Ottoman wintering in Toulon
The Ottoman wintering in Toulon occurred during the winter of 1543–44, following the Franco-Ottoman Siege of Nice, as part of the combined operations under the Franco-Ottoman alliance. It involved the fleet commanded by Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa.
Course
Francis offered to let the Ottomans winter at Toulon so that they could continue to harass the Holy Roman Empire's coastal possessions in Spain and Italy:
"Lodge the Lord Barbarossa sent to the king by the Great Turk, with his Turkish Army and grands seigneurs to the number of 30,000 combatants during the winter in his town and port of Toulon... for the accommodation of the said army as well as the well-being of all this coast, it will not be suitable for the inhabitants of Toulon to remain and mingle with the Turkish nation, because of difficulties which might arise."
— Instruction of Francis I to his Lord Lieutenant of Provence.[1]
Only the heads of households were allowed to remain in the city, with the rest of the population having to leave, on pain of death. Francis I compensated the city's inhabitants by exempting them from the taille tax for a period of 10 years.[2] Toulon Cathedral was transformed into a mosque with the call to prayer occurring five times a day, and Ottoman coinage was the currency of choice. Christian slaves were being sold in Toulon throughout the period.[3] According to an observer: "Seeing Toulon, one might imagine oneself at Constantinople".[4]
Throughout the winter, Ottoman forces under Admiral
Barbarossa found the Toulon base very pleasant and convenient, since it meant he could maintain an effective blockade against the Empire whilst having Francis pay to refit his ships - the Lord Lieutenant of Provence complained about Barbarossa that "he takes his ease while emptying the coffers of France".
Return to Constantinople
Five French galleys, under the command of the "Général des galères"
This would be one of the last naval campaigns of Barbarossa, who died 2 years later in Constantinople in 1546.[10]
Aftermath
Toulon would again be used as a safe harbour for several months by
Gallery
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Catulaire des confréries de la Chapelle, with Ottoman head, Toulon, 1550.
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Ottoman fleet in front of Genoa in 1544.
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The French galleys of .
Notes
- ISBN 9781443731447. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ^ ISBN 9780631227298. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ^ Ward, Sir Adolphus William; Prothero, George Walter; Leathes, Sir Stanley Mordaunt (2004). "The Cambridge Modern History". Books.google.com. p. 77. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ^ Crowley, p.74
- ^ ISBN 9781443731447. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ISBN 9781850439639. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ISBN 9781846032400. Archived from the originalon 11 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ a b Crowley, p.75
- ^ Crowley, p.75-79
- ^ "Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge". Books.google.com. 1835. p. 428. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ISBN 9781846032400. Archived from the originalon 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
References
- Roger Crowley, Empire of the sea, 2008 Faber & Faber ISBN 978-0-571-23231-4
- Yann Bouvier, « Récits de voyage et représentation de l'espace. La Méditerranée de Jérôme Maurand, un espace vécu », Mémoire de Master, Dir. par Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire, Université de Nice, 2007, 292 p. [1]
- Yann Bouvier, « Antoine Escalin des Aimars (1498?-1578) - De la Garde-Adhémar au siège de Nice, le parcours d'un Ambassadeur de François Ier », Recherches Régionales, Nice, Conseil Général des Alpes-Maritimes, n°188, Octobre-décembre 2007, 28 pp.