The French Invasion of Algeria – 1830

This is a summary of the major points from a history course on the Middle East (source at the bottom).

Background

• Algeria was a province of the Ottoman Empire since 1516
  • Conquered for the Ottomans by admiral Oruç Reis—known as Barbarossa, or Red Beard
• Remoteness from Constantinople meant that ambitious Ottoman appointee created their own dynastic rule.
• By the early 1700s, Ottomans had very little influence in Algeria
• Pirating and privateering was common on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast of North Africa
  • Privateers operate with permission from one government or another 
• Northern Algeria was agricultural and very rich
• In 1796, Napoleon bought large quantities of grain, on credit, from two Algerian merchants.
  • By the 1820s, the French government paid only a small portion of the debt
  • Later, the French government refused to settle the bill
  • The two merchants, in turn, owed money to the Ottoman ruler in Algeria
  • The Fan Affair
    • During a heated argument, It is said that the Ottoman ruler touched or struck the French consul with a fan
    • King Charles X considered it insulting and demanded an apology and a blockage of Algeria
    • Charles X not being popular in France, saw an opportunity to boost his reputation

The Invasion

• The economic sanctions against Algeria backed fired in France and impacted French merchants more
• Charles X sent a negotiator to fix the situation
  • In response, the Algerians fired warning shots against the blockading ships
  • This was considered a provocation by the French
• In June, 1830, a full invasion was under way and Algeria would be occupied for 132 years.
  • 600 ships and 34,000 troops
  • With artillery and modern weaponry, the French defeated the defending forces
• The July Revolution in France ousted Charles X
  • The new regime did not approve of the occupation
  • However, patriotic fervor made the masses want it to continue
• Looting and plundering was done at massive scale by French troops in Algeria
• With the quick removal of Ottoman government and power structure, disorder and anarchy followed
  • France had to commit more troops and more brutal tactics
  • French Foreign Legion was created with foreign fighters who were not wanted in France
• 1830-1870: Some estimated that 850,000 Algerians died as a result
  • Men, women and children were burned alive
  • Many died due to starvation and famine as France expropriated farmland

The Resistance

• By 1848, France declared Algeria part of metropolitan France – French Algeria
• Fierce resistance continued and one of its icon was Abd al-Qadir Al-Jazairi
  • Abd al-Qadir – a sufi and Islamic scholar – was 22 at the time of the French invasion
  • He was declared Emir to lead a war of resistance against the French in 1832
• Private and official French accounts attest to Abd al-Qadir chivalry and ethical conduct
  • He once ordered a cash reward to anyone who captures a French soldier
  • The soldier must be brought to him alive
  • No reward if the soldier complained about mistreatment
  • Asked about reward for a severed French head, he replied “Twenty-five blows with a baton on the soles of your feet.”

Abd al-Qadir in Exile

• In December 1847, he was forced to surrender
• The French agreed to terms where Abd al-Qadir goes to exile in the Middle East
• He later settled in Damascus by 1860 during a period of turmoil and sectarian violence
• It is believed that Abd al-Qadir saved over 10,000 people during this period of rioting
  • He along with his men rescued Christian nuns, priests, merchants, and entire families
  • Even consuls from the United States, Britain, France, and elsewhere.
  • He was honored by the British and French governments and by President Abraham Lincoln among others
• The town of Elkader, Iowa in the United States is named after him

Impact

• The Ottoman Empire became known as the “Sick Man of Europe”
• The rise of nationalism in Europe drove more imperial expansions
• 1884: “Scramble for Africa”, saw many European powers (after meeting in Berlin) divide Africa between them
  • Shift to more permanent conquest and settlement in Africa and the Middle East
  • This involved pressing for changes in local cultures, identity and language
• Algeria gained independence in 1962

Source:   “Turning Points in Middle Eastern History” by professor Eamonn Gearon of Johns Hopkins University (TheGreatCourses.com) Lecture 31