¶ THis City and State hath from the beginning had Lords of greatest eminency,
as first the Romans, to whom it did Homage and Fealty, when they were Masters of Africa; but as their Strength and Glory declined, shrowded themselves under the Protection of the Kings of Morocco, Fez, and Tunis, which have possessed it by right of Birth: But when the Inhabitants saw themselves oppressed by the Tyranny of Mukamur,
Son of Hesen, King of Tunis, they threw this yoke off their Necks, first by a general Revolt, then expelling the King's Lieutenant, and all other his Officers, and at last electing from among themselves one whom they made their Ruler or Magistrate, putting all the Reve∣nue and Support of the State into his hands. In the beginning this new Lord rul'd with all gentleness, but afterwards degenerating into all kinds of Tyranny, his Brother in Law revenged the Cause of the City by killing him. Freed from this Viper of their own breeding, they impowered a Courtier of Prince Abubacer, who had been a Recluse or Hermit, who held the Command a few moneths, till Fer∣dinand,
King of Arragon and Castile, sent Don Pedro de Navarre thither with an Army, who surprizing the City, made all the Inhabitants Slaves, and brought them away; together with their Governor and his Son, whom he sent first to Messina, from thence to Palermo, where the Emperor Charles the Fifth set him at liberty, dismissing him home to Tripoli, which the Christians, as we said, had dis∣mantled and made untenable in all parts, except the Castle, which they for∣tifi'd with a brave Wall, whereon they Planted divers great Cannon.
The young Prince being come to Tripoli, re-peopled it, in the name and on the behalf of the Emperor Charles; but in the Year Fifteen hundred thirty and three, together with Tunis, Byserta, Susa, Monaster, and the Island of Zerby, was re-gained by Barberossa;
who was scarcely warm in it before the Emperor Charles re-assaulted and took it,
forthwith making a Present of it to the Knights of Malta; who possessed it till the Year 1551. when under the Reign of Solyman the Magnificent, Sinan Bashaw, came and Besieged Tripoli; to whom after a short time it was delivered upon honourable Articles;
among which one was, That the Garrison should march out with Bag and Baggage, and be provided of convenient Shipping to Malta by Sinan: but contrary to the Con∣ditions most of them were plundered of their Goods, two hundred of the Moors, who had served the Malteses, were put to the Sword, and most of the Knights of Malta sent to the Galleys, and the rest the Bashaw took and made Slaves.
After this Victory Sinan appointed Morat Aga to be Vice-Roy, and ever since the Grand Seignior sends from Constantinople every three years a Beglerbeg or Bashaw thither to support his Conquests.
About the Year Fifteen hundred ninety eight, Sidi Haga, a Marabout, or Priest, designing to make himself a Master of the City and Kingdom, with the assistance of the meaner sort, began a notable Rebellion: upon the first intelli∣gence whereof Asan Bassa, Admiral at Sea, Sailed thither with sixty Galleys, and some Souldiers from Tunis and Algier, on a sudden fell into the Marabout's Quarters, whose own Men finding their error, in some measure to mitigate the fury against themselves, set an end to their Mutiny, by presenting their Ca∣ptains Head to Sinan, who sent it to the Grand Seignior.
¶ IN this condition Tripoli continued until about the Year Sixteen hun∣dred,
when the Authority of the Bashaw was diminished by the Soul∣diers and their Commanders, in the same manner, as Kara Osman did at Tunis;