Barbary

Barbary is a historical term used to designate the Barbary Coast of North Africa and the associated polities along its shores, collectively known as the Barbary States. The term historically refers to the coastal regions of present-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, along the western Mediterranean.

From the 16th to the 19th century, the Barbary states—most notably the Regency of Algiers, the Regency of Tunis, and Tripoli—developed maritime raiding and privateering activities that attacked European and American ships. Operators known as Barbary corsairs gathered wealth through plunder, ransom, and tribute payments from foreign powers in exchange for safe passage. The states were commonly, though not uniformly, under Ottoman suzerainty, while maintaining substantial autonomy in practice. The era of Barbary piracy influenced international relations, maritime law, and colonial competition across the Mediterranean and Atlantic.

Efforts to curb piracy intensified in the 19th century, with naval campaigns by European powers and the United States. A notable turning point was the 1816 bombardment of Algiers, followed by broader campaigns that diminished the corsair fleets and eventually led to changes in control over the region, including French conquest of Algeria beginning in 1830. By the latter half of the century, Barbary piracy had largely waned as the area came under increasing European influence or direct colonial rule.

Today, Barbary is primarily a historical term. It persists in reference to the Barbary Coast and Barbary States in historiography and literature. The Barbary macaque, a primate native to the region, is named after this historical designation.