Mascara campaign (1699–1701)

Mascara campaign
	Part of the Maghrebi War (1699-1702)
Date	1699-1701
Location	Beylik of Mascara
Result	Algerian victory
Belligerents
Sultanate of Morocco	Deylik of Algiers; Beylik of Mascara;
Commanders and leaders
Ismail Ibn Sharif; Moulay Zidan	Hadj Mustapha Dey; Mustapha Bouchelaghem

The Mascara campaign of 1699-1701 was launched by Moulay Zidan, son of the Moroccan Sultan Moulay Ismail, to capture the Beylik of Mascara, situated in the west of the Deylik of Algiers. This episode reopened the hostilities between the Sherifian Empire and the Regency of Algiers.

Campaign

Sometime between 1699 and 1700, Sultan Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif instructed his son Moulay Zidan, to whom he entrusted the command of the province of Taza, to launch an offensive against the Turks of Algiers, in coordination with an offensive by the Bey of Tunis Murad III on the Beylik of Constantine, which triggered a two front war against the Deylik of Algiers.

The Moroccan army, mainly composed of the Black Guard, commanded by Moulay Zidan, managed to chase the Turks from Tlemcen. The Moroccan army besieged the city defended by armed Kouloughlis whom were the main inhabitants of the city,^[1] and even pushed as far as Mascara, the capital of the Western Beylik, whose Bey Othman was absent due to an expedition. The Moroccans ravaged the whole region, ransacked the city, even looting the Bey's palace. However, perhaps to save his loot, Moulay Zidan returned to Morocco after agreeing to a peace negotiation with the Turks, which angered Moulay Ismail because it allowed the Dey of Algiers to concentrate on its eastern front against the army of the Bey of Tunis, which he crushed between Setif and Constantine.^[2]

After dismissing his son, Moulay Ismail resumed the campaign and led in person another offensive against the Algerians in 1701.^[2]^[3]^[4] After crossing the Algerian border, he was defeated at the Battle of Chelif.

References

^ Kettle, Michael (1993). De Gaulle and Algeria, 1940-1960: From Mers El-Kébir to the Algiers Barracades [sic.]. Quartet. ISBN 978-0-7043-7023-4.
^ ^a ^b Cour, Auguste (2004-09-10). L'établissement des dynasties des Chérifs au Maroc et leur rivalité avec les Turcs de la Régence d'Alger, 1509-1830 (in French). Editions Bouchène. ISBN 978-2-35676-097-5.
^ Histoire générale de l'Algérie. P.554. Henri Garrot Impr. P. Crescenzo,
^ Cour Auguste, « Chapitre X », L’établissement des dynasties des Chérifs au Maroc et leur rivalité avec les Turcs de la Régence d’Alger, Saint-Denis, Éditions Bouchène, « Histoire du Maghreb », 2004, p. 150-155.

[1] Kettle, Michael (1993). De Gaulle and Algeria, 1940-1960: From Mers El-Kébir to the Algiers Barracades [sic.]. Quartet. ISBN 978-0-7043-7023-4.

[Auguste-2] Cour, Auguste (2004-09-10). L'établissement des dynasties des Chérifs au Maroc et leur rivalité avec les Turcs de la Régence d'Alger, 1509-1830 (in French). Editions Bouchène. ISBN 978-2-35676-097-5.

[3] Histoire générale de l'Algérie. P.554. Henri Garrot Impr. P. Crescenzo,

[:2-4] Cour Auguste, « Chapitre X », L’établissement des dynasties des Chérifs au Maroc et leur rivalité avec les Turcs de la Régence d’Alger, Saint-Denis, Éditions Bouchène, « Histoire du Maghreb », 2004, p. 150-155.

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