Swedish Slavery, Diplomacy, and Culture in the Early Modern Mediterranean

This open access book explores the story of early modern Swedish sailors and merchants captured and enslaved in the North African territory then known as ‘Barbary’ (Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco), and the efforts of their families, communities, and consuls to ransom them. Swedes were a minority among the Spaniards, Italians, Frenchmen, and British who were carried off. For that reason, Swedish authorities were initially unaware of their suffering; however, as the losses of men increased and awareness of their plight grew, it became a huge concern for Sweden’s long-distance trade, particularly the import of salt—essential for food preservation in the long winter months— from Southern Europe.