Notes on Algiers in the 17th century through the memoirs of the knight Laurent d'Arvieux (1635-1702)

Abstract

During the Ottoman period, many Europeans of different professions visited Algiers. Among them were diplomats and consuls sent by their governments to
negotiate peace treaties with Algiers and to look after the interests of their
citizens. There were also doctors, members of exploratory missions, merchants -
especially those based in French trading centres - clerics tasked with ransoming
captives and returning them to their homelands, and senior officers. Many of
these individuals were themselves captives, often from the groups mentioned
above. All of them left behind memoirs and writings that included observations
about Algiers and life there. Some of these accounts were fair in their
descriptions, while others were biased, influenced by preconceived notions
about Algiers and its people. Among them was the French diplomat Knight
Laurent d'Arvieux, who spent several months in Algiers and provided us with
some observations in his memoirs.