Spanish Empire | Regency of Algiers | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Rodrigo Portuondo † | Aydin Reis | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
8 galleys | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
7 galleys captured and remaining soldiers enslaved. 1,000 Muslim galley slaves freed. | Unknown |
The Battle of Formentara occurred on 28 October 1529 when an Ottoman fleet under Aydin Reis routed a small Spanish fleet of eight galleys off the island of Formentera near Ibiza.[1][2]
Habsburg emperor Charles V had sent a small Spanish fleet of eight galleys under the Spanish commander of the Castilla fleet, Rodrigo Portuondo , to eliminate Barbary ships from Algiers under Caccia Diavolo which were raiding the coast of Valencia and ferrying Moriscos from Spain to Algeria.[3]
Portuondo was killed in the battle, seven of his eight galleys were captured, and his soldiers were taken as slaves to the recently conquered city of Algiers,[2] and 1000 Muslim galley slaves had been liberated.[4]