Question

barbary pirates what would happen if the countrie did not pay money?

Answer 1

Short answer: they were attacked. Refusing to pay the Barbary states’ tribute usually meant that corsairs treated that country as an enemy — seizing its merchant ships, enslaving or ransoming crews, raiding coasts, and sometimes provoking blockades or naval war until payments were made or the attackers were defeated.

More detail and examples
- How the system worked: From the 1500s to the early 1800s the North African regencies of Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli (and Moroccan corsairs) demanded tribute, gifts, or trading privileges from European states and later the United States in return for safe passage. Many states paid because it was cheaper than constant convoying and war.
- If a state refused:
- Merchant ships were fair game: corsairs captured vessels, cargo and crews as prizes.
- Crews and passengers could be enslaved or held for ransom. (Large numbers of Europeans were enslaved in North Africa in this period.)
- Coastal towns were vulnerable to razzias (raids) to carry off people and goods.
- The Barbary state might escalate to blockading ports or attacking military targets connected to the refusing country.
- Possible counter‑reactions by the refused country:
- Pay reluctantly (often after losses or ransom demands).
- Send naval forces to protect commerce and attack pirate bases (examples below).
- Form coalitions with other states to blockade or bombard the Barbary ports.
- Historical outcomes and examples:
- United States: after paying tribute in the 1790s, conflicts over payments and seizures led to the First Barbary War (1801–1805) and the Second Barbary War (1815). U.S. naval action ultimately helped end regular tribute demands by American shippers.
- Britain and the Netherlands bombarded Algiers in 1816 to force an end to Christian slavery and to curb piracy.
- France’s invasion of Algiers in 1830 effectively ended the Barbary corsair system as a major international problem.
- When payment stopped in smaller or less-protected states, they often suffered immediate losses in shipping and people taken for ransom or slavery (for example the 1627 “Turkish Abductions” in Iceland and numerous coastal raids on southern Europe).

Bottom line: not paying usually led to capture of ships and people and could lead to open naval conflict. Paying bought temporary safety; only sustained naval defeat or political conquest of the Barbary regencies permanently stopped the practice.

If you want, I can give a timeline, a country-by-country list of incidents, or more detail on the US Barbary Wars. Which would you prefer?