Turkish corsair Barbaros Hayreddin in 1516, captured the city of Algiers from the Holy Roman Empire. Although initially Barbaros and his brothers were independent, after his elder brother's death, Barbaros appealed to Selim for protection.[3] In 1532, during the reign of Süleyman I (the Magnificent), Barbaros was appointed as the grand admiral of the Ottoman navy and Algeria became an Ottoman possession. Eventually the Ottomans began controlling the hinterland also.