Battle of the Smala

The Battle of the Smala took place on 16 May 1843, when the French, led by Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, raided the personal encampment (Arabic: زمالة zmala) of Algerian resistance leader Emir Abdelkader al-Jazairi while al-Qadir was absent on a raiding expedition. The 500 French cavalrymen surprised the camp defenders, who fired a single volley before scattering. More than 3000 of al-Qadir's followers out of a camp population of 30,000 were captured, as were many of his possessions, including his war chest and a library valued at £5000. Three days later, another 2500 followers were captured.

Al-Qadir fled to Morocco later that year, triggering French pressure on Morocco and the advent of the Franco-Moroccan War in 1844. He was eventually captured in 1847, ending major Algerian resistance to the French colonial occupation.