The Ahmad Bey resistance
1– Introduction
From the very beginning, Ahmad Bey took part in defending the Algerian state when it was against the French military colonization, and criticized the defensive plan suggested by “Ibrahim Agha” when noticed some negative points. He presented a plan instead, aiming at sending the French forces away from the city of Algiers. He said: “ If you trust me, and follow my plan, we are heading to “Mazafran” valley, and one the two following things will happen: Either the French will attack the city of Algiers, or they will make a step forward. In the first case, they will be taken down, be deprived of their supplies, their caravanes will be attacked, the opponents will be assasinated, and the connections between them and their ships will be cut off. This last point will be very easy, because the sea is in constant change, and it is not always possible to disembark. If they made a step towards us to start a war, our mission is to avoid the battle, and their armies will be dragged to a convenient field far from Algiers city that is considered as their target. Except that the leader Ibrahim Agha who is the Dey’s son-in-law insisted on his opinion, rejecting Ahmad Bey’s plan, which led to the regression of Algerian forces in Staoueli battle on June 19th, 1830 and their failure once again in stopping the colonization army from stepping forward after the Sidi-Khalef battle On the 24th of the same month. After the fall of the capital, and the resolution of the battle militarily in favor of France, Ahmad Bey returned to Constantine.
2– Ahmad Bey’s strategy
Ahmad Bey adopted a strategy that allowed him to organize the resistance against the French, so he surrounded himself with men who have experience and power in grass-roots communities of tribes and ancient dynasties to strengthen his capital Constantine when building trenches and barracks. He gave an order to recruit men for the resistance from a regular army, he then reorganized the authority, and designated himself as the Pasha replacing Dey Hussein. Subsequently, he minted in his name, and the name of the Ottoman Sultan, trying to work on the union of the legislative and the executive authorities as a favor for national unity. This was represented in the following:
– Ahmad Bey tried to make Algerian people and the Ottoman Sultan a reference for his authority, where he pursued the concept of consulting his office that is composed of notables and Cheikhs, and corresponding with the Ottoman Sultan and consulting him before taking any crucial decision.
– Refusing all the offers given by the French governors in Algeria.
– Blocking the French forces in the colonized coastal cities like Annaba.
– Facing his internal opponents, and blocking their conspiracies.
3– France’s policy in facing Ahmad Bey
When facing Ahmad Bey, France pursued a policy that consisted of mixing the diplomatic maneuvers, and the military force, for example:
– Negotiating with Ahmad Bey, and trying to take his recognition of French sovereignty in exchange for keeping him a symbol for Constantine. This compromise was repeated in the era of Generals De-bourmont, Clozel, Duke Rofico, and Damremont.
–The conspiracy of Clozel and the Bey of Tunisia against Ahmad Bey.
– Alliance with Ahmad Bey’s enemies like Ibrahim Al- Kiritli, and Farhat Ben-Saida in Ziban.
– Centralizing the French forces in one bloc, after receiving hurtful strikes from Emir Abdelkader, and failing its first attempts to colonize Constantine in November 1836, which made her make the Tafna treaty and branch out into the Eastern side.
– France conducted a series of attacks on the coastal cities of Beylik East since 1830, through which it was able to take Annaba city over in 1832, in spite of the persistence of Ahmad Beys’s forces when defending the city.
– Taking over Bejaia city in 1833.
–Colonizing the city of Guelma in 1837. Cutting off the reinforcements from Beylik East from the marine side, and preventing arms and ammunition from reaching from the Ottoman sultan to Constantine.
– Starting two military campaigns that led to two battles: The first battle of Constantine in 1836, and the second one in 1837. Lastly, the French leader Damremont, started a campaign to colonize Constantine, where he was assassinated. So, General “Valée” replaced him on top of the French army, but the incompetency of the two forces made the state’s defences weak, and knocked it down.
