Barbary States

American  

plural noun

1. the name for Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli when they were centers of corsair activity, c1520–1830.

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Example Sentences

Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay reporting on their conversation in London with the ambassador from Tripoli regarding piracy by the Barbary States:

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2015

For years, the Barbary States of North Africa -- Algiers, Tunis, Morocco and Tripoli -- had been attacking vessels in the Mediterranean, capturing crews and holding them hostage until a ransom was paid.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2011

He is described as a blackamore, which means he’s from northwest Africa, from the Barbary States.

From National Geographic

Over the next few years, all four of the Barbary States signed treaties with America renouncing piracy, kidnapping and blackmail.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tripoli is the most easterly of the Barbary States.

From The World and Its People: Book VII Views in Africa by Badlam, Anna B.