The Northern Assault – A Chronicle of the Barbary corsair raids launched from Salé and Algiers against Iceland in 1627 This is the first French book to present previously unpublished Icelandic sources, detailing the 17th-century pirate attacks on Iceland carried out by fleets from Salé and Algiers.
This historical essay, published by La Croisée des Chemins, draws from texts previously unpublished beyond Iceland. The translations, carried out by Karl Smári, Adam Nichols, and Jade Carameaux-Jurewicz, received support from the Icelandic Literature Center (Miðstöð íslenskra bókmennta).
The book, featuring an introduction by Leïla Meziane—a professor of modern history at Hassan II University in Casablanca—illuminates a lesser-known historical event primarily chronicled in Icelandic records. As noted in the preface, "During the summer of 1627, two bands of Barbary pirates struck Iceland; one group originated from Salé, and another came from Algiers. Combined, these raiders caused numerous deaths and captured around five hundred individuals, who were then herded onto vessels bound for North African slave markets." publisher .
The book likewise explores the consequences of these raids, referred to in Icelandic as Tyrkjaránið By translating key 17th-century Icelandic records, "these ancient texts, dating back four hundred years, offer comprehensive details about the corsair attacks as well as valuable insights into the fate of the captured Icelanders following their transportation to Salé and Algiers," the publisher notes.
In the form of an essay, the book provides "a modern perspective from those who experienced these events." To shed light on this history, Karl Smári Hreinsson—an independent university researcher and ex-assistant professor specializing in Icelandic language and culture at the University of Maryland (USA)—worked alongside Adam Nichols, an associate professor at the same institution, as well as Jade Carameau-Jurewicz, a lecturer at Collège Montmorency in Montreal (Canada).
