Abd-el-Kader

Abd-el-Kader, properly Sidi-el-Hadji-Abd-el-Kader-Uled-Mahiddin, the famous hero in the great Algerian struggle with the French, was born at Mascara in 1807. A scion of a priestly house that traced its pedigree to the califs of the lineage of Fatima, he was carefully educated, and early succeeded to the high influence held by his father among his countrymen. His public career began at the time of the conquest of Algiers by the French. No sooner was the power of the Turks broken, than the Arab tribes of the province of Oran elected him as their emir. He thus found himself the leader of the combined tribes in their attempt to check the growing power of France in Northern Africa, and began that long struggle with the French, which he waged with such marvellous perseverance and strategic skill, from 1832 to 1847. Often defeated, he appeared soon after at the head of new troops, and baffled the enemy by his marvellous rapidity. In 1834, he compelled General Desmichels to recognise his authority in a treaty, and meantime his influence spread widely among the tribes of the interior. Hostilities soon broke out again, and in June (1835) he inflicted a severe defeat on a large French army at Makta. Spite, however, of his heroism, he was crushed by overpowering force, and compelled, after a protracted struggle, to take refuge in Morocco. Here he succeeded in getting up a sort of crusade against the enemies of Islam; but Bugeaud's decisive victory at Isly in 1844, obliged the sultan of Morocco to give up the cause of Abd-el-Kader, though he could not prevent his warlike subjects from giving sympathy and some support to the brave champion of their faith. His own security soon obliged the sultan to oppose him actively, and at length Abd-el-Kader was forced, after a daring but unsuccessful attack on the Moorish camp, to retreat into the territory of Algeria, where he had to surrender to General Lamoriciere, December 22, 1847. He was sent with his family to France, where he lived in honourable captivity, until liberated in 1852 by Louis Napoleon. He afterwards resided successively in Broussa in Asia Minor, Constantinople, and finally Damascus. Enjoying a French pension of 100,000 francs, he spent his leisure in the composition of a work of a religious, philosophical character, which was translated in 1858, under the title, Rappel à l'Intelligent: Avis à l'Indifférent. He was of great service to the cause of humanity during the Syrian massacres of 1860, and for this was decorated by Napoleon III. with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. In 1865 he visited Paris and England, and was at the Paris Exhibition in 1867. He died at Damascus, 26th May 1883.