Ancient Competencies
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Abdelaziz Amokrane dit Sidi El Djoudi "The Brave"
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Sultan of Qalaâ Nath Abbes, Warrior and Strategist Ancestor of the Ath Moqrane (El Mokrani) dynasty Founder of an authentically Algerian kingdom Reign: 1510-1559 (49 years) |
Origins & Education
Abdelaziz Amokrane, nicknamed "Sidi El Djoudi" (the brave), is one of the illustrious ancestors of the Ath Moqrane (El Mokrani) dynasty. Son of Ahmed Ben Abderrahmane, he inherited a kingdom in formation in the mountainous region of Biban, a strategic territory in the heart of Algeria.
Dynastic heritage: Continuing the work begun by his father and grandfather, he followed in the lineage of Berber leaders who had managed to preserve their autonomy against the great powers of the era.
His training as a warrior and leader took place in the troubled context of the early 16th century, marked by the arrival of the Spanish on Algerian coasts and Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean. This era forged his character and strategic vision.
From his youth, he understood the crucial importance of military modernization and tactical adaptation to resist European armies equipped with firearms. This early awareness would guide his entire defense policy.
Career
Exceptional reign: 1510-1559 - 49 years of rule that marked the apex of Qalaâ Nath Abbes and its transformation into an unavoidable regional power.
Abdelaziz Amokrane took power around 1510 and quickly became the true founder of Qalaâ Nath Abbes, a powerful and authentically Algerian kingdom that would stand up simultaneously to both Spanish and Ottomans.
Revolutionary military reorganization: He restructured his army into Berber infantry and units of European mercenaries and renegades armed with arquebuses and muskets, creating a formidable hybrid force.
His defensive strategy relied on a network of fixed barracks and military bases situated around the Qalâa, notably at Tala Mzida and Tazla, and on the surrounding mountains. These fortified positions controlled strategic communication routes.
He also established cavalry based in the High Plateaus and in the Hodna, from a regiment of the Hachem tribe of Mascara that he brought back from a western war expedition and installed at Medjana. He also relied on the Ouled Madhi tribe of Msila.
Strategic alliance with Spain (1510-1516): He first allied with the Spanish under Pedro de Navarro, who had captured Bougie in 1510. In exchange for supplies for the besieged garrison, they provided him with gunpowder, rifles, and workers to fortify his Qalâa.
This pragmatic alliance allowed Bougie to resist sieges thanks to agreements between Abdelaziz and Marino De Ribera between 1511 and 1516. Part of the citadel's wall still bears the name "Essour Irroumyen" (Roman ramparts), testimony to this cooperation.
Alliance reversal (1516): When Baba Arroudj undertook to end this Hispanic-Berber alliance and met him at Ath Khiar, Abdelaziz, facing superior Turkish forces, showed political realism and submitted, breaking with the Spanish.
Distinctions, Impact & Influence
Military professionalization: Abdelaziz remedied the traditional weakness of Berber armies (peasant-soldiers abandoning combat during harvest periods) by creating a professional army of 10,000 men.
Technological innovation: Aware that muskets gave the Turks their advantage, he developed weapons factories with help from renegades and Christians. According to Spanish historian Diego de Haedo, he generously welcomed renegades from Algiers and Christian captives, offering them good pay and religious freedom in exchange for their military services.
Integration policy: He married and enriched those who converted to Islam, but left "complete freedom" to Christians to keep their faith, as long as they served him in war, thus creating a formidable troop of musketeers.
Portrait by Spanish chroniclers: "Proud and brave, only acts of honor rejoiced him; if he reserved his admiration only for what was glorious, on the other hand, the slightest sign of cowardice never failed to revolt him. As a true warrior and man, conscious of his dignity, unseemly vanities exasperated him to the extreme."
Alliance with the Kingdom of Koukou (1553): Thanks to the intervention of the main marabouts of Soummam and Djurdjura, he sealed an alliance with Ahmed Oulqadhi, king of Koukou, whose daughter he married, uniting the two Kabyle powers against the common Ottoman enemy.
Heroic resistance to the Ottomans: Between 1553 and 1559, he repelled three major Ottoman expeditions, inflicting heavy