The Barbary Archive

FAQs

What is The Barbary Archive?

The Barbary Archive is an independent, research-focused digital resource dedicated to preserving and exploring the history of the North African and Ottoman slave trade in Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans, spanning roughly the 16th to 19th centuries. Through curated primary sources, scholarly essays, captivity narratives, and interpretive articles, the Archive aims to make this often-overlooked chapter of global history accessible to researchers, educators, and the wider public. Its purpose is to broaden understanding of the complex, interconnected systems of slavery that shaped the early modern Mediterranean world.

The Barbary Archive is an independent research project created by Michael Gage, a historian and writer with an interest in the histories of slavery and captivity in the early modern Mediterranean. He established the Archive to provide a dedicated space for researching and presenting the complex realities of North African and Ottoman slave systems, with the aim of fostering deeper understanding and ensuring that these often-overlooked histories remain part of the broader historical record.

No. The Barbary Archive is an independent research project. While we draw on academic scholarship and collaborate with historians, the Archive is privately run and not formally connected to any university, museum, or government institution.

The Barbary Archive’s mission is to research, preserve, and share the complex history of the North African and Ottoman slave trade in Europeans and Africans from the 16th to 19th centuries. By gathering primary sources, scholarly essays, and public-facing resources, the Archive aims to make this underexplored history accessible to researchers, educators, and the wider public. Our goal is to broaden the historical record, encourage critical study of global slavery, and help readers understand how systems of captivity shaped societies far beyond any single region or narrative.

This history was chosen because the enslavement of Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans in the Barbary regencies and Ottoman world remains one of the least studied and least understood aspects of global slavery. By focusing on this overlooked chapter, The Barbary Archive aims to broaden the historical record, highlight the diversity of slavery’s forms, and show how systems of captivity shaped societies far beyond the Atlantic world. This project does not seek to compare or diminish other histories of enslavement, but rather to place Barbary and Ottoman slavery within the wider story of unfreedom, conflict, and human resilience across early modern history.

How do I navigate the Archive?

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Can I contribute documents or research?

Yes — The Barbary Archive welcomes contributions of original research, articles,  or relevant archival material. We’re committed to expanding this resource through collaboration with historians, independent researchers, students, and anyone with verified material that can enrich the public record. If you’d like to contribute, please contact us at: collectresearch@thebarbaryarchive.org with details about your submission, and we’ll be glad to discuss how it can be included.

When referencing documents, essays, or images from The Barbary Archive, please include the title of the specific page or document, the name of the site (The Barbary Archive), the URL, and the date you accessed it. For example:

“Letter from a Captive in Algiers, 1672,” The Barbary Archive, www.barbaryarchive.org/letters/1672-algiers (accessed July 14, 2025)

If you are using our material in a published work, classroom resource, or presentation, we appreciate a clear credit and, where possible, a link back to the Archive. For further guidance on proper citation or permissions for extensive use, please contact us directly at collectresearch@thebarbaryarchive.org .

If you spot an error, have a correction, or can share additional information or sources, we welcome your input. Please email us at collectresearch@thebarbaryarchive.org with as much detail as possible, including the page or document in question. We review all submissions carefully and appreciate contributions that help us keep the Archive accurate, balanced, and up to date.

Yes. The Barbary Archive welcomes thoughtful, well-researched contributions from historians, writers, students, and independent scholars whose work aligns with our mission. We accept essays, commentary, book reviews, or primary source analyses related to North African, Ottoman, and Mediterranean slavery studies. If you’d like to propose a submission, please review our guidelines on the Contribute page and contact us with a brief abstract and bio.

How can I subscribe to your newsletter?

You can subscribe to The Barbary Archive newsletter by entering your email address in the subscription form located at the bottom of every page or on our Newsletter page. We publish it twice a year, sharing new research, featured documents, and updates about our ongoing work. Your email will only be used to send you the newsletter — we never share your information with third parties.