Djidjelli Expedition (1664)

The Djidjelli expedition was conducted between July and October 1664 by the Kingdom of France, with the assistance of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in Malta, the United Provinces and England, on the port city of Djidjelli (or Jijel) east of the Regency of Algiers. This "campaign of Africa" was part of the vision of Louis XIV for the Mediterranean. He wanted to protect the French merchant fleet from North African corsairs and also implement French global policy as a member of the League of the Rhine in the framework of the First Austro-Turkish War.

This military expedition aimed to seize the city of Djidjelli and strengthen it, to establish a permanent naval base against the Barbar corsairs of the regencies of Algiers and Tunis. The expedition was under the command of Admiral of France Francis of Vendome, Duke of Beaufort, (cousin of Louis XIV and grandson of Henry IV), while the land forces were led by Lieutenant-General Charles-Félix de Galéan, count of Gadagne.

Three months after the capture of the city, deprived of reinforcement because of the plague, and besieged by Berber, Kabyle and Ottoman troops, the forces of Louis XIV abandoned it and re-embarked for France. During the return crossing, an aging and poorly-repaired first ship, La Lune, sank in the harbor of Toulon, with more than 700 dead.

Documentaries

 * Marie-Chantal Aiello, La Lune et le Roi Soleil: Retour sur une tragédie navale, 13 Production, France 3 Méditerranée / C.M.C.A / IFREMER, 1994
 * L’épave de la Lune, La Marche des sciences, France Culture, broadcast 12/07/2012 1