Siege of Oran (1707–1708)
The siege of Oran was a battle between the Spanish Empire and the Regency of Algiers. It was started by Mustapha Bouchelaghem, the Bey of Mascara. The Algerian victory in the battle led to the city being reconquered by the Algerians for 24 years (1708–1732), before Spanish forces reconquered the town in 1732.
| Siege of Oran | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Bouchelaghem Bey Ouzoum Hassan |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Carlo Carafa Melchor Avellaneda | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown, but high |
A few thousand garrison troops Several more thousand reinforcements | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
Background
In 1509, Spain conquered Oran from the Algerian Kingdom of Tlemcen.[1] The Spanish garrison had to engage in a form of diplomacy with the local Algerian tribes, as to not get raided by them.
Despite Ottoman-Algerian attempts to seize the town, such as in 1563 all failed.[2]
Around the start of the 18th century, relations with these tribes soured. The "peaceful Moors", tribes which engaged in commerce with the Spanish, refused to do so thanks to this drop in relations, isolating the town from North Africa, and forcing the Spanish to supply it through sea.[3]
In 1703, the new governor of Oran, Don Carlos Carraja raided the Algerian Beni Ameur tribes. About 80 were killed and 250 were captured. This marked a rupture in Algerian and Spanish relations, which have been favorable since the Algerian-Moroccan war in 1701.[4] The bey Mustapha ben Youssouf, better known by the Epithet Bouchelaghem or Bigotillos meaning man with a moustache, saw an opportunity in the Spanish War of Succession. The city, already under blockade by the Algerian navy[5] entered a state of siege. On November 1, 1707, Ouzoum Hassan, a commander from Algiers sent his army to take the fort of Saint-Philippe, thus officially beginning the siege. The forces of the Beylik of Mascara commanded by Bouchelaghem arrived a few days later.
The battle
The bey took control of the heights of Aïdour, from where he bombarded the Spanish, effectively destroying their defences.[6][7] The Bey took control over Oran on January 20, 1708, while Mers el Kébir fell on April 4.
References
- BOOK (1866). The Book of Dates; Or, Treasury of Universal Reference: ... New and Revised Edition. C. Griffin & Company.
- Edwards, John (2005). Edad moderna : "El auge del Imperio, 1474-1598". John Lynch., Jordi Beltrán, Juan Faci. Barcelona: Crítica. ISBN 84-8432-627-6. OCLC 642457896.
- Abadie 2002, p. 32.
- Terki Hassaine, Ismet (2004-06-30). "Oran au xviiie siècle : du désarroi à la clairvoyance politique de l'Espagne". Insaniyat / إنسانيات. Revue algérienne d'anthropologie et de sciences sociales (in French) (23–24): 197–222. doi:10.4000/insaniyat.5625. ISSN 1111-2050.
- Chitour 2004, p. 225.
- Salinas 2004, p. 66.
- Abadie 2002, p. 46.
Bibliography
- Abadie, Louis (2002-01-01). Oran et Mers el Kebir (in French). Serre éditeur. p. 128. ISBN 978-2-906431-53-9. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
- Chitour, Chems-Eddine (2004-01-01). Algérie : le passé revisité : une brève histoire de l'Algérie (in French). Casbah Editions. ISBN 9789961644966. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
- Salinas, Alfred (2004-01-01). Oran la joyeuse (in French). L'Harmattan. p. 319. ISBN 978-2-7475-6585-1. Retrieved 2017-01-11.