What was: The French invasion of Algeria

The French invasion of Algeria was one of the major events that eventually drove the European colonization of Africa. Faced with heavy unpopularity, the King launched this invasion but it failed to garner enough support to suppress revolutionary fever. But what was The French invasion of Algeria? In this video, we'll be looking at just that.

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The French had used Algeria has a large importer during the French Revolution, primarily of food and bought on credit. Following the end of the Revolution and the Bourbon Restoration, trade with the Algerians was heavily limited. Due to this lack of revenue, the Dey of Algeria increased taxes, angering the people and led to a largely increase in pirate activity. The pirate activity had already hampered the Dey twice before in wars against the young United States, and the British bombardment in 1816. In 1827, the Dey demanded that the French re-pay a 28 year debt, dating to the buying of supplies for Napoleons Egyptian invasion. The answers by the French consul didn't satisfy the dey, who touched the consul with his fly-whisk. In return, the French conducted a blockage of Algeria, largely to the detriment of the French merchants. A french embassy got shelled at from an Algerian fort some years later, and this in turn proved the catalyst for a full on French invasion of the nation.

On June the 14th of the following year. A French fleet of over 100 warships and 35,000 men landed on the coastal town of Sidi Ferruch to minimal resistance. Within a few days the Dey had organized an army of around 10,000, including 1,000 janissaries. The French managed to keep this force at bay for two weeks, until siege batteries were managed to land. The following day, the fort defending the city of Algiers was attacked, with it falling on July the 4th. Costing 415 French casualties. The Dey was exiled to Naples, and negotiations continued on, before they could be settled, an administration was established for the city, with the intention to make the whole of Algeria a French Protectorate. Hardly had the news of the capture reached Paris than Charles X was deposed during the Three Glorious Days of July 1830. The occupation force was heavily cut following it, and local populations continued to resistance French rule.

The Establishment of friendly Bey's through-out the region only gave direct control of some cities, while the interior was largely controlled by hostile tribes. The Kabyle harassed the French for decades, gathering local support in French occupied cities. This was helped by the lack of effective administration that the colony had. A company was made, acquiring agricultural land and to subsidize its settlement by European farmers which triggered a land rush and a heavy amount of European settlement.

French control over the territory was still largely only in a few coastal cities, but gradually occupied and annexed larger and larger amounts of territory annexing Oran, Bone, and Bougie by 1834. This led to a call of Jihad against the French in the western end of the nation, and the local elders elected Abd al-Qādir to lead it. Abd managed to gather heavy support from the western tribes near Oran and concluded a treaty with the French the same year, which was reluctantly signed. It stated that all land in Oran outside of French control