Sayyida al-Hurra
16th-century Moroccan ruler of Tétouan and privateer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sayyida al-Hurra (Arabic: السيدة الحرة), real name Lalla Aicha bint Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami, Hakimat Titwan (Arabic: عائشة بنت علي بن رشيد العلمي) (1485 – 14 July 1561) was a pirate queen.[1][2]
Biography
Al-Hurra lived in the early 1500’s.[1][3] She managed to control the Western half of the Mediterranean for well over 30 years.[1] She was born into a wealthy Muslim family.[1] Her birth name was believed to be Aicha.[4] Her family was chased out of Granada to Morocco during the Spanish Reconquista.[1][2][4] She and her family then settled in Tetouán.[2][4] Her first husband was the Sultan Al-Mandri.[1][2][4] She had herself immediately named governer of Tetouán, after he died.[1] She was bestowed the title Al-Hurra.[1][4] This was a symbol of respect and power.[1][4] She then married the King of Morocco.[1] This was the only time in Islamic history a king traveled outside his country for his wedding. Spain and Portugal were worried about this. It seemed like a threat, as this alliance would be extremely strong. Iberians attacked Al-Hurra’s land.[4] She became a pirate to defend her country and stop them.[1][4] She made an alliance with the dreaded pirate Barabarossa, or Red Beard.[4][2] He used his fleet to ferry refugees away from the fighting.[4][2] Al-Hurra terrorized Spanish and Portuguese ships.[1] She became known and feared across the Mediterranean.[1] She was known for taking hostages and being extremely merciless.[4] The Spanish feared her and prayed for a miracle. The Portuguese “prayed for God to allow them to see her hanged from a ship’s mast”.[3] She was categorized as aggressive and bad-tempered.[2] Al-Hurra became one of the richer pirates of her time. She still managed to maintain a consistent alliance with Red Beard.[4][2] Her demise came after over 30 years of sailing.[1][4] Her son-in-law usurped her power and throne.[1][4] He also stole her wealth.[1] She lived in her childhood home in Morocco until her death.[4] She died at age 75.[4] Sayyida Al-Hurra’s legacy lives on today. In European writing she is known as the fearsome Pirate Queen of the Mediterranean.[4][2]
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References
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