Muley Hassan had exchanged the comparatively dignified position of a prince
in exile, who has been expropriated by the strong hand, for that of the
puppet of one of the greatest enemies of his religion. Neither he nor his
people were one whit the better for the change, and, as far as vassalage
was concerned, they would in all probability, in the state of religious
feeling at the time, have sooner been subordinate to the Moslem corsair
than to the Christian King.
[Illustration: MULEY HASSAN, KING OF TUNIS.]
Barbarossa, as we have seen, frankly acknowledged that he sought his own
advantage, and, when he possessed himself of Tunis, made no pretence of any
altruistic motive. The Emperor, on the other hand, having come in the guise
of a Christian reformer, simply stole the kingdom from Barbarossa and kept
it for himself. Incidentally he released the captives, which enabled him to
pose once more as the great champion of the oppressed. But, however this
may have been, there is no doubt that he had performed a notable feat of
arms, and even the most mighty monarch then in Europe felt uplifted by the
fact that he had defeated the greatest of the corsairs: accordingly, on
July 25th Charles wrote to England, France, Portugal, Milan, Florence,
Venice, Genoa, Siena, Mantua, and Naples: "De manera que en pocas dias se
supo in toda Europa su buena fortuna." (So it was in a few days the whole
of Europe was acquainted with his good fortune.
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