Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, early modern

Battle of Alborán

Battle of Alborán was a naval engagement fought on 1 October 1540 at Alboran Island, in what is now Spain. It was part of the Ottoman–Spanish War, which ran from 1515 to 1577. The recorded result: Spanish victory. Recorded strength: 10 galleys against 3 galleys,; 5 galliots,; 6 fustas,; 2 brigantines.

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Battle of Alborán
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1 October 1540
WhereAlboran Island, Spain35.917N, 3.033W
OutcomeSpanish victory
Belligerentsborder|22px Spainagainst22px Ottoman Empire
Part ofOttoman–Spanish War1515 to 1577

Where it sits in the Ottoman–Spanish War

Capture of Algiers, 1516Fall of Tlemcen, 1518Battle of Algiers, 1529Capture of Algiers, 1529Battle of Formentera, 1529Siege of Coron (1533–1534), 1534Conquest of Tunis, 1534Conquest of Tunis, 1535Attack on Sousse, 1537Battle of Antipaxos, 1537Siege of Castelnuovo, 1539Battle of Girolata, 1540Battle of Alborán, 1540Algiers expedition, 1541Capture of Mahdia, 1550Djerba Incident, 1551Capture of Béjaïa, 1555Siege of Oran, 1556Capture of Bizerte, 1557Battle of Djerba, 1560Battle of Saint Monica, 1561Battle of Lipari, 1561Sieges of Oran and Mers El Kébir, 1563Capture of Tunis, 1569Battle of Béja, 1569Battle of Lepanto, 1571Siege of Navarino, 1572Conquest of Tunis, 1573Conquest of Tunis, 1574Action of 26 September 1575, 1575Battle of Cape Corvo, 161315161613Battle of Alborán, 1540
31 placed engagements of the Ottoman–Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1 October 1540
PlaceAlboran Island, Spain
35.917N, 3.033W
KindNaval engagement, early modern
Strength10 galleys3 galleys,; 5 galliots,; 6 fustas,; 2 brigantines
Casualties and losses137 killed,; 500 wounded1 galley sunk,; 10 ships captured,; 700 killed,; 437 captured,; 837 slaves freed
Commanders
  • Bernardino de Mendoza (Captain General)
  • Ali Hamet
Battle of AlboránBattle of AlboránBattle of Tres ForcasSiege of MelillaBattle of Wolf RavineBattle of MelillaSiege of AfrauBattle of Tres ForcasSiege of MelillaSiege of AfrauMálagaTlimcenAlmeríaMarbella100 km35.917N, 3.033W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1540

Battle of Alborán is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2293284, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Alborán, revision 1370431476, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.