colony · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan
Spanish Oran
Origins
After taking Mers el-Kébir in 1505, Castile captured Oran in 1509 in an expedition financed and led by Cardinal Cisneros, with Pedro Navarro commanding the troops. The conquest continued the Reconquista into Africa and aimed to stop raids on the Spanish coast and control the trade of the Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen.
Rule and society
Oran was a garrison town ruled by captains-general, ringed with forts and supplied from Spain. Its governors allied with or raided neighbouring tribes and played politics in Tlemcen. The Count of Alcaudete, governor from 1534, died in a failed attack on Mostaganem in 1558. Oran's Jewish community was expelled in 1669, and the town also served as a penal settlement.
Decline and legacy
The Bey of the Beylik of the West took Oran in 1708, but Spain recaptured it in 1732. After a devastating earthquake in 1790, Spain negotiated its handover to the Regency of Algiers, completed in 1792.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Spanish Oran was a colony of Crown of Castile1509 CE – 1708 CE
- Spanish Oran was part of Spanish Empire1509 CE – 1792 CE
- Spanish Oran was conquered by Regency of Algiers1708 CE – 1732 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Spanish Oran. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/spanish-oran
- MLA
- “Spanish Oran.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/spanish-oran. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Spanish Oran.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/spanish-oran.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Spanish Oran’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/spanish-oran (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻