On the night of September 1, 1535, the navy of the Ottoman Empire entered the port of Mahón camouflaged as imperial ships returning from the conquest of Tunis.

[5] Seeing Barbarossa disembark his 2,500 men and begin to besiege the town, the population sent a warning of the danger to the governor in Ciutadella (the capital of Menorca at the time), who immediately gathered the knights and formed a relief column which headed quickly towards Mahón, recruiting additional reinforcements along the way.

[6] The failure of the relief column undermined the morale of the besieged population, and when the wall was partially destroyed, the leaders of Mahón contacted Barbarossa to discuss the terms of surrender.

The following night was hellish for Mahón, with the death of the Franciscans and other civilians in addition to rapes, fires, depredations, and the capture of 600 prisoners who were never heard from again.

The attack led to the construction of St. Philip's Castle starting in 1554, with a new garrison of professional soldiers, in addition to a defense tower on the pier of Palma.