Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

the steps of power to become supreme commanders of the whole Ottoman
fleet. El-Euldj Ali is considered by many to be the “the last of the great
corsairs.” The early great corsair leaders and strategists gave way to less
competent rulers who caused the degradation of the Algerian navy. Once
Algiers had lost its deterrent shield, the Deys who ruled after 1671 came to be
regarded as no more than robbers and petty pirates who lacked the guts of their
predecessors:
Deprived of the protection which the prestige of the Turks had afforded,
the Barbary Corsairs degenerated into petty pirates. They continued to
waylay Christian cargoes, to ravish Christian villages, and carry off
multitudes of captives; but their depredations were not on the same
grand scale, they robbed by stealth, and never invited a contest with
ships of war. If caught, they would fight; but their aim was plunder, and
they had no fancy for broken bones gained out of mere ambition of
conquest. 99
Starting from 1671 upwards to 1830, a new form of government that
may be called an ‘elective oligarchy’ was established whereby the Ta’ifa
monopolized political power; many Deys indeed were issued from that group.
Therefore, powerful corsairs, supported by the Ta’ifa, played a prominent role
in government and foreign policy decision-making. Consequently, relations
with the western countries were certainly affected by the background of the
ruling Dey. Naturally a former Rais would weight war and peace decisions
according to the economic interests of the group to which he belonged—called
Kapi or Beyt. 100
99 Lane-Poole, Barbary Corsairs, p. 183.
100 For the relationship between Kapi and government, see Shuval, “Remettre l’Algérie à l’Heure
Ottomane,” pp. 427-35.
148