Raid on the Bay of Naples (1544)

Not to be confused with Siege of Naples (536).

The raid on the Bay of Naples occurred in 1544 when Algerians captured the Bay of Naples and enslaved 7,000 Neapolitans.

Raid on the Bay of Naples (1544)
Part of Spanish–Ottoman wars
Map of the Bay of Naples
Date 1544 Location Naples, Kingdom of Naples Result Algerian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Naples	Regency of Algiers
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
7,000 enslaved	Unknown

In 1544 Algerian corsairs sailed into the Bay of Naples and raided it. They then took an estimated 7,000 Neapolitan slaves.^[1][2]

The number of slaves taken by the Algerians drove the price of slaves so low that it was said “you could swap a Christian for an onion”.^[3][4][1] Moreover, it was said to be “raining Christians in Algiers”.^[4]