Weekly History Post: The Barbary Wars

Combatants: Swedish Empire, United States, Ottoman Empire, Tripoli

time period: 1801-1805(1st war), 1815-1816(2nd war)

During the late 1700's and into the early 1800's, there was a surge of piracy in the Mediterranean sea, mainly from pirates located on the Ottoman controlled "Barbary Coast". Ships would sail into Barbary territory, be captured, and were held ransom. When President Jefferson refused to pay the ransom, the Pirates declared war on the USA. Sweden was also pretty annoyed by the pirates, so they signed on the side of the Americans. The US set up a blockade of the Barbary coast, to siege them until they gave up. The 1st war was pretty much the blockade with a occasional confrontation. Such as the 1st Battle of Tripoli harbor in 1802, when the pirates decided to attack a combined American-Swedish force, the pirates lost. The second Battle of Tripoli Harbor, another confrontation with the pirates, turned out inconclusive. After lots of naval battling, the US Marine Corps launched a raid attack on the small port town of Derna, proved a decisive victory over the pirates. after a while, the pirates surrendered. But this didnt stop the pirates, who kept on fighting, causing a 2nd war, which the US won and eventually Muslim piracy died out.