Beylik of Constantine
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Beylik of the East بايلك قسنطينة ( Arabic )Bâylik Qasentina | |||||||||
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1528–1837 | |||||||||
Personal standard of the | |||||||||
Government | 1528–1830 Beylik; Elective monarchy under the suzerainty of the Algerian Dey | ||||||||
Bey | |||||||||
• 1528–1567 | Ramdane-Tchulak | ||||||||
• 1771–1792 | Salah ben Mostefa | ||||||||
• 1826–1837 | Hadj Ahmed | ||||||||
Historical era | Early Modern Period | ||||||||
• Established | 1528 | ||||||||
1837 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Today part of | Algeria |
The Beylik of Constantine (
History
The Beylik of the East was the most important and the richest of the three Beyliks of the Regency of Algiers. The Bey usually made his residence there in Constantine. The city is built on a plateau, surrounded on three sides by a deep ravine at the bottom of which flows the Rhumel River.
The period extending from 1514 to 1648 saw the end of Constantine's dependence on the Hafsids of Tunis and its definitive attachment to the central power of Algiers in the 1530s. Control of the entire province is acquired only after clashes with the powerful tribal confederations of the region. In the 18th century, Constantine experienced a period of great political stability, thanks in particular to the succession of a few energetic governors and competent administrators: Hasan Bey "Bou Kemia" (1713–1736), Hassan Bey Bou-Hanek (1736–1754), Hussein Bey Zereg-Aïnou (1754–1756), Ahmed Bey el Kolli (1756–1771) and especially Salah Bey (1771–1792), who is considered the most remarkable governor of the province. It was a period marked by the consolidation of the government, urban development works, internal expeditions to maintain order as well as several victorious expeditions against Tunis during the Tunisian–Algerian Wars.
Most of the wealth of the Beylik came from the levies on agricultural production. The agents of the administration maintained their provision at the prices of privileges granted to the local urban and rural elites. The city's
In addition, intrigues linked to power and maintained by the rivalries and ambitions of the contenders for the various government posts. The Beylik had experienced many popular revolts due to the rigours of the fiscal pressure in addition to socio-economic difficulties. This instability was correlated with the economic situation, agricultural production, periods of drought, famines and diseases.
After the
Population
The Beylik of Constantine was the most populated of three Beylik of the Regency, it brought together nearly two-thirds of the Algerian population. The tribes and families of large tents, allied with the authorities, shared power through a game of balance, symbolized by the investiture with a caftan that the tribal chiefs received after the Bey. In Constantine, the city notables took an active part in the management of affairs and owned large agricultural land in the cereal crown around the city.
The rural populations were divided into arch (tribes), made up of kharouba (fractions of tribes) which were subdivided into douars. The
Among the important tribes of the western region, we could distinguish the Telaghma, the Oulad Abdenour, the Amar Gheraba and the Medjana, guardians of the Bibans. East of Constantine, we could have found the Oulad Zenati, the Hanancha, the Nementcha and the Amar Cheraga. The Turkish ethnic element played only a negligible role, the number of
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Constantine had between 25 and 30,000 inhabitants, alongside the indigenous population of urban origin known as Hadar, the city attracted populations from the interior of Algeria, known as barrâniyya, composed mainly of
was one of the cities of the pre-colonial era with a population of over 10,000 inhabitants, the other cities having only a smaller population.Geography
The province of Constantine had a vast territory, it was bounded on the north by the
It measured approximately 430 km in its greatest length and 330 km in average width. The coast of the province, from Béjaïa to Annaba, is mountainous.
Organization of the Beylik
Administration of the province
The highest authority in the Beylik was the Bey of Constantine who was appointed by the
- The Khalifah: was the bey's deputy and had for functions; ensure the collection of taxes and control the Qaids. It had tribes as its prerogative and could use the militia;
- The Agha es sbaihia: had the command of the provincial troops and had a cavalry made up of the fractions of the douars around Constantine;
- The Bach katib: was a kind of secretary general who ensured the important correspondence with the Pasha of Algiers and the Sublime Porte;
- The Bach mekaheli: was the head of the bey's private guard;
- The Bach serradj: was the head of the bey's stables;
- The Bach alam: was the leader of the standard bearers;
- The Bach khazbadji: was the overseer of the money transport convoys;
- The Khodja al-khil: was in charge of the march of horses and mules.
Administration of Constantine
Constantine had truly urban authorities. There was an employee called Qaid ed-dar with "municipal" attributions, in charge of the administration and the police of the city, he had a large number of municipal officials:
- The Qaid el-Bab, collected the duties of grant and customs;
- The Qaid es-souk, controlled the markets;
- The Qaid ez-zebel, was in charge of the cleanliness;
- The Qaid el-Casba, was in charge of the city police, particularly during the night;
- The Amines or trustees of the trade corporations, were responsible for supervising the workers and settling disputes;
- The Oukil bit el-mal, administered the vacant estates for the benefit of the poor;
- The Mokkadem, was the head of the Jews;
- A Berrah, announced official decisions.
The local families played, throughout the
Constantine had about a hundred religious establishments, including many mosques. Each mosque was attached by an
Public Force
The Bey had a
Bibliography
- Kaddache, Mahfoud (1992). Algeria during the Ottoman period – L'Algérie durant la période Ottomane. ISBN 9961000994.
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- Juchereau de Saint-Denis, Antoine (1831). Statistical, historical, military and political considerations about the regency of Algiers - Considérations statistiques, historiques, militaires et politiques sur la régence d'Alger.
- ISBN 978-2-228-88789-2.