rench Projects to Colonize Algeria prior to 1830
Many French projects were conceived in Algeria and some of them were carried out in the form of attacks. They tried to elaborate plans with their projects to destroy Algeria and the benefits that accrue to the French state from this military action. There are those who took them back to the reign of Louis XIV, as one of the historians, Augustin Bernard, testified in his book Algeria : "The occupation of Algeria is the work of three centuries of continuous efforts with an important continuity", and there are those who go back to the time of Napoleon Bonaparte.
- Dekercys’ Project I 1782 and II 1792 :
Before discussing the project developed in the Napoleonic era, we return to his first project in 1782, during the reign of Louis XVI, who reigned from 1774 to 1792, and which he named a memorandum on Algeria. This memorandum commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the bombardment of the Duke of Algeria in 1682. And Dekercy's goal was to resurrect this memory in his project.
However, Dekercy's opening was on the topic of Algerian-French diplomatic relations and their nature, which were in flux. In 1782, the French government assigned him as consul in Algeria, where he was allowed to stay for nearly eight years until 1791, encountering various aspects of Algerian society and detaining defenceless persons. Kercy Jean Baptiste Michel, as a consul, thought it necessary to advise his government of all internal and external events in Algeria as part of his intelligence duties. His major aim was to get accurate information on Algeria.
On May 7, 1782, Dekercy sent a lengthy report to the Palace of Versailles, emphasizing the significance of destroying Algeria and assigning this responsibility to the consul.
The report was 18 pages long with readable handwriting, and he stated at the beginning, "Since learning of my appointment, I shall not cease to explore measures to ensure the success of my mission." He went on to discuss Franco-Algerian relations and how France interacts with Algeria politically in this area. He added "for a century, the French Kingdom of Algeria had a kind of total harmony, but Algeria sought more than once to violate treaties, suffer heavy losses, and inflict heinous insults on the French."
He concentrated on Algeria's religious side. This indicates that he was a proponent of crusades against all countries that referenced Islam. "It is time for France to raise its voice to recover the past," he asserted. Similarly, he stated that "Muslims and Christians may be reconciled via human rights values and how they might relieve Christians of their suffering in Algeria."
Kercy's approach to his occupation project was influenced by his perception of social conditions, in which he advocated for the social division of the Algerian social structure, assuming that the campaign against Algeria would be concentrated towards the Turks. According to the project, "nothing is more alarming for the Turks than the division of troops, and therefore deceptive attacks will have a direct impact."
He also emphasized that the threatening and promising policy does not work by citing an example of this by the British attempt to attack Algeria in 1749.
He then mentioned the status of the French consuls in Algeria and the need for them to radically change France's policy in Algeria.
He also addressed the issue of Christian families and their suffering in Algeria in order to win human opinion and get them out of the hands of Muslims, after assuring his country of the importance of imposing control over the island of Tabarka and the freedom to fish coral, which would be of great benefit to the French Kingdom, and after saying "Algeria is cautious of French forces, and it is predicted that they've become more so in the future. » He said this as a starting point for the development of his military strategy for the destruction of Algeria "Algeria considered itself an invincible power due to the failure of previous European assaults against them".
Regarding the island of Tabarka, he proposed to seize it from the Bey of Tunis and then pressure him to officially recognize France's ownership. He pointed out the benefits to France if it could effectively take control of Tabarka as a free coral hunt, get rid of the Bey's tax payment, and provide funds to ensure the security of the African venture.
As for the military strategy that France should pursue in colonizing Algeria, namely the descent of the army on the western side, was not specified. And this is what he will also demolish the forts and castles and move the cannons in France and then go to town with infantry and artillery divisions to push back and defeat the Algerians and then strike a land blockade to seize them from behind, the plan was insufficient because in Kercy's opinion, the battle with the Turks required the use of a tactic of war, and he was the first to put forward the idea of the centennial.
After the annexation of Algeria, a people's government must be established, therefore stimulating exchanges between the two countries, Algeria and France.
At the forefront of his proposal, he referred to the concept of dismantling and eradicating the Ottoman Empire, stating, "Egypt, and I repeat it every time, is the nation that France should not distract its focus from."
Kercy concluded his project with the following sentence: "These are the remarks that I can make to your civilizations, and if they do not deserve any consideration, it will be due to the fact that they contain inconsistencies and different points of view, so I would like to ask you only for the effect of the enthusiasm that has swayed in me, which leads me to everything that concerns the interests and glory of my country, that I cherish the honour of giving birth and devoting my life to. "
As a result of all of this, the project can be evaluated as follows:
The project did not present its program and did not back up its information with plans or designs of its military strategy, which was not represented in a visual.
Dekercy did not mention the Algerian fleet. During the year 1782, the Navy was composed of seven ships with a 34 cannons net, two with 24 cannons, two with 18 cannons, one with 10 cannons, the latter with 4 cannons, 10 boats and two with 6 cannons. The Navy had 23 ships and 400 cannons
Dekercy’s Project II 1791 :
This project did not deviate from the general character of the first project, and came 10 years after the first project, in 1791, based on the task he was given as French consul of Algeria, and he was therefore required to submit his second submissions on Algeria.
Mr. Farid Bennour was able to have the original version, which contains 17 clearly written documents. He attaches great importance to the military and Algerian-French relations, political and economic.
He began his report by discussing Dey Hussein Bacha, Dey Baba Mohammad, who died at the age of 86, the defeat of the Spaniards in their expedition in 1783-1784, which demonstrated the power of Algeria, allowing the Dey to no longer fear any European country, and Dey Baba Hassan (1791-1798).
In his second project, Kercy attempted to religiously link the Berbers as Christians with the French families in Algeria.
The reasons for France's failure to realize its plans in Algeria are also exposed in this project, including the power of the Algerian central government, which relied on its external force of sea rias. Kercy reiterated the issue of prisoners, their hostility, and other costs to recover a single prisoner, and cited reasons for the vulnerability of French business through several targeted points :
1. Allow Algeria to fish coral for about five to six hundred vessels from Sicily and Nablus on the merchant coast each summer.
2. Exempt the Dey from the taxes of the African company.
3. Cancellation of the trade in Marseille, which helped provide the African company with the necessary funds.
In order to achieve his goal, he had started to develop the military plan, but this time not only to occupy Algeria, but also to destroy it, which threatened the interests of his nation in particular and the Christian world in general. In this context, he referred to the following:
"If France desperately needs the status quo, which has cost it so much sacrifice, it can end Algeria by destroying it from the end by coordinating with another Christian force at home and abroad." He also wrote, "We must expect possible obstacles when they arise. It is the prognosis of incidents that may occur at every opportunity that ensures success."
He further mentioned that the plan should be kept private and held until the appropriate moment comes. And stated that all French citizens and employees in the African company must leave Algiers in order not to raise the Bey's suspicions. Thus, he will be trapped and beaten at night with stocks and artillery after being deployed along the coast of Algiers to Annaba and Kala. " France must be completely informed of the Berber country before assaulting Algeria, the only city in the world that deserves to be wiped."
He recommended landing in Sidi Fredj and bypassing Algeria by sea, stating, "The idea spread that the ideal spot to land is the so-called site of Sidi Fredj, which is three parsecs from Algiers." According to Kercy's assessment, we would descend into a plain center where we can approach the Emperor's fort in the south within four hours of walking over the plains, and he indicated that the landing would be the first camouflage at Cap Matifou in Bordj ElBahri east of Algiers (Sidi Fredj). The plan was to demolish the city's fortifications and take funds held in the Casbah's treasury.
Kercy estimated the number of soldiers assigned to the campaign at 3,000 to 4,000 because of the distance between Moulay Hassan's tower and Sidi Fredj, and told them "we must expect an army of 100,000 fighters near Algiers" and the expenses of the campaign reassured the French authorities that the seizure of this treasure was certain.
Kercy's experience in Algeria on his tenth visit, between 1782 and 1792, appears to have allowed him to witness many of the sociological features he stated in Project I and II submitted to French King Louis XVI.
Among those who could view the social structure of Algerian society were Kercy, "Pasteur Bouarai," who was able to visit the Algerian East, namely Kabylie, between 1785 and 1786, and the spy "Faure," who had resided in Algeria for 20 years on the basis of a watchmaker.
Thus, we say that the French hatred of Algeria, which slowly fermented until it matured and eroded over Algeria, reflects France's intense yearning. Although Dekercy's project was one of the most important French projects written in the eighteenth century, the French government was unable to implement it at that time because of France's preoccupation with its internal affairs.
– François Philipe Le Maye’s Project 1800 et Debois Neville 1801-1809 :
After the French Revolution, France became completely boycotted by the European countries, it found its best ally, Dey of Algeria, who respected the French flag. And contrary to his habit, he gave up the gifts that the consuls usually offered him, but this negotiation quickly became dangerous, and became one of the drivers that contributed to cement the relations between Algeria and France, especially after the mediation of the association of Jewish merchants.
- François Philipe Le Maye’s Project 1800:
European countries lined together to destroy France, and Turkey took up arms to colonize Egypt with it. The British and the Ottoman Empire imposed a strict blockade on Kufur in 1799. The commander of the military garrison, Le Maye, was forced to surrender. Le Maye was imprisoned in Algiers for 16 months until being freed in September 1800. His draft is 42 pages long and covers several facets of the endowment.
It can be divided into two axes: the first is an overview of the political, economic, judicial, commercial, military and statistical status of the referendum.
The political situation was described by the Algerian government which, according to him, was weak. The latter was composed of three members, the first of which was the head of the Janissary army, the Dey of the time, Mustaphaa Al Khaznadji, who was an old respondee, external consul and was part of the royalty.
He also became disenchanted with the Algerians, whom he considered incompatible with several human races. For example, the Kouloughlis Kabyles Turks, who worked in agriculture, and the poorest class of the city of Algiers, plus the Jews, who had considerable influence in the political and economic sphere, as well as the Christians.
In addition to an important topic addressed in this draft resolution, namely justice, where he noted the rigour in the application of the judicial system, he then proceeded to discuss trade as a curse for France, not a blessing, as it always seeks to sacrifice at the expense of maintaining and maintaining its trade.
The project's second axis was devoted to the military strategy that will facilitate the annexation of Algiers.
Despite its towering walls of up to 25 feet in length, he believes this tower is easily conquered. It is due to three factors: first, this tower is devoid of trenches; second, its fortified angles are not completely free, making it difficult to push their facades; and third, the same launch holes, in the sense that if the attacker is at the bottom of the castle, the artillery shells do not hit him because they are a little horizontal direction to their launch.
He concluded his project by emphasizing the enormous benefits that France will gain from the project and focusing on the richness of the treasury.
Among the criticisms made at this project is the fact that the Algerian government is made up of only three members, despite the fact that there are additional members, such as Khoudja El Khail, who is in charge of administering state property and the head of horse in addition to customers. It is obvious to mention the enormous benefits that France will receive just after the success of the campaign against Algeria, to which Le Maye advised the establishment of agricultural land, and this project represents an episode of French espionage in Algeria during the eighteenth century and the last in this century alone.
- Debois Neville’s Project 1801-1809 :
It contains two projects, 1801-1809, when Algeria and France were at odds and on the verge of war when the Dey Mustapha Bacha welcomed the envoy of Napoleon Dubois Thainville, received a truce, and entered into an armistice with him, which was eventually resolved in 1801.
His first project, in 1801 in Alicante, Spain, he edited a memorandum titled "Abstract for my operations in Africa," which he sent directly to Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris, and summarized the elements contained in the memorandum in the prints of the great leaders, the influence of Jews in governance, commercial status, naval and land forces. Debois Tainville recognized that Algeria was primarily a naval power and so spoke of the navy as precisely as possible, and ultimately the plea to Deboa Tateville to rid the Algerian population of the Turks, whom the Dey regarded as uneducated and weak. The Jews were dominant and had a deep effect in all major sectors of Algerian statehood, which means "Bekri and Bouchnaq."
The French who were imprisoned or resided in Algeria knew a lot about the country, its people, and its fortifications. However, the French consul in Algeria, Jean Bonsaint André, had prepared an occupation project against Algeria that relied primarily on a military force estimated at 30,000 soldiers, so he focused on the need to occupy the capital so that France could carry out its annexation project because the fall of the capital meant that access to other areas would not be difficult.
He strongly opposed the idea of extraordinary operations, and Dekercy noted the plan to renew a campaign against Algeria in 1791, confirming that the situation in Algeria had not changed. He referred to fortifications capable of repelling any attack of any magnitude, the sea towers he called in his arsenal fortification project, and also mentioned as Bordj de Moulay Hassan.
The military strategy emphasized on the importance of the French descent to Cap Matifou and Sidi Fredj simultaneously. It was proposed that Algeria join a war with Tunisia, then split the French army into two parts : one in the territory of Cap Matifou, the other on Sidi Fredj, and then launch a broad invasion on Bordj Moulay Hassan and hand over the capital.
The project's implications are that it was not given with maps and data, and that the completion of the war is overstated.
- Tedina 1802 scheme :
This project, entitled "A look at Algeria's dependence", is not very different from previous projects in terms of information on the social, economic and military conditions of dependence and the benefits to France of its occupation.
Tedena, on the other hand, underlined the importance of the ground attack, for which a military plan had been drawn up, in which he identified the point of descent, the trails and roads that the French army must take. The beach of Tenès, west of Algiers, was designated as a landing site since the location was favorable for landing owing to the lack of military artillery, but the project failed due to international conditions and did not represent what was stated there.
We notice that the military plan for this project is precise and deliberate, but that no time was given for this campaign and is not accompanied by graphics, which are purely theoretical.
- Boutin Project :
The Boutin project is one of the most important French projects for the occupation of Algeria under Napoleon Bonaparte. Vincent Yves Boutin was born on January 1, 1772 in a small village called Loroux-Bottereau, on the outskirts of Nantes, to a family belonging to the educated middle class. He received a Catholic education, then joined a small school before being sent to a large school to continue his studies. In July 1791, he obtained a diploma as a teacher in arts, and once he reached the age of 19 years until the end of his classical studies, he chose the career of soldier and entered the military school with the rank of lieutenant.
On April 18, 1808, Napoleon sent a memorandum to the French Minister of War instructing him to consider a campaign against Algeria, either by sea or land. He then ordered him to select a man to search for documents and gather information, and to combine experience in the maritime field with competence in military engineering to undertake a reconnaissance mission to Algiers, he was to walk around himself and take note of his observations and their situation, taking advantage of the information found in the French archives on foreign relations and warfare.
Boutin, who served in the French army, was selected as an officer in the Corps of Engineers.
Boutin disguised himself as a civilian and went to Algiers. On May 3, 1808, he left Paris. On the seventh day, he arrived in Toulon. The Algerian authorities misled them by telling them that he had come to visit a relative, Consul Debois Tainville, for a few weeks.
On the 24th of the same month, he arrived in Algiers and was received by the French consul Debois Tainville. His mission began by wandering the streets and surroundings of the city, while at the same time he made some preliminary drawings, and when he returned at night to the consulate, he began to write down his observations and research made during the day.
Boutin's project is entitled "Colonialism", which illustrates the objectives and intentions of the French authorities.
In the introduction to his report, Boutin emphasized two key points, the first being the choice of an appropriate place to land the troops near the capital, and the second being the resistance they would face upon landing.
A proposal had been made on the coast of Sidi Fredj after the inconvenience of landing east of the capital was reflected in the Spanish countryside and failed. In the west, the region was free of any fortresses. The second point, which he considered essential, was that Algeria could not gather more than 60,000 soldiers. He added that in order to succeed in this operation, it was necessary to start a war between Algeria and Tunisia.
"This is the way we will descend on Sidi Fredj, there will be no batteries or enemies to confront." he said, suggesting that the number of troops in the Algerian military campaign should be between 35 and 40 thousand. Boutin assured that the French army's route is from Sidi Fredj to Bordj Moulay Hassan, which is one of the best except for Constantine, which the French army cannot benefit from. He also stated the dangers that the campaign would encounter, and that the optimal period was from May to June, with a length of no more than a month.
When Boutin left Algiers, his ship was attacked by a British ship near the coast of Nigeria, and when he realized the danger, he tore up all the large documents signed by the Minister of War, Ducrey, as well as the confidential reports of Debois Tainville, written specifically for the Ministry of War, and threw them at sea before being captured at Malta.
He then went to Izmir, Constantinople, Paris, where he rewrote his report and attached it to a geographical atlas of about 15 paintings and maps. Establishing a military plan in which the landing zone was defined as the descent of 40 thousand soldiers in the peninsula from Sidi Fredj to the emperor's fort and then gave precise information on water and temperature by season, and the appropriate separation of the population, the project was handed to Decrey but Napoleon was not informed of this report until 03 months later because he was engaged in the Spanish campaign and the serious events in Europe on Algeria itself.
- Debois Tainville 1809 Project :
In his memorandum on important waterways, including information on Algeria's topography, Debois Tainville again delivered a report to his government stressing on the need to deploy a military operation to Algeria and suggesting that France send French farmers there to establish French colonies. He then addressed the different categories of people, and the presentation on the success of the military war against Algeria had to be taken into account and won for France since they enjoyed great respect from the population. With this sentence, "Thus, few Turkish brigands recruited in the East are worthy of a real means of defense and attack, they were able to conquer three million people, and each Algerian beheading was compensated by the granting of a significant amount of money, stripping them of their property and capturing their wives and children. »
The Jews in this draft were not mentioned as thoroughly as in the second draft, according to the issues raised in this second draft of Debois Tainville. The evidence of accurate observation of events in France's consulate is the most significant notion of France's activity to win over its associates. The draft remained at the Foreign Ministry, where it was specifically analysed, and France was not planning a military campaign against Algeria at the time due to its engagement in European events, notably Napoleon's continental blockade of Britain to eliminate its commerce.
After Napoleon Bonaparte's mandate expired, all of the projects that were attending in a calm fire vanished, and the occupation of Algeria was postponed, bringing the judgement to a character known as arrogant and determined to complete the projects in order to achieve the main goal of the occupation of Algeria. Who might this exceptional person be ?
- June 8, 1827 Project :
Despite the fact that the capital is secure from the sea, the owner of the project emphasized the necessity to hasten the takeover of Algeria as a naval force. When the battle is over, it will be from the port of Toulon so that the Casbah will be taken and its reservoir will be stolen. The project's conclusion is that the campaign's objective is to shame the enemies of Christianity and to highlight the glory of France, whose owner contradicts himself by, on the one hand, recognizing Algeria's maritime strength while emphasizing the success of this maritime war.
- Clermont Tonnere Project October 14, 1827 :
He stated at the start of his project for King Charles X : "There is a war going on with Algeria, sir. How can we put a stop to it in a meaningful and positive way for France ? This is the question I keep returning to." He stated that there are great anchorages along the Algerian coasts that will help France. He also emphasized that the campaign against Algeria was the right of King Charles X, who described it as a crusade created by divine care, and it was the duty of the King of France to carry it out because God had chosen him to take revenge on his enemies.
Clermont Tonnere based on the military aspect in line with previous projects because it was designed for the military campaign of occupation of Algeria. On this he stated that the occupation of the city of Algiers, then Oran, Annaba and Constantine, the call for the establishment of a just government, the respect of the facilities, the inviolability of the mosques and zawayah, and the guarantee of security and freedom of Algerians.
- Velvac Gabriel Jacques 1827 Project :
After the Fly Whisk incident involving a military attack on Algeria, Velvac received an invitation from the French Prime Minister at the time, Mr. Villèle 1827. As a result, he felt compelled to share his great expertise and knowledge of Algerian upkeep by combining it in a well-known project that comprised several components, the most significant of which was the military aspect, and completed by naming Algeria Numedie and Caesarian Britain.
- Collie August 18, 1827 Project :
Collys made three ideas to Bacha, and following the Fly Whisk incident, he was the first to meet with Captain Bacha, his chief of staff, consul with the minutes of the consuls and foreign generals, and apologize to Deval. The second was to dispatch a delegation to the French fleet to apologize to Deval, and the third was to raise the French flag over all Algerian fortresses and fire a hundred rounds of salute in his honour. Within 24 hours, the response has to be one of these three proposals. When Bacha refused, Collys imposed a blockade on June 16, 1827, affecting the continuance of the land war because the marine effort had failed.
Given the shortcomings of the project or the lack of information, he called for a return to the Boutin project, which was important both for France and for Europe.
- Deputi Noire Project 20 September 1827:
A project was assigned to the Deputi Noire officer. He performed various studies on Algeria and its coastlines, as well as their importance to France. On this premise, he created a thorough report for the Minister of War, in which he emphasized the need of France conducting her military campaign alone. The number of French forces had been limited to around 25 thousand, and he advocated for the engagement of his country's land and naval armies, which was one of the proponents of the ground campaign.
He pinpointed two landing sites, one west of Algiers' most significant city, Sidi Fredj, and the other east of the right bank of the Oued El Harrach. As a consequence, the army was split into two halves, and the fleet was split into three. The first is tasked with attacking and destroying Algeria's defences from the sea. Two others were responsible for landing the soldiers at Sidi Fredj and on the right bank of the Oued El Harrach.
This project was prepared on the basis of the attack on Algeria from the sea, but was not adopted by the French government.
- Project Chabrol 22 august 1827 :
Almost the same ideas were reflected in the Deputi Noir project, which insisted on the need to accelerate the occupation of Algeria by military force and the annexation of the French Crown, like its predecessors as advocates of a total and comprehensive occupation of Algeria.
Velvac found his wandering in the religious politics of King Charles X, so he made sure that religious motivation would be among the main drivers of the campaign project.
- Barbié Du Bocage Project 30 August 1827 :
He opened his project by referring to the government of the Maghreb in general and Algeria in particular, which he considered to be outside of humanitarian law. Algeria also had a trade that depended mainly on looting and piracy, the latter being its only source.
He advocated for a quick marine campaign, and his military strategy might be summarised as descending to Tenès or Cherchal, extending through the mountains and plains of Miliana, and then crossing the crowned plain to reach the southern hills facing Algiers.
According to his plan, capturing Algeria required a military force of 40 to occupy all of Algerian territory, thus adding to France's sovereignty and eventually annexing Algeria.
Barbié Du Bacage provided her project with two maps ; the first representing the province of Algeria, and the second with a plan for the city and suburbs of Algeria.
- Project Louverdo 1827 :
This general was in charge of putting up a project combining historical, geographical, statistical, and military information for a campaign against Algeria. His work was halted for three months, but the French government did not endorse the campaign. Following the Greek occurrences, notably the presence of the French fleet in Greece, it decided on a blockade.
- Jacques Laine devillevéque Project 10 july 1827 :
The main points of this project are the call for a good treatment of the population so that the French army can get all the necessities. The owner of this project stated, "In our good treatment of the population, paying them for everything we will need, nothing will be missing."
The number of soldiers involved in the campaign was estimated to be at least 20,000 to 25,000 soldiers, and he limped to an important site where the French army landed, where he proposed a Gulf and the Gulf of West of the capital but did not specifically name the area, considering that it was the most appropriate place because it was free of fortifications.
The aim of this project was to fully bind Algeria to France by dissolving Algerian society through the passage of legislation that permitted Algerians to blend into French society.
His project had a social aspect, touching on the composition of Algerian society during the period, starting with the category of Turks, Kouloughlis and then Arabs and Jews without referring to the Berbers, whom he mixed with the Arab race unintentionally, because he believed that the success of the campaign would be helped by the Algerian population, which disliked Turkish rule, and would therefore have opportunities for revenge against Algeria.
- Pierre Duval Project :
The owner of this project is a seasoned French figure who held diplomatic positions under King Louis XVIII until his death in 1824, and then under King Charles X, who was kept by the Consul General of France in the regency of Algeria who was behind the Fly Whisk accident.
He had begun to adequately account for Algeria's military support and preparations. He guaranteed that the tough invasion of Algeria was therefore needed in order to establish a naval blockade. He put all of these findings into a draft titled "Memorandum on the Authority's Difficulties and Issues for a Land Campaign Against Algeria."
He recalled the most important events he had experienced, such as the French consul in Algeria from 1815. He identified the main area of the upper landing as the west of the city. The second point is a secondary point east of the city in the beach of Oued El Harrach to Bordj El Bahri.