Algiers fortified city vs. Algiers occupied in 1830

Abstract

[EN] From the 16th century and under the Ottoman reign, the city of Algiers was called the protected city or "el Mahroussa", a name that comes to it, from the system of fortifications, which ensured its protection and its defense from the danger that came to it by seeing the sea. Despite its surrounding walls, the forts and the batteries that were attached to them, its fortified port, and the forts detached from its near and distant surroundings, Algiers was taken by French military troops on July 5, 1830. This contribution raises the question of the effectiveness of the modern fortifications erected during the Ottoman reign and their impact on the protection and defense of the city against the European attacks that it had known from the 16th century. It also presents the strategy adopted by the French military engineering for the capture of the city in 1830, a strategy based on the plan of attack drawn up by Captain Vincent-Yves Boutin in 1808, during his secret mission in Algeria. The contribution returns to the importance of the hinterland as a line of protection of territories against attacks by sea. Methodologically, it is essentially based on the exploitation of texts and historical accounts, as well as on archival documents (military reports, etc.), plans, and maps drawn up by French military engineers at the time of the first operations to occupy the city and its territory.