Emir Abdulkadir, who is considered the national hero of Algeria today, was a personality who led the resistance of the Algerian people against France and laid the foundations of the Algerian State.
(1807-1883) Algerian Muslim leader. He fought against the French occupation between 1831 and 1847. He was born in Mascara and died in Damascus. His father was a prominent member of the Hashemite tribe and the Almoravid organization, which had a respected political and religious place in North Africa. In addition to his Islamic education, he also learned the sciences. The trip he and his father made to Mecca and the Middle East countries influenced his development and increased his knowledge.
Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of Algiers in the early 19th century. The name "Abdelkader" is sometimes transliterated as "ʻAbd al-Qādir", "Abd al-Kader", "Abdul Kader".
When the French ended the Ottoman rule in Algeria in 1830, the Moroccan Sultan, who saw French domination in the region as dangerous for his country, sent soldiers to the Oran region in the same year. Moroccan troops tried to mobilize the Algerian tribes against French rule and declared Abdulkadir's father Muhyiddin caliph on behalf of the Moroccan Sultan. After the Moroccans left Algeria, the prominent sheriffs, Almoravids, and sheiks of the Oran region came together and discussed what should be done. Abdulkadir was elected as the Emir of the Oran region at the request of his father.
Between 1832 and 1834 there were constant clashes between the French and the Algerians, but neither side could gain a decisive advantage, and a peace treaty was agreed upon in 1834.
After four years of peace, the French, uneasy about the strengthening of Abdulkadir, launched an attack in order to limit his sovereignty. The army under the command of Marshal Bugeaud, an expert in gang warfare, defeated Abdulkadir's troops. Although Abdulkadir was defeated, he managed to expand the area under his control with the Treaty of Tafna signed at the end of the war. By 1839, two-thirds of Algeria recognized his rule. However, as a result of the emergence of some problems related to the Treaty of Tafna, the conflicts started again. It was fought continuously for 6 years and heavy losses were inflicted on each other. In the end, Abdulkadir was defeated and took refuge in Morocco. The French also declared war on Morocco. When Morocco was defeated in 1844, Abdulkadir, who returned to Algeria, organized a new resistance. After fighting for 2 years, he had to surrender in 1847 as a result of some tribes giving up fighting and collaborating with the French. After staying in a French prison until 1852, he went to Istanbul and from there to Bursa. During his stay in Bursa, he wrote a philosophical treatise called Zikrü'l-Akil ve Tenbihü'l-Gâfil. Abdulkadir, who went to Damascus in 1855, devoted himself to science and worship. In 1860, when Lebanese rebels tried to kill the Christian people, with the help of Algerian immigrants, he saved the French Consul and nearly 1500 people. Due to this event, the French Government awarded Abdülkadir the Legion d'Honneur. He did not engage in politics until the end of his life.
Abdulkadir created a Muslim state in Algeria in a short period of 10 years, through both war and diplomacy. He used the existing social forces, institutions, and beliefs with great skill in any way he wanted. He formed a regular army and met his weapon needs from the factories he founded. His domination of two-thirds of Algeria by curbing French expansion was more the result of diplomatic skill than of military success.
The foundation of state established by Abdulkadir was based on tribes. Powerful tribes were privileged, while other tribes were asked to assist in the collection of taxes and the operation of order and law. The lands under the control of Abdulkadir were divided into two regions under the rule of a caliph. There were gentlemen under the caliphs. These rulers also undertook military administration in wartime.
The state founded by Abdulkadir was accepted as the first form of the independent Algerian State, and his memory served as a guide during the war of independence between 1954-1962.