The siege of Oran was a military campaign launched on the Spanish garrison of

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

by the

Regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an Early modern period, early modern semi-independent Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman province and nominal Tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Afr ...

led by

Mohammed el Kebir Mohammed ben Othman, also known as Mohammed el Kebir was the ''bey'' of the Western Beylik from 1776 to 1796. He is best-known for Siege of Oran (1790–1792), re-conquering Oran and Mers El Kébir from the Spaniards. He was known as a reformis ...

. The Algerians occupied the city after a siege that lasted from 1790 to 1792, ending a Spanish occupation that had lasted for 300 years.

Background

In 1785, the Spanish began negotiations with Algiers. They were willing to cede Oran and Mers el-Kebir if they would be allowed to retain their trading posts, in return for Algiers to stop attacking Spanish vessels. The Algerians were happy with these terms, but the Spanish population was outraged, and forced their government to delay carrying them out. The death of

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

and the breakout of the French Revolution forced the Spanish to forget about Oran. The Dey of Algiers was becoming impatient with their false promises and began blockading Oran in 1789.

Siege

In October 1790, Muhammad Bey began the siege of Oran with an army of 5,000 men. The Bey considered using mining explosives against the city walls; however, a violent earthquake struck Oran and devastated the town, destroying most of the city and killing more than 2,000. The Algerians used this opportunity to launch a swift assault on the city, but the Spanish garrison resisted fiercely and repelled the assault. The Algerians began besieging the city more closely. The Spanish began opening negotiations in August or September 1791. Both sides agreed to a treaty which confirmed the earlier terms. In early 1792, the Spanish evacuated the town along with their belongings, and in March, the Algerians occupied the city.

Aftermath

The Algerians began repopulating the city with Arabs and Jews. It remained under their control for 40 years. The Ottoman sultan sent his praises when the city returned to Muslim control, ending the Spanish occupation of three hundred years.Daniel Panzac, p. 40

References

Sources

*Alan G. Jamieson (2013), Lords of the Sea, A History of the Barbary Corsair

*Noelle Watson, Paul Schellinger, & Trudy Ring (2014), Middle East and Africa, International Dictionary of Historic Places. Vol I

*Daniel Panzac (2005), Barbary Corsairs, The End of a Legend, 1800–182

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oran 1790-1792 Sieges involving Spain Sieges involving the Regency of Algiers Spanish Africa 18th century in the Regency of Algiers 1790s in the Spanish Empire Sieges of Oran 18th-century sieges 1790s conflicts 1790s in Africa