Barbary piracy

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The corsair who slept in the castle before attacking it

In 1540, a captive corsair spent a night in Estepona's castle on his way to a prisoner exchange and noted how weak its wall was. Five years later he came back and attacked it twice. The second attack ended with seventy Turks dead in an ambush at Celada Vieja.

16th century5 min read

Corsario

Alí Hamet, llamado 'Aliamate'

Primer paso por Estepona

1540, como prisionero camino de un canje

Primer ataque

15–16 de julio de 1545

Segundo ataque

31 de julio – 1 de agosto de 1545

Bajas turcas

70 muertos, 8–9 apresados (según la fuente)

Bajas cristianas

1 escudero muerto, 9 caballos (según la fuente)

In 1545, the Barbary corsair Alí Hamet, known as 'Aliamate', attacked Estepona twice — five years after spending a night as a prisoner in its castle on his way to a prisoner exchange. The second time, an ambush laid by Marbella's cavalry at Celada Vieja left seventy Turks dead.

Full article

The complete article with all sources and detail is available in Spanish.

Full translation into English is planned for a future phase.

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