A 14th-century retaliatory raid that escalated from North African piracy to papal diplomacy
When Tlemceni pirates raided Torreblanca and seized sacred relics along with over a hundred captives, King Martin of Aragon launched a massive naval expedition. What began as a punitive strike against the coastal town of Dellys quickly spiraled into a complex geopolitical maneuver involving the besieged Pope in Avignon.
The Crusade of Tedelis emerged from the intense rivalry between the Aragonese monarchy and the Kingdom of Tlemcen. The catalyst arrived in 1397, when pirates from Tlemcen attacked Torreblanca, stealing the consecrated host and taking 108 prisoners. Seeking vengeance, King Martin of Aragon commissioned a substantial military force to strike back at the North African port of Dellys, also referred to as Tedelis.
By August 1398, a formidable fleet of 70 ships carrying 7,500 crusaders assembled in Ibiza before crossing the Mediterranean. Upon arrival at Dellys, the Aragonese forces sacked the town, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,000 villagers. This brutal engagement served as the primary military objective of the campaign, yet the expedition's mission was far from finished once the North African raid concluded.
Following the assault on the coast, the fleet pivoted toward Avignon to support Pope Benedict XIII, who was then trapped under a siege led by Geoffrey Boucicaut. Although the expedition failed to reach the city directly due to shallow water levels on the Rhône, the presence of the Aragonese fleet proved influential. They successfully negotiated a three-month truce for the besieged pontiff.
The final phase of the conflict focused on diplomacy and prisoner exchange. King Martin secured the freedom of the Aragonese captives taken at Torreblanca by trading them for 300 Tlemceni prisoners seized during the sacking of Tedelis. The success of this military and diplomatic endeavor emboldened the King, who ordered a subsequent campaign against Bona the following year, marking a continued period of maritime aggression.
Source: Crusade of Tedelis
