Mustapha Bouchelaghem, also known as Bey Bouchelaghem was the

Bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

of the

Western Beylik The Beylik of the West (in Arabic: ''bâylik al-gharb'') was one of three Beyliks (governorates) of the Regency of Algiers, with the other two being the Beylik of Titteri and the Beylik of Constantine. It was established in 1563, and it was ended ...

from 1686 to 1734/37.

Origins and early life

Mustapha, born as Mustapha ben Youcef was the son of an

Algerian Arabic Algerian Arabic (natively known as Dziria) is a dialect derived from the form of Arabic spoken in northern Algeria. It belongs to the Maghrebi Arabic language continuum and is partially mutually intelligible with Tunisian and Moroccan. Like ...

man called Youcef el-Mesrati, a noble from the Kalaa of Beni Rached, and an Algerian woman. His father served as Khalifa (lieutenant-governor) to the Bey of Constantine. He moved back to

Mostaganem Mostaganem ( ber, Mustɣanem; ar, مستغانم) is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Ora ...

where he had 8 children, the first-born being Mustapha. Several of his siblings would also become Beys of Oran later on. His full name was Mustapha ben Youcef Ben Mohamed ben Ishaq el-Mesrati. The name Bouchelaghem, and its Spanish version "El Bigotillos," was an

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

referring to his

Moustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...

Bey

He was elected as Bey in 1686, after the previous bey Chaban-ez-Zenagui was killed in front of

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

. In 1701 he moved his capital to

Mascara Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara product has vario ...

, and built a garrison there. The reason for this was its more central location. He worked hard to accumulate a large army mainly composed of thousands of Arab-Berber tribal levy.

Early wars (1680s–1708)

Conflicts with Morocco

In 1699 the Maghrebi war started, which was a conflict between Algiers and the other Barbary States. In the same year his territory was invaded by the Moroccans during the Mascara campaign led by one of Moulay Ismail’s sons, during which his palace was looted, however this campaign resulted in a peace negotiation which infuriated Moulay Ismail causing him to direct another attempted invasion. In 1701 with the help of Hajj Mustapha Dey, he decisively defeated the Moroccan armies in the

Battle of Chelif 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 Mascar ...

. In 1707 he got into another conflict with the Moroccans as

Mulay Ismael Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif ( ar, مولاي إسماعيل بن الشريف), born around 1645 in Sijilmassa and died on 22 March 1727 at Meknes, was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672–1727, as the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty. He was the sev ...

sought to once again take over Western Algeria, and he thus sent an expedition to do so. Bouchelaghem was able to push them back.

Conflicts with Spain

In 1703

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

troops attacked the Beni Ameur tribe, which was loyal to Algiers, thus souring the relationship between the two countries. Following that, he started building his army up, in preparation for an offensive. He also ordered tribes around Oran to start harassing Spanish troops.His most important conquest though was that of

. In 1707, while Spain was preoccupied with the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, he with the help of Ouzoum Hassan a Commander directly 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 ...

captured the fort of Saint-Philippe near Oran, thus beginning the siege. After 6 months, Oran and Mers el Kébir fell to his hands. He moved his capital to Oran, which he made a base for

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

, and constructed a small fleet to protect the town.

Peaceful period (1708–1732)

In 1710 a revolution led by

Baba Ali Chaouch 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 Ba ...

happened in Algiers. The new king achieved

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

independence from 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) ...

, and he started purging unloyal elements. In the Beylik of Constantine alone 3 Beys were replaced in the same year. Bey Bouchelaghem was not replaced, mainly thanks to his popularity and neutrality. During this period, he built the defences up, and invested in regional wealth.

Spanish siege of Oran

In 1732, Spain invaded Oran and Mers el Kébir. After defeating the Algerian fleets protecting the city, they set foot on the shores of the city, and after a brutal siege, they captured Oran.

Death

Bey Bouchelaghem retreated to Mostaganem, and fell into depression after the loss of the city. In 1734 or 1737 (sources conflict) he passed away. He was succeeded by his brother. He was Bey of Oran for 51 years, the longest reigning Bey. He is buried in his own mausoleum.

References

{{Reflist, 3 Oran Mascara, Algeria Arabs in Algeria 17th-century Algerian people 18th-century Algerian people Ottoman Algeria 1734 deaths People from Mascara, Algeria People from Mascara Province