Bortglömda krig

In May of 1801, the Corsairs of Tripoli became restless and declared war on the United States, figuring they could increase their annual tribute. Their disorganized fleet passed into the Atlantic but was chased back by a recently dispatched American squadron. The Americans cruised the Mediterranean, evacuating American merchantmen and winning several engagements with the Corsairs. Later that year Sweden declared war on the Tripolitans and lent considerable support to the American blockade of Tripoli.

The combined fleet of Swedish and American, and infrequently Danish, ships was unwilling to bombard the city until early 1802 when President Jefferson ordered that the war be pursued with greater vigor. Despite occasional bombardment, as the blockade continued, it became impossible for the large American ships to prevent some of the smaller, faster Corsair gunboats from slipping through. The Americans wanted to draw the pirates into a large decisive battle, but their attempts proved fruitless. When Sweden made peace that year, the blockade collapsed.

Sverige tvingades göra utbetalningar till Marocko ända till 1845 (Algeriets erövring hade sedan 1830 lett till befrielse i fråga om de övriga barbareskstaternas fordringar). Sverige och Danmark var de sista makter som tvingades betala denna tribut, vilken för Sveriges räkning lär ha uppgått till totalt 37,3 miljoner kronor i den tidens penningvärde.