Ottoman era (1515–1830) , an
Ottoman admiral, was the founder of the
Regency of Algiers (Ottoman Algeria). The foundation of
Ottoman Algeria was directly linked to the establishment of the
Ottoman province (
beylerbeylik) of the
Maghreb at the beginning of the 16th century. At the time, fearing that their city would fall into
Spanish hands, the inhabitants of
Algiers called upon Ottoman
corsairs for help. The exceptionally-high number of Turks greatly affected the character of the city of
Algiers and that of the province at large. In 1587, the province was divided into three different provinces, which were established where the modern states of
Algeria,
Libya and
Tunisia were to emerge. Each of the provinces was headed by a
Pasha sent from
Constantinople for a three-year term. The division of the Maghreb launched the process that led eventually to the janissary corps' rule over the province. From the end of the 16th century, Algiers' Ottoman elite chose to emphasise its Turkish identity and to nurture its Turkish character to a point at which it became an ideology. For example, members of the elite adhered to
Hanafi law while the rest of the population subscribed to the
Maliki school. The recruitment policy was therefore one of the means employed to perpetuate the Turkishness of the Ottoman elite and was practiced until the fall of the province in 1830. During the 18th century, the militia practiced a restrictive policy on marriages between its members and local women. A married soldier would lose his right of residence in one of the city's eight barracks and the daily ration of bread to which he was entitled. He would also lose his right to purchase a variety of products at a preferential price. This policy can be understood as part of the Ottoman elite's effort to perpetuate its Turkishness and to maintain its segregation from the rest of the population. The
kuloğlus refer to the male offspring of members of the Ottoman elite and the local Algerian women. Nonetheless, high-ranking kuloğlus were in the service of the ocak, in military and in administrative capacities, occupying posts explicitly considered out of bounds for them; although there were no kuloğlus who was
dey during the 18th century, this seems to be the only exception.
French era (1830–1962) Once Algeria came under French colonial rule in 1830, approximately 10,000 Turks were expelled and shipped off to
Smyrna; moreover, many Turks (alongside other natives) fled to other regions of the Ottoman realms, particularly to
Palestine,
Syria,
Arabia, and
Egypt. Nonetheless, by 1832, many Algerian-Turkish descended families, who had not left Algeria, joined a coalition with
Emir Abdelkader in order to forge the beginning of a powerful resistance movement against French colonial rule. ==Culture==