View of Algiers, 1541 (Algiers, Alger, Algeria) 36°45ʹ09ʺN  03°02ʹ31ʺE

A view of Algiers surrounded, and being besieged by the army of Charles V. The siege took place in October, when Charles V landed a force of 21,000 men 12 miles east of Algiers, but a storm wrecked most of the imperial fleet and a sortie by the muslim defenders caused heavy casualties. The emperor, with 14000 survivors, returned to Europe on October 27. The Ottoman Empire (1500-1606): Conflicts in the Mediterranean (1532-1565). Oriented with south to top (‘MESO DI’; ‘LEVANTE’ is written to the left edge and ‘PONENTE’ appears along the right edge and ‘TRAMONTANA’ at the bottom).

The view shows the troops of the Holy League (Spain, Holy Roman Empire, Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, Knights of Malta, Republic of Genoa and the Papal States) to the west of Algiers. It combines a detailed perspective representation of the buildings within the fortified town with a map-outline of the coast of Spain and Italy, and of the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, Minorca and Mallorca, from where the imperial fleet set out. The text explains to the reader that although the town of Algiers has been made to appear more or less the same size as Italy and Spain, nevertheless it works well, visually, in this method of representation.

The name ‘PIGNON’, which is written to what appears to be a tongue of land emanating from the main seaward gate of the city, probably refers to the fortress, ‘El Peñon’ which had been built at the beginning of the sixteenth century by the Spanish on a rock or sandbank facing the town. It was destroyed during the siege of 1529. When all the remnants of the fort were cleared away, the area of sea which separated the little islands from the mainland was filled in, creating the main jetty or mole of the Ottoman port, as it is shown in this view.

The plate from which this map was printed appears to have been re-used. It is worn and scratched and shows traces of a former different image which has been imperfectly erased.