Odjak of Algiers | |
---|---|
Ujaq | |
Active | 1518-1830 |
Disbanded | De jure 1830, De facto 1837 |
Country | Regency of Algiers |
Allegiance | Agha of the Odjak |
Size | 12,000 (1600) 7,000 (1750) 4,000 (1800) |
Main location | Algiers |
Equipment | Initially: Equipment by the Ottoman Empire Nimcha, Kabyle musket, and other locally made weapons |
Engagements | Algiers expedition (1541) Tuggurt Expedition (1552) Odjak of Algiers Revolution French-Algerian War 1681–88 Battle of Moulouya Tunisian-Algerian Wars Invasion of Algiers (1775) Invasion of Algiers in 1830 Battle of Constantine |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Ibrahim Agha |
The "Odjak of Algiers" (also spelled Ujaq) was a unit of the Algerian army.[1] It was a highly autonomous part of the Janissary Corps, acting completely independently from the rest of the corps,[2] similar to the relationship between Algiers and the Sublime Porte.[3] Led by an Agha, they also took part in the country's internal administration and politics, ruling the country for several years.[4] They acted as a defense unit, a Praetorian Guard,[5] and an instrument of repression until 1817.
Algiers was governed, from the beginning of the 16th century, by a foreign militia, commonly called by Europeans "the Odjak" or "the Turkish militia". The denomination "Turk", referred to the geographical and ethnic origin of most members of this militia, to their language, and to their belonging to a culture distinct from that of other Algerians.[6] The Odjak of Algiers was a faction in the country which encompassed all Janissaries. They also often controlled the country, for example during the period of Aghas from 1659 to 1671.[7]
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[In 1671] Ottoman Algeria became a military republic, ruled in the name of the Ottoman sultan by officers chosen by and in the interest of the Ujaq.