Battle of Oued Djer

The Battle of Oued Djer occurred in 1517 after the locals of Ténès called upon Arudj Reis to remove its ruler who was a Spanish agent and had occupied the city with the help of the Spanish.

Battle of Oued Djer
Date 1517 Location Oued Djer, Algeria Result Algerian victory Capture of Miliana, Médéa and Ténès
Belligerents
Sultanate of Algiers Kingdom of Kuku	Spanish Oran Sheikhdom of Ténès
Commanders and leaders
Oruç Reis Ahmad al-Kadi	Hamid ben Abid
Units involved
A large contingent of Kabyles 1,500 armed Moors from Spain or Janissaries	8,000-10,000 Arabs
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

In 1516 Arudj Reis and his ally Ahmad al-Kadi seized Cherchell and Algiers with an army composed of 800 Turks and 5,000 Kabyle auxiliaries.^[1][2] Following the seizure of Algiers, the Spanish sent a force against him but this Spanish force was defeated in the Algiers expedition of 1516.^[3]

The local population of Ténès called upon Arudj Reis to remove its ruler, who occupied the city with the help of the Spaniards.^[1] Arudj Reis set out with an almost entirely Kabyle army.^[3] Approximately 8,000 or 10,000 Arabs were assembled by the Sultan of Tenes, who was a Spanish agent.^[1][4] The Sultan of Ténès, Hamid Ben Abid, hastened to attack Arudj Reis. Due to his relations with the Spaniards of Oran, Arudj Reis was determined to make an example out of him.^[2][4] He left his brother Hayreddin in Algiers as its governor and set out with 1500 armed Moors from Spain or Janissaries and a large contingent of Kabyles.^[2] The battle took place at the banks of Oued Djer, near Blida, and Arudj Reis defeated his enemy and pursued them as far as Ténès, which was seized without resistance.^[2][4][5] Médéa and Miliana were also captured.^[5][3]

Arudj Reis would eventually seize Tlemcen upon the request of its inhabitants to remove its Spanish yoke.^[1]

References

1. Gürkan, Emrah Safa. "Ottoman Corsairs in The Western Mediterranean and their Place in The Ottoman-Habsburg Rivalry (1505-1535)." PhD diss., Bilkent Universitesi (Turkey), 2005.
2. de Grammont, Henri-Delmas. "Chapitre Deuxième-Les Barberousse et la fondation de l’Odjeac." Histoire du Maghreb (2002): 41-46.
3. Boyer, P. "Aruj.(Arūdj-Aroudj)." Encyclopédie berbère 6 (1989): 940-943.
4. Farine, Ch. Deux pirates au 16e siècle: histoire des Barberousse. France: Paul Dubrocq, libraire-éditeur, 1869. pp.92-93.
5. Brill, E. J.. E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936. A - Bābā Beg. Netherlands: Brill, 1993. p.472.