Scimitar Sword from Algiers dated to Early 19th Century on display at the National Maritime Museum in London, England
This sword was acquired in the aftermath of the bombardment of Algiers in 1816, part of the British and Dutch Empires attack on the Regency of Algiers. This attack was due to the Barbary States attacks on European coastal towns and the enslavement of the people there. The bombardment resulted in the promise to cease the European slave trade and the release of 3,000 Christian slaves.
The Barbary States had been seizing British subjects since the 17th century to be taken back to North Africa. At the time of the bombardment the British Empire had only recently begun to outlaw slavery in the United Kingdom but it would only outlaw the slave trade and slavery in the whole empire in 1824. Enslaved Africans within the Empire would still face prejudice and hardships even after this.
Photographs taken by myself 2025
