Battle of Agueddin

Last updated
Battle of Agueddin
L'Emir Abdelkader en Kabylie (1838-1839).png
Emir Abdelkader in Kabylia (1838-1839)
DateDecember, 1847
Location
Agueddin, Morocco
Result Algerian victory [1] [2] [3]
Belligerents
Flag of the Emirate of Mascara.svg Emirate of Abdelkader Flag of Morocco 1666 1915.svg Alaouite Dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Emir Abdelkader Moulay Mohammed
Moulay Soliman
Strength
2,000 men [1] [2] 50,000 men [1] [2]
Casualties and losses
200 men [1] Heavy

The Battle of Agueddin took place between the Emirate of Abdelkader and the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco that took place in December 1847.

Contents

Background

Emir Abdelkader was outlawed in Morocco following the Treaty of Tangiers. [4] [5] [6] This led to a series of confrontations between him and the Moroccan forces in which even an assassin had been sent in an attempt to kill him, these tensions ultimately led to the Battle of Oued Aslaf which resulted in an Algerian victory. [1] [7]

On the 9th of December Emir Abdelkaders camp was situated in Agueddin, the very next day he was warned of a Moroccan army of 50,000 men split into three divisions and led by the two sons of Abd al-Rahman, Moulay Mohammed and Moulay Soliman. [1]

Battle

On the 11th of December Emir Abdelkader gathered 1,200 cavalry and 800 infantry and prepared for battle. [1] At night camels that were covered with halfa, which had been dipped in tar and pitch were driven in the front of the column. After marching for two hours, Abdelkader encountered the first Moroccan division, he then set fire to the halfa covered camels and they plunged against the Moroccan cavalry. [1] The Moroccans were bewildered, terrified and ultimately defeated, abandoning their tents, arms and baggage. [1] Emir Abdelkader advanced and surprised and defeated the second Moroccan division in the same manner as the first. [1]

Emir Abdelkader advanced on to the third division where he was checked by heavy fire, as a result he withdrew and took position. By mid-day 5,000 Moroccan cavalrymen set out to attack Abdelkader who calmly waited for them. When they were at charging distance he led his men to attack them, ploughing through them and shaking them off using a skillful combination of assault and retreat Abdelkader was successful. [1]

Aftermath

Although Abdelkader was able to defeat the Moroccans during all of the earlier military engagements, they still advanced, but cautiously. [1] Emir Abdelkader made the decision to withdraw from Algeria and enter French territory which ultimately led to his surrender. [1] [8] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismail Ibn Sharif</span> Amir al-Muminin

Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif, born around 1645 in Sijilmassa and died on 22 March 1727 at Meknes, was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727, as the second ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was the seventh son of Moulay Sharif and was governor of the province of Fez and the north of Morocco from 1667 until the death of his half-brother, Sultan Moulay Rashid in 1672. He was proclaimed sultan at Fez, but spent several years in conflict with his nephew Moulay Ahmed ben Mehrez, who also claimed the throne, until the latter's death in 1687. Moulay Ismail's 55-year reign is the longest of any sultan of Morocco. During his lifetime, Isma’il amassed a harem of over 500 women with more than 800 confirmed biological children, making him one of the most prodigious fathers in recorded history.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah Al-Ghafiqi, was an Arab Umayyad commander and governor who led Andalusian Muslim forces against the Franks. His invasion failed, and he was killed in action against the forces of Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours on October 10, 732 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emir Abdelkader</span> Algerian religious and military leader (1808–1883)

Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhyi al-Din, known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abd al-Qadir al-Hassani al-Jaza'iri, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of Algiers in the early 19th century. As an Islamic scholar and Sufi who unexpectedly found himself leading a military campaign, he built up a collection of Algerian tribesmen that for many years successfully held out against one of the most advanced armies in Europe. His consistent regard for what would now be called human rights, especially as regards his Christian opponents, drew widespread admiration, and a crucial intervention to save the Christian community of Damascus from a massacre in 1860 brought honours and awards from around the world. Within Algeria, he was able to unite many Arab and Berber tribes to resist the spread of French colonization. His efforts to unite the country against French invaders led some French authors to describe him as a "modern Jugurtha", and his ability to combine religious and political authority has led to his being acclaimed as the "Saint among the Princes, the Prince among the Saints".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Alcácer Quibir</span> 1578 battle in Morocco

The Battle of Alcácer Quibir was fought in northern Morocco, near the town of Ksar-el-Kebir and Larache, on 4 August 1578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd al-Rahman of Morocco</span> Sultan of Morocco from 1822 to 1859

MoulayAbd al-Rahman bin Hisham, born on 19 February 1778 in Fes and died on 28 August 1859 in Meknes, was a sultan of Morocco from 30 November 1822 to 28 August 1859, as a ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was a son of Moulay Hisham. He was proclaimed sultan in Fes after the death of Moulay Sulayman.

The Battle of the Smala was fought in 1843 between France and Algerian resistance fighters during the French conquest of Algeria. The French, led by Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, raided the personal encampment of Algerian resistance leader Emir Abdelkader al-Jazairi on 16 May 1843 while al-Qadir was absent on a raiding expedition. The 500 French cavalrymen surprised the camp defenders, who fired a single volley before scattering. More than 3000 of al-Qadir's followers out of a camp population of 30,000 were captured, as were many of his possessions, including his war chest and a library valued at £5000. Three days later, another 2500 followers were captured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Isly</span>

The Battle of Isly was fought on August 14, 1844 between France and Morocco, near the Isly River. French forces under Marshal Thomas Robert Bugeaud routed a much larger, but poorly organized, Moroccan force, mainly fighters from the tribes of Beni Snassen, but also from the Beni Angad and Beni Oukil; under Muhammad, son of the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Rahman. Bugeaud, attempting to complete the French conquest of Algeria, instigated the battle without a declaration of war in order to force negotiations concerning Moroccan support for the Algerian resistance leader Abd el-Kader to conclude on terms favorable to the French who demanded the Sultan of Morocco to withdraw support for Abd el-Kader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Moroccan War</span> 1844 war between France and Morocco

The Franco-Moroccan War was fought between the Kingdom of France and the Sultanate of Morocco from 6 August to 10 September 1844. The principal cause of war was the retreat of Algerian resistance leader Abd al-Kader into Morocco following French victories over many of his tribal supporters during the French conquest of Algeria and the refusal of the Sultan of Morocco Moulay Abd al-Rahman to abandon the cause of Abd al-Kader against colonial occupation.

Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Qadir. The name means "servant of who can do everything", Al=The. Al-Qādir being one of the names of Allah in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French conquest of Algeria</span> Conquest of Algeria by France, 1830-1903

The French conquest of Algeria took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France invaded and quickly seized Algiers in 1830, and seized other coastal communities. Amid internal political strife in France, decisions were repeatedly taken to retain control of the territory, and additional military forces were brought in over the following years to quell resistance in the interior of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French conquest of Morocco</span> Conquest of Morocco by France

The French conquest of Morocco began with the French Republic occupying the city of Oujda in 29 March 1907. The French launched campaigns against the Sultanate of Morocco which culminated in the signing of the Treaty of Fes and establishment of the French Protectorate in Morocco on 30 March 1912. France later concluded, on the 27th November, the Treaty of Madrid with the Kingdom of Spain which established the Spanish protectorate in Morocco. The French still conducted a series of military operations to pacify rebellions in Morocco until 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacification of Algeria</span> Series of military operations after the French conquest of the Regency of Algiers

The pacification of Algeria was a series of military operations after the French conquest of the Regency of Algiers that aimed to put an end to various tribal rebellions and the resistance of the native Algerians to the French invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Alexis Desmichels</span>

Louis Alexis Desmichels, born in Digne March 15, 1779, died in Paris in 1845, was a French soldier, an ordinary soldier of the French Revolution became general under the July Monarchy, known for his role in the conquest of Algeria and relations with Abd el-Kader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emirate of Abdelkader</span> Former emirate

The Emirate of Mascara, Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, was a sovereign country founded by Abd al-Qadir al-Jazairi with the allegiance of the people of Algeria to resist the French conquest of Algeria with its first capital at Mascara then Tagdemt after it was taken by France.

In the Battle of Sig, French forces, assisted by the Douair and Smela tribes, fought the Algerian resistance led by Emir Abdelkader in the forest of Moulay-Ismaël near Sig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaign of Tlemcen (1551)</span> Algerian expedition

The Campaign of Tlemcen (1551) was a military operation led by the Regency of Algiers under Hasan Pasha and his ally Abdelaziz, following the capture of Tlemcen by the Saadi Sultanate in June 1550.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Boudouaou</span>

The First Battle of Boudouaou in 25–26 May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the troops of Kabylia of the Igawawen.

Mustapha ibn Muhieddine, known as Emir Mustapha, Sidi Moustafa, Moustafa El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-19th century with his brother, Emir Abdelkader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Beylik</span> Governorate (Beylik) in the Regency of Algiers

The Beylik of the West was one of three Beyliks (governorates) of the Regency of Algiers, with the other two being the Beylik of Titteri and the Beylik of Constantine. It was established in 1563, and it was ended during the French conquest.

The battle of Oued Aslaf occurred in the year 1847 following the Treaty of Tangiers. It was a battle between the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco which was then ruled by Moulay Abd al-Rahman against the Emirate of Abdelkader.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 The Life of Abdel Kader, Ex-sultan of the Arabs of Algeria: Written from His Own Dictation, and Comp. from Other Authentic Sources. P.259-261. Charles Henry Churchill Chapman and Hall, 1867
  2. 1 2 3 Sasha Toperich, Samy Boukaila, Jonathan Roberts (2019). Algeria and Transatlantic Relations. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-9600127-0-1.
  3. Sanderson, Edgar.  Hero Patriots of the Nineteenth Century.  T.Y. Cromwell & Company, 1901. p.218.
  4. 1 2 African Studies in the Soviet Union: Yearbook. Nauka, Central Department of Oriental Literature.
  5. The Independent Nations of Africa Njorge Mungai Acme Press
  6. Historical Abstracts: Modern history abstracts, 1775-1914. Part A American Bibliographical Center, CLIO
  7. Emir Abd El-Kader: Hero and Saint of Islam Ahmed Bouyerdene World Wisdom, Inc.
  8. Magill's Guide to Military History: Cor-Jan John Powell, Christina J. Moose, Rowena Wildin