French forces seize Abd al-Qadir's mobile capital, the Smala

The agreement between French General Desmichels and Emir Abd al-Qadir recognised the Emir's political authority in parts of western Algeria and established a negotiated pause in fighting. Abd al-Qadir...

General Bugeaud and Emir Abd al-Qadir signed the Treaty of Tafna, which recognised the Emir's authority over extensive parts of Algeria while French forces retained key coastal positions. The treaty...

French troops breached Constantine's defences and captured the city after a costly assault. Ahmed Bey had resisted French expansion in the east and continued resistance after the city fell. The...

French troops crossed the Iron Gates in the Bibans, a passage through territory claimed by Abd al-Qadir under the Treaty of Tafna. The operation aimed to connect French-held Algiers and Constantine,...

Thomas Robert Bugeaud arrived in Algiers as governor-general and issued proclamations to the European settler population and the army. His administration intensified the drive to conquer and secure...

After pursuing Ouled Riah people who had taken refuge in caves in the Dahra, French troops under Colonel Pélissier sealed the entrances and burned fuel, suffocating those inside. The victims...

Emir Abd al-Qadir surrendered to French forces on 23 December 1847 after receiving assurances that he could travel to the Arab lands of the Ottoman Empire. French authorities instead transported him...

After a prolonged siege, French forces stormed the fortified oasis of Zaatcha, where local resistance had rallied under Cheikh Bouziane. The assault ended in mass killing and the destruction of...

French forces began the major 1857 campaign to impose colonial control over Kabylia, a mountainous region where local communities had maintained substantial autonomy. Kabyle contingents mobilised in...

Kabyle fighters defended the position at Icheriden against a French assault during the 1857 campaign. The battle was intense and costly; the French military account gives the conquerors'...