Battle of Mers-el-Kébir (1501)
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| Battle of Mers-el-Kébir | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Portuguese colonial campaigns | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg){kind=small} Portuguese Empire |
 Kingdom of Tlemcen | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| John of Meneses, 1st Count of Tarouca | Abu Abdallah IV | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
3,500 soldiers 35 ships | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Mers-el-Kébir occurred in 1501 and was a failed attempt to capture Mers-el-Kébir by the Portuguese.
After the conquest of Granada in 1492, Spain began establishing their rule on the coasts of Algeria and Tunis. Portugal could not afford to be left behind if they did not launch campaigns in Morocco. Portugal sought to expand more in Morocco as it would be easier, cheaper, and more convenient than traveling to the East.[1] Another issue was to deal with the Barbary corsairs who were ravaging the coasts of Spain[2] and the Ottomans, who were having a war with the Venetians. The Venetians sought Portugal's help; the Portuguese king, Manuel I agreed to help.[3][4]