Campaign Of Tlemcen (1551)

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.

Background

In 1545, the Saadians allied themselves with the Spaniards. In 1547 the Janissaries lost Tlemcen to the Spanish after Count Alcuadete entered the city and installed a puppet ruler. The Saadians took Tlemcen without a battle in 1550 and decided to march from there on Algiers. The beylerbeys of Algiers and the sultan of Beni Abbas concluded at the same time the "pact of Aguemoun Ath Khiar".

The inhabitants of Tlemcen who had complained about the Turks and Spaniards appealed to the Sharif in Fez who answered them favourably.Hamet, Ismaël. Histoire du Maghreb: cours professé à l'Institut des hautes études marocaines. E. Leroux, 1923. Pages 278-279: “Or un groupe de Beni Amer poursuivis par les Marocains, étaient venus au camp des Turcs demander leur assistance; Hassan Corso s'avança dans la vallée du Chélif où opérait le général chérifien, le poursuivit, le battit et le tua. Le commandant de Tlemcen demanda du secours à Fez et le chérif lui envoya ses trois fils Moulay Ab delkader de Marrakech, Moulay Abdallah et Moulay Abderrahmane avec 20.000 lanciers. Moulay Abdel kader lança ses troupes contre les Turcs, mais ceux-ci, armés de mousquets les décimèrent et les mirent on déroute; tandis qu'il essayait de les rallier, Moulay Abdelkader fut tué et les Algériens lui tranchèrent la této. Le lendemain Moulay Abdallah ayant commandó la retraite, fut poursuivi jusqu'à la Molouïa. Hassan Corso revenu à Tlemcen y laissa le caïd Seffah avec 500 janissaires et rentra à Alger omportant la tête du chérif” The people of Tlemcen wrote that their current King was an oppressor to the Muslims as he overcharged them for taxes to pay his tribute to the King of Spain.de Haëdo, Diego, and Henri-Delmas de Grammont
"Hassan, pacha et roi."
Histoire du Maghreb (1998): 86-94. The Pasha of Algiers attempted to dissuade him by inviting him to march against the Spaniards in Oran, Hassan Corso was given the command of an army composed of 5,000 musketeers, 1,000 spahis and 8,000 Kabyles brought by Abdelaziz. Mohammed ash-Shaykh dispatched his sons Abdelkader and Mohammed El Harrane at the command of 21,000 horsemen and 10,000 infantry. Mohammed El Harrane entered Tlemcen in June 1551 while the Emir of Tlemcen took refuge in Oran. The Saadian prince then sent his troops to subjugate the tribes of the plains of Oran, however a group of the Beni Amer who were pursued by the Moroccans arrived at a camp in the Regency of Algiers and asked for help. Hassan Corso advanced into the Chelif valley where the Sharifian general was operating, Hassan Corso pursued him then defeated him and killed him. The commander of Tlemcen then requested help and ash-Shaykh sent his three sons. This episode marks the beginning of the hostility between the regency of Algiers and the Saadians, which will cease only in 1585 with the intervention of the Ottoman Empire.

Battle

The Saadian troops were described as considerable; according to Haedo they consisted of 12,000 horsemen and 10,000 infantrymen (including 5,000 renegades). According to Ernest Mercier the Saadian army was composed of 21,000 horsemen. Finally, according to a Spanish document, the Moroccan army had a total of 40,000 men.

The expedition was to include two main offensive movements. An army of 10,000 men, including 5,000 renegades and 2,000 Berbers from Little Kabylia, commanded by Abdelaziz, took charge of protecting Mostaganem from the Saadians, who were supported by the Spaniards. They also had to swell their ranks by rallying the local Arab tribe of Beni Amer. They had to defeat the Saadian troops on its way from Tlemcen to Mostaganem. The purpose of the first operation was to prevent any backward movement on the part of the latter and to protect the reconquest movement towards Tlemcen.

Faced with the advance of the troops coming from Algiers, the Saadian troops retreated while they were campaigning in the Algerian west. However, they were overtaken by the troops of Hassan Corso.

The Saadian troops were surprised and defeated at a place called Abu Azoun river (or Rio Salado) by the contingents of Hassan Pasha. Abdelaziz El Abbes had killed the Saadian prince Moulay Abdelkader and cut off his head which was later taken to Algiers as a trophy and displayed in an iron cage above the Bab Azoun gate. The booty of this surprise attack was important, and favorable to Hassan Pasha.

The Saadians were pursued as far as the Moulouya, but the Algerian troops did not carry their success any further. The victory of the Algerians was for the most part due to the courage of Abdelaziz and his Kabyles.Grammont, H.D. de.
Histoire d'Alger sous la domination turque (1515-1830)
" 1887. The Regency of Algiers established direct rule over the city of Tlemcen.

Aftermath

Despite this defeat ash-Sheikh organised another expedition with his three sons in command of an army of 17,000 men to again attempt to annex the territory of the Regency of Algiers. ash-Sheikh had believed that the conditions were favourable for him to expand his territory at the expense of the Regency because the Ottomans were fighting on two fronts. This did not go to plan and the expedition sent by ash-Sheikh was severely defeated and pursued as far as the Moulouya.Recherches sur l'Algérie à l'époque ottomane: La course, mythes et réalités
Lemnouar Merouche
Bouchene,
“Muhammad al-Kharrúbi, venu négocier la fin du conflit et la confirmation de la ligne de frontière entre les deux pays , qui traditionnellement suivait le cours de la Moulouya” After his defeat he welcomed with respect the ambassador of Salah Reis, Muhammad al - Kharrûbî, who negotiated the end of the conflict and confirmation of the border as the Moulouya river.

See also

*First Battle of Kalaa of the Beni Abbes (1553)
* Battle of Kalaa of the Beni Abbes (1559)
*Kingdom of Tlemcen

References

{{Reflist

History of Algiers
Tlemcen
1551 in Africa
1551 in the Ottoman Empire
Saadi dynasty
Kingdom of Ait Abbas
Tlemcen 1551
Tlemcen 1551
Ottoman Algeria
16th century in Algiers
16th century in Algeria