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The Treaty of Tafna was signed by both Emir Abdelkader and General Thomas Robert Bugeaud on 30 May 1837.
This agreement was developed after a series of campaigns by French forces into the hinterlands of Algeria, the French under Bugeaud had won a victory against a mixed force of Abdelkader's regular and tribal warriors at the Sikkak river in the summer of 1836, letters between the Emir and the general were exchanged in its aftermath.. While General Clauzel had in 1836 been defeated in a separate theatre of operation in the east of Algeria, this defeat politically required a response and the French War Ministry tasked Bugeaud with achieving peace with the Emir so that limited French forces could avenge the defeat as to avert a loss of face. [1] [2]
Other sources [1] emphasise the that the French had undertaken the war partly as a consequence of their dissatisfaction with the terms of the previous treaty with Abdelkader, that had granted him significant control over trade with French enclaves in Algeria. They sought a new arrangement on trade that might increase the profitability of their Algerian possessions, this was of political importance to Marseilles merchants. [1]
The terms of the treaty in French entailed Emir Abdelkader recognizing French imperial sovereignty in Africa, in an arrangement similar to the Regency of Algiers except now with France and not the Ottoman Empire as overlord. In exchange France recognised approximately two thirds of Algeria to Abdelkader (the provinces of Oran, Koléa, Médéa, Tlemcen and Algiers) were ruled by Emir Abdelkader. [3]
In addition to the public contents of the treaty Bugeaud and Abdelkader came to a number of private agreements in addition to the final treaties text. Bugeaud promised the emir modern weapons and to through French force of arms relocate the Dawa’ir and Zmala tribes and exile from Algeria of their chiefs for which Bugeaud received a cash payment which he utilised to support his political career in France spending it to fund roadworks in his constituency. [2]
As a result of the treaty, France maintained its holdings over major ports and while the treaty required all trade by Algeria to pass through these, both French and Algerian traders flouted the terms. Bugeaud initially requested an annual tribute be paid however this was latter dropped in exchange for meaningless concessions. [2]
The French used the peace with Abdelkader to concentrate forces to fight in the east of Algeria successfully to taking Constantine in 1837.
In the aftermath of the treaty Abdelkader consolidated his power over tribes throughout the interior, establishing a capital at Tagdempt far from French control. [2] He worked to motivate the population under French control to resist by peaceful and military means. Seeking to face the French again, he laid claim under the treaty to the Iron gates - a valley that controlled the main route between Algiers and Constantine. When French troops contested the claim in late 1839 by marching through a mountain defile known as the Iron Gates, he claimed a breach of the treaty and renewed calls for jihad.
There is also controversy about the language Bugeaud inserted into the differing versions of the treaty, in French article one read that Abdelkader ‘recognised the sovereignty of France in Africa’. The Arabic text instead read that "the amir ‘is aware of the rule of French power" (ya‘rifu hukm saltanat firansa) in Africa’. James McDougall argues on the basis of Abdelkader's letters to Bugeaud negotiating the treaty that it cannot have been a translation error and the differing meaning of the texts constitutes duplicity on Bugeaud's part. [2]
'You boast of your power. Are we here under your orders that you should send us such a letter?'
'I have understood your power and all the means at your disposal. We do not doubt it and I well know what harm can be done. Power is in the strength of God who created us all and who protects the weakest.'
— Abdelkader in letters to General Bugeaud
The peace represented a tactical pause in the fighting and by allowing Abdelkader to rebuild his forces after the defeat at the Sikkak river, by allowing this and also Abdelkader to consolidate his control of western Algeria - the French faced a more dangerous enemy latter. [2] However the treaty and his prior military victory did much to burnish the reputation of Bugeaud, who latter while Governor of Algeria would also benefit from the treaties breakdown gaining more plaudits for his military campaign against the Emir. [2]
Naylor argues that the stipulations of the treaty indicated that the French interpreted the territory of Emir Abdelkader as sovereign, thereby recognising an Algerian state. [4]
Thomas Robert Bugeaud, marquis de la Piconnerie, duc d'Isly was a Marshal of France and Governor-General of Algeria during the French colonization. Born an aristocrat, he has a complex legacy, serving as a soldier during the Napoleonic wars, focusing on agriculture during Bourbon rule, then serving the July monarchy in Algeria during which he achieved undoubted military success, while also being complicit in actions which today may be understood as war crimes and caused outrage at the time.
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".
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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.
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The pacification of Algeria, also known as the Algerian genocide, refers to violent military operations between 1830 to 1875 during the French conquest of Algeria, that often involved ethnic cleansing, massacres and forced displacement, aimed at repressing various tribal rebellions by the native Algerian population. Out of an estimated population of 3 million, between 500,000 and 1 million Algerians were killed. During this period, France formally annexed Algeria in 1834, and approximately 1 million European settlers moved to the Algerian colony. Various governments and scholars consider France's actions in Algeria as constituting a genocide.
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)| Pre-1830 conflicts |  | |
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| French conquest of Algeria: 1830-1836 |
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| French conquest of Algeria: 1837-1870 |
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| Allegiances | ||
| Mokrani Revolt | ||
| Algerian War | ||
| Treaties | ||
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