The Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha in May 1837, during the
French conquest of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...
, pitted the
troupes coloniales
The ''Troupes coloniales'' ("Colonial Troops") or ''Armée coloniale'' ("Colonial Army"), commonly called ''La Coloniale'', were the military forces of the French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900 these troops were de ...
under Colonel
Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the troops of ''Beni Aïcha'' of the ''
Igawawen
Igawawen or Gawawa, mostly known as Zwawa (in Kabyle: Igawawen, in Arabic: زواوة, and in Latin: Jubaleni''Revue archéologique, Société française d'archéologie classique'' (in French), p. 28) were a group of Kabyle tribes inhabiting the ...
''.
Historical Context
This expedition was started in May 1837 from
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
to the city of
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
via the mountain range of
Khachna
The Khachna Range ( ar, جبال الخشنة, ''Jibal Khashna''; Berber ''Adrar n Kheshna'') is a mountain range of the Tell Atlas, part of the Atlas Mountain System. It is located in Kabylie, Algeria.
Geography
The ''Khachna'' is a massif m ...
in
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...
.
This military reaction came after the signing of the
Treaty of Tafna
The Treaty of Tafna was signed by both Abd-el-Kader and General Thomas Robert Bugeaud on 30 May 1837. This agreement was developed after French imperial forces sustained heavy losses and military reversals in Algeria. The terms of the treaty ent ...
between General
Thomas Robert Bugeaud
Thomas Robert Bugeaud, marquis de la Piconnerie, duc d'Isly (15 October 178410 June 1849) was a Marshal of France and Governor-General of Algeria.
Early life
He was born at Limoges, a member of a noble family of Périgord (Occitania), the yo ...
with
Emir Abdelkader
Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; ar, عبد القادر ابن محي الدين '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggl ...
in .
The treaty effectively recognized the control of the
Emirate of Abdelkader
The Emirate of Mascara, Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, or the Resistance of Mascara, was 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 the ...
over a large part of the interior area of what is now
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
.
Emir Abdekader exploited this treaty to assert his power over the tribes throughout the interior of the country, building new towns far from French control with a rigorous administration.
He worked especially in
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...
and elsewhere to raise the
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
population under
French control to resist by both peaceful and military means their possession.
He wanted to control the road route passing through the main rivers connecting ''Algiers'' to ''Constantine'', in this case , , , ,
Oued Meraldene
The Oued Meraldene or Oued Merabtene, also called Oued Bourdine, is a river of Algeria located in Kabylia within the framework of the Province of Boumerdès.
Presentation
The ''Meraldène'' stream is one of the main tributaries of the Boumerd ...
and
Oued Isser
The Oued Isser is a river of Algeria. It begins in Médéa Province, is the main river, with Oued Sébaou of the Medea, which runs through the Lower Kabylie of Djurdjura (or the current province of Boumerdès) Wilaya of Bouira, then flows into ...
.
This desire of ''Emir Abdelkader'' to face the ''French'' again, even after signing the treaty, led him to claim under this pact all the territory east of among the
Kabyles
The Kabyle people ( kab, Izwawen or ''Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', ) are a Berber ethnic group indigenous to Kabylia in the north of Algeria, spread across the Atlas Mountains, east of Algiers. They represent the largest Berber-speaking populat ...
of
Beni Aïcha
is a Japanese R&B singer, who debuted in 2004 under the Avex Trax label. In 2008, Arashiro left Avex Trax and transferred to Universal Music Japan where she started to perform as simply Beni (stylized as BENI).
She was initially best known fo ...
and which in fact included the main road between ''Algiers'' and ''Constantine''.
Raid on Reghaïa
The ''
Emir Abdelkader
Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; ar, عبد القادر ابن محي الدين '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggl ...
'' organized on 8 May 1837 the attack in the region of
Réghaïa on the farm named ''Mercier'', installed in an agricultural concession adjoining the border of the ''
Emirate of Abdelkader
The Emirate of Mascara, Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, or the Resistance of Mascara, was 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 the ...
'' and consisting of the ''Oued Boudouaou'' also nicknamed ''Oued Keddara'', and this, was to impose his yoke and reign on the edge of his state declared by the ''
Treaty of Tafna
The Treaty of Tafna was signed by both Abd-el-Kader and General Thomas Robert Bugeaud on 30 May 1837. This agreement was developed after French imperial forces sustained heavy losses and military reversals in Algeria. The terms of the treaty ent ...
''.
The ''Emir'' knew that his allies in the Kabyle tribes of ''Khachna'' and
Issers
Isser, formerly spelled Issers ( ar, يسر, kab, ⵉⵙⴻⵔ) is a town and commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 27,990. As of the latest census it has 32,580 residents.
Isser is locate ...
could mobilize up to six thousand (6000) men on foot and up to eight hundred (800) cavalry in the field to harass the French establishments beyond the current
Boudouaou.
This is how the ''Emir'', when he organized the attack on ''Réghaïa'' and the looting of French colonial farms, was guaranteed to have safe shelter with the
marabout
A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Saha ...
s of the ''Beni Aïcha'', whose villages overlook
Oued Meraldene
The Oued Meraldene or Oued Merabtene, also called Oued Bourdine, is a river of Algeria located in Kabylia within the framework of the Province of Boumerdès.
Presentation
The ''Meraldène'' stream is one of the main tributaries of the Boumerd ...
and
Oued Isser
The Oued Isser is a river of Algeria. It begins in Médéa Province, is the main river, with Oued Sébaou of the Medea, which runs through the Lower Kabylie of Djurdjura (or the current province of Boumerdès) Wilaya of Bouira, then flows into ...
.
General
Damrémont was taken aback in
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
when he learned that the eastern suburbs of the
Casbah of Algiers
The Casbah ( ar, قصبة, ''qaṣba'', meaning citadel) is the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. In 1992, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed ' ...
were in turmoil under the blows of untimely attacks by rebels affiliated with ''Emir Abdelkader''.
The general then ordered Colonel
Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg to prepare an expedition by land and sea to attack the relief and shelter of ''Emir Abdelkader'' among the ''Beni Aïcha'' to dislodge this nebula made up of dozens of villages which were stationed not far from ''Algiers''.
Colonel ''Schauenburg'' was already stationed in ''Réghaïa'' as the head of the cavaliers of the ' to protect and guard the agricultural farms that had been looted at the start of hostilities in the spring of 1837.
Intrusion among the Beni Aïcha
General ''Damrémont'' ordered Colonel ''Schauenburg'' to march at night with his military column from ''Réghaïa'' towards the ''
Meraldene
Meraldene or Merabtene is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River, the Meraldene Dam and the town of Thénia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Bous ...
'' ravine to surprise the insurgents in their sleep, while General
Alexandre Charles Perrégaux was instructed to lead a maritime embarkation starting from the and which was to land on the shore of the current
Zemmouri El Bahri
Zemmouri El Bahri is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Keddache River and the towns of Thénia and Zemmouri in the ''Khachna'' mountain range.
History
French conquest
* Expedition ...
in the place of the .
The strategy that followed consisted having General ''Pérregaux'' disembark from his boat with about a thousand infantry and cannon on the shore of the ''Beni Aïcha'' in order to ambush and wait for the
Kabyle rebels fleeing the battle of Colonel ''Schauenburg'' to the north of
Meraldene
Meraldene or Merabtene is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River, the Meraldene Dam and the town of Thénia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Bous ...
ravine by rising through the villages of
Boukhanfar
Boukhanfar is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Keddache River and the towns of Thenia and Zemmouri in the ''Khachna'' mountain range.
History
This village has experienced the facts ...
and
Talamali
Talamali or Tala Maâli is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Keddache River and the towns of Thenia and Zemmouri in the ''Khachna'' mountain range.
History
This village has experienced ...
, in order to decimate and annihilate them.
The bad weather which suddenly occurred on the threw away this well-established plan because General ''Pérregaux'' was held up by the stormy storm and could not get his boat out of the harbor of the ''port of Algiers''.
Despite the bad weather that had fallen in the middle of May 1837 on
Mitidja
Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbasket ...
and
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...
, Colonel ''Schauenburg'' left on the night of 17 May 1837 from his camp in ''Réghaïa'' to descend towards the ravine of ''Oued Boudouaou'' on which he had assembled a military column of two thousand men to attack the ''Beni Aïcha''.
This military column was composed of two battalions of the ', a battalion of the ', two hundred cavalry hunters of the ', regular ''
spahi
Spahis () were light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now r ...
s'', one hundred irregular ''spahis'', and two pieces of mountain infantry.
Colonel ''Schauenburg'' was held back with his thousands of soldiers by rain and wind in his sustained night march before reaching the ''Meraldene'' ravine only at eight in the morning of the next day 18 May 1837, where groups of ''Kabyles'' awaited him to counter it and to hinder its advance in ''Kabylia'' if it managed to cross the bed of ''Oued Isser''.
Under the command of
Cheikh Ali Boushaki
Zawiyet Sidi Brahim Boushaki ( ar, زاوية سيدي إبراهيم البوسحاقي) or Zawiyet Thénia is a zawiya of the Rahmaniyya Sufi brotherhood located in Boumerdès Province within lower Kabylia of Algeria.
Construction
The zaw ...
, the hundreds of Kabyles perched on the villages of
Meraldene
Meraldene or Merabtene is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River, the Meraldene Dam and the town of Thénia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Bous ...
,
Gueddara
Gueddara is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River and the town of Thenia in the ''Khachna'' mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Boushaki
History
This village has expe ...
,
Soumâa
Soumâa or Thala Oufella is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River and Isser River, and also the town of Thenia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Bou ...
,
Djenah and
Beni Arab among others began to run and enter into an altercation with the French, and thus a whole first battalion of the ' was launched on the regrouping of the Algerian resistance fighters to quickly seize the important position of the
Col des Beni Aïcha
In geomorphology, a col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 103. . It may also be called a gap. Particularly rugged and forbidding c ...
, and which would cost dearly to the French if this seizure was delayed and remained under the control of the allies of ''Emir Abdelkader''.
As the Kabyles were driven back towards the descent of the villages of
Baloul
Baloul is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Soumâa
Soumâa or Thala Oufella is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Merald ...
and
Tebabkha near the course of
Oued Isser
The Oued Isser is a river of Algeria. It begins in Médéa Province, is the main river, with Oued Sébaou of the Medea, which runs through the Lower Kabylie of Djurdjura (or the current province of Boumerdès) Wilaya of Bouira, then flows into ...
on the long defile of the eastern flank of the ''Khachna'' massif, the other villages folded up on the heights and entered in line in the confrontation with the regiment infantry which then suffered some human losses in its ranks.
A chase then began between the Kabyle insurgents and the French soldiers to take control of this unique opening between
Mitidja
Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbasket ...
and
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...
, since a large reinforcement came running from
Laazib Zamoum
''For the Sufi order of Tamegroute, Morocco see Nasiriyya.''
Naciria (Arabic الناصرية, Kabyle ''Leɛzib n Zeɛmum'') is a town and commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria, between Bordj Menaïel to the north and the mountain of Sidi Ali ...
to reinforce the ''Beni Aïcha'' in their brave resistance on an ancestral land which was favorable and advantageous to them on all levels.
Ben Zamoum counterattack
After the soldiers of Colonel ''Schauenburgs military column were scattered near
Oued Isser
The Oued Isser is a river of Algeria. It begins in Médéa Province, is the main river, with Oued Sébaou of the Medea, which runs through the Lower Kabylie of Djurdjura (or the current province of Boumerdès) Wilaya of Bouira, then flows into ...
during the day of 18 May 1837, an order was given to them to gather their elongated ranks into a reformed group.
Cheikh Ben Zamoum then came from the ' region with about two thousand (2,000) Algerians to stop Colonel ''Schauenburgs advance towards his territory if the ''Beni Aïcha'' region failed in blocking the advance of the French invaders.
The ''plain of
Issers
Isser, formerly spelled Issers ( ar, يسر, kab, ⵉⵙⴻⵔ) is a town and commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 27,990. As of the latest census it has 32,580 residents.
Isser is locate ...
'', which opened up to the French, saw the arrival of contingents from ' to stop the ''2nd light infantry regiment'' in its dangerous advance.
But the French prevented this attack of the Kabyle by knocking them down and frightening them vigorously, then the infantry and spahis moved towards the northern shore while deploying skirmishers in the distance on the sides of the mountains to protect them from the pursuit and the stalking Algerians.
''Schauenburg'' ordered to quickly drive out the surprised populations with their herds to accost them on the beach of
Oued Merdja where no disembarkation had taken place because of the showers and hail, and this is how the Kabyle men and animals arrived at escape from the trap and the bee-eater that had been given to them.
Turning back
The expeditionary operation of 1837 against the Beni Aïcha was missed by Colonel ''Schauenburg'' because of the lack of time and the determination of the Kabyles to defend their families, their villages and their land, and with the backing of the insurgents of the Beni Aïcha by their brothers of Iflissen arriving from
Laazib Zamoum
''For the Sufi order of Tamegroute, Morocco see Nasiriyya.''
Naciria (Arabic الناصرية, Kabyle ''Leɛzib n Zeɛmum'') is a town and commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria, between Bordj Menaïel to the north and the mountain of Sidi Ali ...
.
''Schauenburg'' realized that a longer stay in the country of the ''Beni Aïcha'' insurgents would attract him, without good possible result since ''Kabyles'' reinforcements and forces was greater than the strength of his military column, hence his announced and planned defeat.
This colonel brought back the next day 19 May 1837 by a very strong march his expeditionary force towards his initial camp between
Boudouaou and
Réghaïa.
Gallery
File:Abd al-Qadir.jpg, Emir Abdelkader
Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; ar, عبد القادر ابن محي الدين '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggl ...
File:Damrémont par Julien.jpg, Charles-Marie Denys de Damrémont
Charles-Marie Denys, comte de Damrémont (8 February 1783–12 October 1837) was a French general and military governor of French Algeria. He was killed in combat during the siege of Constantine.
Early life
Charles-Marie Denys was born in Cha ...
File:Buste du général Perregaux.jpg, Alexandre Charles Perrégaux
File:Photo boudouaou marine 08102014.jpg, First Battle of Boudouaou
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''.
Historical Context
When Emi ...
(1837)
See also
*
Emir Abdelkader
Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; ar, عبد القادر ابن محي الدين '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggl ...
*
Emirate of Abdelkader
The Emirate of Mascara, Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, or the Resistance of Mascara, was 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 the ...
*
Igawawen
Igawawen or Gawawa, mostly known as Zwawa (in Kabyle: Igawawen, in Arabic: زواوة, and in Latin: Jubaleni''Revue archéologique, Société française d'archéologie classique'' (in French), p. 28) were a group of Kabyle tribes inhabiting the ...
*
French conquest of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...
*
First Battle of Boudouaou
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''.
Historical Context
When Emi ...
*
List of French governors of Algeria
In 1830, in the days before the outbreak of the July Revolution against the Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration in France, the French conquest of Algeria, conquest of Algeria was initiated by Charles X as an attempt to increas ...
*
Charles-Marie Denys de Damrémont
Charles-Marie Denys, comte de Damrémont (8 February 1783–12 October 1837) was a French general and military governor of French Algeria. He was killed in combat during the siege of Constantine.
Early life
Charles-Marie Denys was born in Cha ...
*
Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg
*
Alexandre Charles Perrégaux
*
Antoine de La Torré
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
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*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha
Conflicts in 1837
1837 in Algeria
Battles involving Algeria
Battles involving France
May 1837 events
1830s in Algeria
Military history of Algeria
French colonial empire
Invasions by France
19th century in Algeria
Algerian War
Rebellions in Africa
Wars involving the states and peoples of Africa
Wars of independence
Thénia