Acting

Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine

Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (Arabic: عبد القادر بن محي الدين (ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥyiddīn), also known as Emir Abdelkader, or Abdelkader El Djezairi (Abdelkader the Algerian), born September 6, 1808 in El Guettana, in the regency of Algiers, and died May 26, 1883 in Damascus, Syria, is an Algerian emir, religious and military leader, who led a fight against the conquest of Algeria by France in the middle of the 19th century. His father, Mahieddine, from the Qadiriyya Sufi religious brotherhood, gave his son a remarkable education in matters of religion, making him an excellent horseman and an outstanding fighter. he will also study Arabic literature, mathematics, astronomy, history and philosophy. The fall of the Ottomans in Algiers in 1830 then that of Oran, allows Abd El-Kader to go down in history when the tribes of the region of Mascara and Oranie come at the end of 1832 to propose the title of sultan to his father. who declines the offer in favor of his son. After the capture of Algiers by France, Abd El-Kader proclaims the first jihad against the colonial enemy. The young Abd el-Kader is chosen as general (emir) to form a corps of cavalry which harasses the French occupiers. A guerrilla warfare marked by turnarounds and deadly ambushes continued until 1842, when Marshal Bugeaud, Governor General of Algeria, decided to break the resistance with a "total war". On May 16, 1843, the smala (chief's clan) was taken by the Duke of Aumale. In December 1847 the emir went against the promise that he would be allowed to go into exile in Alexandria or Saint-Jean d'Acre. As a pledge, he gives his saber and his famous black horse.