Atlas of Battles

siege, major, early modern

Conquest of Tunis

Conquest of Tunis was a siege conducted on 16 June 1535 at Tunis, in what is now Tunisia; it lasted 35 days. It was part of the Ottoman–Spanish War, which ran from 1515 to 1577. The recorded result: Habsburg and allied victory.

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Conquest of Tunis
Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 June 1535lasted 35 days
WhereTunis, Tunisia36.800N, 10.167E
OutcomeHabsburg and allied victory
BelligerentsSpanish Empire; Kingdom of Naples; Kingdom of Sicily; Republic of Genoa; County of Flanders; Holy Roman Empire; border|22px Kingdom of Portugal; Papal States; SMOMagainstOttoman Empire; Kingdom of France
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, 161315161613Conquest of Tunis, 1535
31 placed engagements of the Ottoman–Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date16 June 1535
to 21 July 1535
PlaceTunis, Tunisia
36.800N, 10.167E
KindSiege, early modern
Territorial changeMuley Hassan of the Hafsid dynasty restored as client ruler of Tunis and Spanish-Imperial tributary
StrengthTotal men: 30,000–60,000; 10,000 Spaniards; 8,000 Germans; 8,000 Italians; 1,500 Portuguese; 700 Maltese; Unknown number of Flemings; Total ships: 400; 207 ships; 10 galleys; 6 galleys; 19 galleys; border|22px|Kingdom of Portugal 1 galleon, 2 carracks, 20 round caravels, 8 galleys; 8 galleys; 1 carrack, 4 galleys; 60 hulksTotal men: 130,000; 8,000 Turks; 23,000 Moors; Unknown number of mercenaries and militiamen; Total ships: 100; 82 galleys, galliots and fustas; 27 sailing ships
Casualties and lossesUnknownHigh casualties; Most ships captured; 30,000 Muslim civilians killed; 10,000 Muslims enslaved; 20,000 Christians freed
Commanders
  • Hayreddin Barbarossa
  • Hasan Agha
  • Sinan Reis
  • Salah Rais
  • Aydın Reis
Conquest of TunisConquest of TunisSiege of TunisBattle of BagradasConquest of TunisSiege of TunisSiege of TunisSiege of TunisSousseQairouanBizerteNabeulBéjaEl KefJendoubaSiliana100 km36.800N, 10.167E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Conquest of Tunis
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Conquest of Tunis today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 24 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -6 to 148 m, 155 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 68% built-up, 11% water, 9% grassland.

built-up: 68%water: 11%grassland: 9%tree cover: 5%wetland: 4%built-up 68%water 11%grassland 9%tree cover 5%wetland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 43 mnorth to south, 10.0 km6 to 68 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 7 times between 255 BC and 1705.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1535

Conquest of Tunis is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 119 in present-day Tunisia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q700893, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Conquest of Tunis (1535), revision 1384683443, 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.