Battle of Oued Zadidja

Last updated
Battle of Oued Zadidja
Part of Conflicts between the Regency of Algiers and Morocco
Date1551
Location
Near the Chelif valley
Result Algerian Victory [1] [2]
Belligerents
Flag of Morocco (1258-1659).svg Saadi Sultanate Flag of Algiers.jpg Regency of Algiers
Flag of Brischan.svg Kingdom of Ait Abbas
Commanders and leaders
Mohammed El Harrane
Moulay Abdelkader
Hasan Corso
Abdelaziz Amokrane
Strength
21,000 horsemen
10,000 infantry
8,000 Kabyles
5,000 musketeers
1,000 spahis
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The Battle of Oued Zadidja [3] occurred in 1551 after the Saadians violated an alliance with the Regency of Algiers, the Saadians were defeated and their leader was killed. [1] [2] [4]

The inhabitants of Tlemcen appealed to the Sharif of Fez as they had complained about the Spaniards and the Turks. [1] They asked to send the brother of their King who had been installed by Hassan Pasha but then expelled by Count Alcaudete, this was because the King who reigned was an oppressor to the Muslims as he overcharged them for taxes to pay his tribute to the King of Spain. [5] The Pasha of Algiers attempted to dissuade the Sharif by inviting him to march against the Spaniards in Oran. [1] For this purpose Hasan Corso was given the command of 5,000 musketeers, 1,000 spahis and 8,000 Kabyles brought by Abdelaziz. [1] An alliance was concluded with the Saadians against Oran. [4] Mohammed al-Shaykh sent his sons Mohammed El Harrane and Abdelkader at the head of 21,000 horsemen and 10,000 infantry. [1] The agreement was that the Algerians and Saadians would meet up at Ain Temouchent and the two allied armies were to seize Oran. [4] The Saadians violated this agreement and entered Tlemcen and made themselves masters of the city, Moulay Abdallah occupied Tlemcen with a strong garrison while his brother ravaged the territory of the Beni Amer. [4]

A group of the Beni Amer who were pursued by the Saadians arrived at a camp situated in the Regency of Algiers and appealed for help. [1] Hasan Corso advanced into the Chelif valley where the Sharifian general was operating, Hasan Corso chased, defeated and killed the Saadian general. [1] [2]

The commandment in Tlemcen then requested help and Mohammed al-Shaykh sent his three sons, this would result in a battle near the Abou Azoun river resulting in an Algerian victory. [1] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Algeria</span>

Much of the history of Algeria has taken place on the fertile coastal plain of North Africa, which is often called the Maghreb. North Africa served as a transit region for people moving towards Europe or the Middle East, thus, the region's inhabitants have been influenced by populations from other areas, including the Carthaginians, Romans, and Vandals. The region was conquered by the Muslims in the early 8th century AD, but broke off from the Umayyad Caliphate after the Berber Revolt of 740. During the Ottoman period, Algeria became an important state in the Mediterranean sea which led to many naval conflicts. The last significant events in the country's recent history have been the Algerian War and Algerian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi</span> Moroccan Saadi Dynasty ruler from 1576 to 1578

Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I, often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, was the Saadian Sultan of Morocco from 1576 until his death right after the Battle of al-Kasr al-Kabir against Portugal in 1578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regency of Algiers</span> 1516–1830 Autonomous Ottoman State in North Africa

The Regency of Algiers was an early modern tributary state of the Ottoman Empire on the Barbary Coast of North Africa from 1516 to 1830. Founded by the corsair brothers Oruç and Hayreddin Barbarossa, the regency was a formidable pirate base infamous for its corsairs, first ruled by Ottoman viceroys, and later a sovereign military republic that plundered and waged maritime holy war against Christian powers.

MawlayMohammed al-Shaykh al-Sharif al-Hassani, known as Mohammed al-Shaykh, was the first sultan of the Saadian dynasty of Morocco (1544–1557). He was particularly successful in expelling the Portuguese from most of their bases in Morocco. He also eliminated the Wattasids and resisted the Ottomans, thereby establishing a complete rule over Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capture of Béjaïa (1555)</span> 1555 siege of the city of Béjaïa (in present-day Algeria)

The Capture of Béjaïa or Capture of Bougie occurred in 1555 when Salah Rais, the Ottoman ruler of Algiers, took the city of Béjaïa from the Spaniards. The main fortification in Béjaïa was the Spanish presidio, occupied by about 100 men under first under Luis Peralta, and then his son Alonso Peralta. The city was captured by Salah Rais from his base of Algiers, at the head of several thousand men and a small fleet consisting in 2 galleys, a barque, and a French saëte requisitioned in Algiers. Peralta had sent messages to Spain for help, and Andrea Doria prepared to leave with a fleet from Naples, but it was too late.

The Expedition of Mostaganem occurred in 1558, when Spanish forces attempted to capture the city of Mostaganem. The expedition was supposed to be a decisive step in the conquest of the Ottoman base of Algiers, but it ended in failure, and has been called a "disaster".

Hasan Pasha was the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa and three-times Beylerbey of the Regency of Algiers. His mother was a Moorish woman from Algiers. He succeeded his father as ruler of Algiers, and replaced Barbarossa's deputy Hasan Agha, who had been effectively holding the position of ruler of Algiers since 1533.

The Battle of Wadi al-Laban occurred in March–April 1558 between Saadians and Ottoman Algerian forces under Hasan Pasha, the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa. It took place north of Fes, at Wadi al-Laban, an affluent of the Sebou River, one day north of Fes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Turkey–Morocco relations are the foreign relations between Morocco and Turkey, and spanned a period of several centuries, from the early 16th century when the Ottoman Empire neighbored Morocco to until modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Tlemcen</span> Berber kingdom in Algeria (1235–1554)

The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen was a kingdom ruled by the Berber Zayyanid dynasty in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijilmasa and the Moulouya River in the west, Tuat to the south and the Soummam in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conflicts between the Regency of Algiers and Morocco</span> Overview of the conflicts between the Regency of Algiers and Morocco

Conflicts between the Regency of Algiers and the Cherifian dynasties or Algerian-Sherifian conflicts opposed Morocco to the Ottoman Empire and its dependencies in a series of wars between the Regency of Algiers and its allied local sultanates and tribal confederations, and on the other hand, the Sharifian Saadian and Alawite dynasties that had ruled Morocco since the 16th century.

The Battle of Chelif or Battle of Djidouia took place on 28 April 1701 on the banks of the Chelif River. It was fought between the armies of the Alaouite Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif and those of the Regency of Algiers commanded by the Bey of Mascara, Mustapha Bouchelaghem. It took place in the context of an attempt by the Alaouites to conquer the west of the Regency of Algiers, coordinated with an offensive by Tunis on the east of the Regency of Algiers in 1700 and 1701.

The Campaign of Tlemcen or Tlemcen campaign was a military operation led by the Saadians of Mohammed ash-Sheikh against Tlemcen in 1557, then under the domination of the Regency of Algiers, a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. Mohammed ash-Sheikh, who wanted to conquer Algeria, occupied the city but failed to seize the Mechouar Palace, which was defended by a garrison of 500 men under the command of Caïd Saffa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Algerian war (1681–1688)</span>

The French-Algerian War of 1681–1688 was part of a wider campaign by France against the Barbary Pirates in the 1680s.

The Conquest of Fez or Capture of Fez took place in 1554 between the Algerian forces of Salah Rais and the ruler of the Saadi Sultanate, Mohammed ash-Sheikh. The battle took place on 7 January at Qudyat-al-Mahali, a suburb near Fez and occurred after Salah Reis’ two previous victories against the Saadians, one at Taza and another at the Sebou river.

<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.

The Maghrebi war (1699–1702) was a conflict involving a Tunisian, Tripolitanian, and Moroccan coalition, and the Deylik of Algiers. It was an important milestone in the further weakening of the already fragile Ottoman grip over the Maghreb, as both sides utterly ignored the Ottoman sultan's pleas to sign a peace treaty. This war also led to the renewal of the Muradid infighting, which would later lead to the establishment of the Beylik of Tunis, and the Husainid dynasty in 1705.

The Battle of Oued-el-Lhâm was a battle between the Regency of Algiers and the Kingdom of Beni Abbas that took place one year after the Battle of Kalaa which led to this attempt for revenge by the Regency.

The Battle of Taza occurred in December 1553, it was a battle between the Regency of Algiers and the Saadi Sultanate. Salah Reis left 1,500 men in charge of the victorious operation against the Moroccan camp near Taza, which was protected by a Moroccan army composed of 30,000 cavalry, 10,000 infantry and 20 cannons.

Sahaba el-Rehmania was the wife of the Moroccan sultan of the Saadian dynasty Mohammed al-Shaykh and the mother of Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik. Gifted in diplomacy, she held a leading political role throughout her life. She was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the court of Sultan Murad III.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hamet, Ismaël. Histoire du Maghreb: cours professé à l'Institut des hautes études marocaines. E. Leroux, 1923. Pages 278-279
  2. 1 2 3 Mercier, Ernest. Histoire de l'Afrique septentrionale (Berbérie) depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à la conquête française (1930). Vol. 3. Ernest Leroux, 1891.
  3. Boyer, Pierre. "Historique des Béni Amer d'Oranie, des origines au Senatus Consulte." Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée 24, no. 1 (1977): 39-85.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Grammont, H.D. de. "Histoire d'Alger sous la domination turque (1515-1830)." 1887.
  5. de Haëdo, Diego, and Henri-Delmas de Grammont. "Hassan, pacha et roi." Histoire du Maghreb (1998): 86-94.