From the 16th to the 18th centuries piracy became a regular practice in the Mediterranean. This was the result of the weakening of the Turkish rule over the Barbary states of North Africa who had become virtually independent. In the early 1500s, these states became centers for pirates.

As most of these raiders were licensed by their governments, they were considered to be privateers, not pirates. These Muslim privateers, sometimes called Barbary corsairs or Barbary pirates, had bases along the coast of northern Africa in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli and roamed the Mediterranean to attack ships of France, Italy, Spain, and other Christian nations of Europe. The corsairs also raided coastal towns of Western Europe.

Captains, who formed a class in Algiers and Tunis, commanded cruisers outfitted by wealthy backers, who then received 10 percent of the value of the prizes. The pirates used galleys until the 17th century, when Simon Danser, a Flemish renegade, taught them the advantage of using sailing ships.

The most famous corsairs were Occhiali, the brothers Arouj and Khair-ed-Din Barbarossa, and Dragut.  Barbarossa united Algeria and Tunisia as military states under the Ottoman sultanate and maintained his revenues by piracy. With the arrival of powerful Moorish bands in Rabat and Tétouan (1609), Morocco became a new center for the pirates and for the 'Alawi sultans, who quickly gained control of the two republics and encouraged piracy as a valuable source of revenue.

During the 17th century, the Algerian and Tunisian pirates joined forces, and by 1650 more than 30,000 of their captives were imprisoned in Algiers alone. Piratical practices were the cause of several wars between Tripolitania and the United States in the 19th century. North African pirates had a license to rob English ships and Madagascar pirates of the XVIII century represented French king’s interests. The British made two attempts to suppress Algerian piracy after 1815, and the French finally ended it in 1830 when they seized Algiers.