Baba Ali Chaouch, also written as Baba Ali Chaouche, or simply Ali I, was the first independent ruler of the Deylik of Algiers who ruled from 1710 to 1718.

Background

Not much is known about the origins of Ali. Some sources describe him as a Basche-Chaouch, (which would explain the name) a title usually held by

Kouloughlis Kouloughlis, also spelled Koulouglis, Cologhlis and Qulaughlis (from Turkish ''Kuloğlu'' "Children of The Empire Servants" from '' Kul'' "soldier" or "servant/slave" + '' Oğlu'' "son of"), but the translation of the word "kul" as slave is mislea ...

which would mean that he was most likely of mixed Algerian-Turkish descent, albeit it's up to debate. But the most probable hypothesis is the Kabyle-

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

(

Mingrelian Mingrelian may refer to: *the Mingrelians *the Mingrelian language Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kol ...

) origin of Baba Ali.

Rule

He did major political reforms, succeeding dey Ibrahim in a period of great unrest. He reformed the

divan of Algiers A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian language, Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan''). Etymology The word, recorded in English ...

, dissolved it and then recomposed it, eliminated the rebellious elements of the

Odjak of Algiers The Odjak of Algiers was a unit of the Algerine army. It was a heavily autonomous part of the Janissary Corps, acting completely independently from the rest of the corps, similar to the relationship between Algiers and the Sublime Porte. Led by ...

, relied on the taifa of the rais to revive

Privateering A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

and brought in lots of income to the city. He was the first dey to incorporate the title of

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...

into his, banishing the Pasha appointed by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He refused to accept representatives of the Ottoman Sultan at his side even if they remained in local politics as a purely honorary function devoid of any real prerogative. He thus started a rapid political evolution in the emancipation of the regency of Algiers from the Ottoman tutelage and formalized its status as an independent political entity. Because of his position, he is popular with the people of Algiers and famous in historiography. Baba Ali Chaouch consolidated his authority, as he was at the head of a structured state: the eastern and western borders were demarcated, the local governments at the central and provincial level (beyliks) were well organized, the functions of each being defined. The dey was then seen as a sovereign ally, no longer as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the European consuls. The Algerian state then took the form of a sort of " Elective monarchy" , administered according to the primacy of its own interests. He declared war against the Dutch in 1715, and planned to do the same to Britain, albeit he stopped after tribute arrived from them. An earthquake hit Algiers under his rule in 1716.

Death

Despite many assassination attempts and conspiracies against him, he died a natural death in 1718.

References

Sources

* {{cite book , first=Mahfoud , last=Kaddache , author-link=Mahfoud Kaddache , title=L'Algérie des Algériens , publisher=Société nationale d'édition et de diffusion , location=Alger , year=2011 , isbn=978-9961-9-6621-1 Much of this wikipedia page was translate from the French version. Deys of Algiers 1718 deaths Barbary pirates 18th-century Algerian people 17th-century Algerian people 18th-century monarchs in Africa Arab slave owners

Background

Rule

Death

See also

References

Sources