Summary

As has been known, the great conflict between Iberia and those of North Africa has continued throughout the year of 1509. Before the year’s activities, both sides replenished their supplies, recruited more men, and hired more ships. Currently, the beginning of the year looks as such. Castilian and Aragonese forces have occupied Mers-el-Kébir and Oran, while Portugal has waltzed into the towns of Ténès and Barshk (modern day Gouraya) who surrendered, while failing to capture Algiers, and destroying the fort of Temzezdekt.

November-April 1508/09

Over the course of the winter and early spring, Spanish engineers have been hard at work attempting to repair the defences of Oran and Mers-el-Kébir, while troop transfers over the course of early 1509 were going on. The repairs in Oran, bolstered by the Spanish sappers, are able to fix all of the breaches [66], as are the ones in Mers [69], but the breaches still remain susceptible to artillery fire, should they be targeted.

In the meantime, those who oppose the Iberian invaders have been hard at work preparing for their attacks against the Iberians. One force is to go to the two cities that offered their surrender to the Portuguese so kindly, and the other is to go and attempt to liberate Oran.

The Siege of Oran

May 1509

Moving towards Oran, the Tlemcen force, numbering roughly four thousand men, not including their artillery and sapper contingents which moved in the early months of 1509. Moving slower than they wanted, the forces close in on the recently repaired walls, where they prepare to put the city under siege. The Aragonese forces in Oran, however, are very much prepared for this eventuality, and are waiting for any sort of force to approach. Meanwhile, the force in Mers-el-Kébir continues to wait for any sort of attack to come.

Inside the walls, the Aragonese, on their daily scouting from the walls, manage to spot the Tlemcen force approaching with ease [94], as they notice a force which numbers, in their estimates, around 4,000 troops. Infantry wise, they’re roughly even, but the significant amount of cavalry is somewhat of a concern for any sort of field battle. Even then, the forces are roughly even, and the Aragonese contingent sees no reason to extricate themselves from the walls which they are so well protected by.

Beginning their siege, the first attempts to break the walls down where the Spanish siege guns and naval barrages were so successful is, well, largely unsuccessful. It takes a few weeks of subsequent barrages until one of the points previously destroyed gets re-breached, and a subsequent barrage over the next few days is able to make it a properly breached point. By this point, it’s approaching the end of May, and the Tlemcen force will prepare itself to go unto the breach and to retake Oran, as the Spanish wait to fight.

The Assault Against the Oran-ganese Garrison

June, 1509

Spanish prayers before the battle go out, but are fumbled and interrupted by the Tlemcen forces as they charge through the breach. Still, as they hasten themselves, they are able to beat back the initial Tlemcen forces as they burst through the gap. Despite a renewed vigour on the side of the Amazigh, the Spanish buckled slightly, and then dug in, pushing back with their pikes and firing crossbow and arquebus alike into the massed infantry of the Tlemcen force. Seeing the casualties begin to mount, the Tlemcen forces attempt one last attack to see if they can dislodge the Aragonese, as they feel as though they are matched equally enough that a comprehensive move forward could be enough. But, the Aragonese hold the defensive and keep pushing the Tlemcen forces back out of the breach from whence they came in the baking June heat.

As such, the siege continues, all the while the Castilian contingent has heard word of the attacks on Oran, and, leaving a small force behind to hold Mers-el-Kébir, they set off to relieve the force in Oran, which is no more than a few day’s march away. Both sides have sustained significant casualties, and the Castilians are a sight for sore eyes, turning what was a minor size advantage of the Tlemcen force to an outnumbered force against superior quality. The combined Spanish force numbered around 5,500 men, compared to that of the Tlemcen force, numbering roughly 3,000 men. By this point, it’s approaching the end of June, and neither force wants to engage in a field battle when the troop numbers are relatively evenly matched, and the Spanish are without cavalry.

As such, the forces dug themselves into their positions, with the renewed Spanish garrison not willing to surrender, and the Tlemcen forces not having enough to decisively assault and defeat the Spanish. Any attempts to sortie were met with swift and decisive attacks from the skirmishing cavalry of the Tlemcen force, but there was not much that could be done to push the Spanish out of their position in Oran. This remains the situation over the course of 1509 until winter.

Tunisians Take Ténès and Bring Back Barshk

Meanwhile, the Tunisian force has left to go take Barshk and, if successful, Ténès, and then, if that too is successful, chase the Portuguese back to Oran by years’ end.

April & May, 1509

The force begins on their march towards Barshk, where they pass by the old fort of Temzezdek, and reinforce it with a small garrison, before passing by Algiers and depositing further garrison reinforcements. This is done with ease, and the forces know their way around the area, even with the tough terrain.

June, 1509

In the meantime, the Portuguese in Barshk are waiting for the Tunisian force to arrive, as is to be expected. Their scouts are able to determine that a very sizable force is approaching which numbers roughly six times their force, and, having spent a bit of time in Barshk, realise that there is no feasible manner in which they can escape without going directly into the Tunisian Army which approaches them. So, they’ll have to stay and fight. Or, more reasonably, surrender to the Tunisians. Which is, of course, what they do. As such, the Portuguese mercenary forces are taken prisoner, and the garrison as dictated is left in the small town.

July, 1509

Moving forward, the Tunisian army begins its march towards Ténès, which is by no means quick. This is territory which is not meant to be traversed by many, let alone an army on the higher end of five-thousand. Moving from Barshk to Ténès is not an easy task, and a lot of the artillery that had been broken into pieces to go to Barshk was now needed to be carted up once again and carried through the mountain passes. The journey was not quick and easy, but after around two weeks of travelling, the army managed to make it to Ténès in relatively good spirits.

However, the army in Ténès sees the army coming, and decides to pack up and leave, where they can instead raid their way as they travel to Oran. On the way, they manage to encounter a few towns, and are able to liberate themselves a decent plunder, getting 20,000 florins over the course of their looting, and, after roughly a month and a half, they manage to traipse their way to the city of Oran, a couple men lighter. While they left, the Tunisian army was able to re-garrison Ténès, and traipse their way down to Oran.

Casualties

Aragon:

150 merc pike

100 merc cross

100 merc arq

450 rodoleros

5 Sappers

Castile:

50 merc pike

25 merc cross

25 merc arq

50 rodoleros

1 siege cannon (attrition)

Portugal:

Entire army in Barshk taken prisoner by the Tunisians

100 merc pike

100 merc cross

50 merc cav

150 merc arq

Tlemcen:

125 Merc Swordsmen

200 Merc Archers

500 Amazigh Infantry

25 Levy Mounted Skirmishers

5 Sappers

3 Field Artillery, Attrition

Tunis:

50 Amazigh Inf

25 bedouin inf

25 merc sword

50 merc arch

10 bedouin cav

4 Field Artillery, Attrition

tl;dr

tlemcen “sieging” oran, made a breach, attacked, was repulsed, castile reinforced and there is a stalemate over the latter half of 1509

portugal btfo of barshk & ténès, barshk army surrenders because it is not possible to retreat, ténès army is able to retreat and pillage their way to oran by the end of 1509