John of Austria conquers Algiers instead of Tunis?

Two years after the great victory at Lepanto, John of Austria led the Holy League fleet in conquering Tunis. However, the very next year, the Ottomans retook the city and subdued the presidio of La Goleta with an immense fleet. This was about the most a galley fleet in the 16th century Mediterranean was capable of in terms of force and distance. Meanwhile, Algiers remained a haven of Barbary corsairs who plagued Spain's possessions in the Western Mediterranean.

Could the fleet have taken Algiers instead of Tunis, and could the Spanish have held it long term? It's much closer to Spain's main naval base at Barcelona than Tunis was, and conversely much further from Constantinople. Spain's position in the endemic pirate wars of economic attrition in the Mediterranean would have been strengthened if they could hold it long term too.
 
Two years after the great victory at Lepanto, John of Austria led the Holy League fleet in conquering Tunis. However, the very next year, the Ottomans retook the city and subdued the presidio of La Goleta with an immense fleet. This was about the most a galley fleet in the 16th century Mediterranean was capable of in terms of force and distance. Meanwhile, Algiers remained a haven of Barbary corsairs who plagued Spain's possessions in the Western Mediterranean.

Could the fleet have taken Algiers instead of Tunis, and could the Spanish have held it long term? It's much closer to Spain's main naval base at Barcelona than Tunis was, and conversely much further from Constantinople. Spain's position in the endemic pirate wars of economic attrition in the Mediterranean would have been strengthened if they could hold it long term too.

Could? yes. Easy? No. Holding it more than 10 years? No.

Tunis was closer to Spanish ruled Sicily than Algiers was to Barcelona.
 
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The Spanish held Oran for more than 200 years, with a different policy towards the Mediterranean they can control most important cities that may harbor pirates. IMO Tunis would be too much though.
 
Could? yes. Easy? No. Holding it more tha. 10 years? No.

Tunis was closer to Spanish ruled Sicily than Algiers was to Barcelona.
Spain had harbor facilities in the Balearic isles which were pretty close to Algiers, and could serve as a staging point for a campaign the Maghreb; Charles V used Palma as a base for his invasion with 500 ships and more than 20,000 men. The difference in distance is relatively slight between Messina-Tunis and Barcelona-Algiers, about 80 km, about a single day of fleet sailing, while the difference between Constantinople-Tunis and Constantinople-Algiers is more like 800 km.
 
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