Baba Mohammed ben-Osman or Muhammad V ben Osman was

Dey Dey (, from ) was the title given to the rulers of the regencies of Algiers, Tripolitania,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 onwards. Twenty-nine ''deys'' held office from the establishment of the deylicate ...

of the

Deylik of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an early modern semi-independent Ottoman province and nominal vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Africa from 1516 to 1830. Founded by the privateer brothers Aruj and Hayreddin Reis (also known as the Barbaro ...

from 1766 to 1791 and the adoptive father of Baba Hassan Pacha and the grandfather of Mustapha Pacha. He declared war against Denmark-Norway because Denmark-Norway refused his demands for an increased annual payment to stave off piracy, and new gifts, which began the Danish-Algerian War. He also declared

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

against the United States in 1785 and captured several American ships. The war ended in 1795 when the U.S concluded a treaty with his successor that paid $21,600 annually to Algiers.

Early life

He was of Turkish origin. Not much is known about his early life. According to a French source, he was born, and was raised in a village in

Karamania In the 18th and 19th centuries, Karamania (or Caramania) was an exonym used by Europeans for the southern (Mediterranean) coast of Anatolia, then part of the Ottoman Empire (current Turkey). It can also refer to the general south central Anatolian r ...

, where he was recruited into the

Odjak of Algiers The "Odjak of Algiers" (also spelled ''Ujaq'') was a unit of the Regency of Algiers, Algerian army. It was a highly autonomous part of the Janissary Corps, acting completely independently from the rest of the corps, similar to the relationship be ...

Administration

Having learned to read and write, he became a ''khodja'' (secretary) after having bought his state office for the sum of 1000 pieces. He practiced with various garrisons before being promoted to the personal guard of the dey's palace Then he became '' Khaznadji'' (Prime Minister and Treasurer) of Dey Baba Ali who then designated him as his successor.

Restoration of the prestige of Algiers outside

He succeeded Dey Baba Ali in 1766. Spain tried to establish peace with the Regency, but these negotiations resulted only in an exchange of captives between November 1768 and February 1769. Mohamed Ben Osman declared war on Denmark-Norway in 1770 and repulsed a Danish attack on Algiers in 1772, and notably imposed on United Kingdom, the United States and the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

a system of maritime tribute. However, following this period of calm, the Algerian corsair activities intensified and caused distress on the southern shores of Spain and partially disrupted its maritime traffic. The Spanish were therefore trying the ''Limpieza del Mar'' operation to try to end this corsair presence in the

Western Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, without success. In 1775,

Alejandro O'Reilly Alejandro O'Reilly, 1st Count of O'Reilly, KOA (; October 24, 1723 in Baltrasna, County Meath, Ireland – March 23, 1794 in Bonete, Spain), English: Alexander, Count of O'Reilly, Irish: ''Alastar Ó Raghallaigh, ''was an Irish-born military ...

was sent to the head of an armada to take Algiers. Dey Mohamed Ben Othmane inflicted a heavy defeat in the vicinity of

El Harrach El Harrach (Berber: ⵍⵃⴻⵔⵔⴰⵛ , formerly ''Maison-Carrée'') is a suburb of the Algerian capital Algiers. The town is home to USM El Harrach Union Sportive de la Médina d'El Harrach (), known as USM El Harrach or simply USMH for ...

. In 1776, he appointed as ''Wakil al Kharadj'' (Minister for Foreign Affairs),

Sidi Hassan Sidi Hassan, also known as Hassan Pacha or Hassan III Pacha was the 19th ruler and Dey Regency of Algiers, of Algiers. He ruled for 11 years after his predecessor Baba Mohammed ben-Osman. Early career Sidi Hassan, before becoming dey, was the ...

who with his counterpart Floridablanca opened a period of rapprochement between the governments of Algiers and Madrid. However peace with Spain was not to the advantage of the dey; piracy earned it a lot of income and asking for the release of a captive might even be perceived in Algiers as a humiliation. With the diplomacy over, he found a pretext for the lack of peace between the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and Spain, and invited the latter to make peace with the Empire before negotiating with himself to save time and avoid asking for peace in Spain. In fact, the Ottoman Sultan categorically refused to interfere in the affairs of the regencies, which he "considered as independent states". The Spaniards finally got a ''

firman A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...

'' (a recommendation) to the Regencies of North Africa, that the dey Mohamed Ben Othmane had already planned to reject. Indeed, apart from the spiritual connection (the Ottoman sultan was considered

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

and possessor of the holy places of Islam), at the time of Mohamed Ben Othmane, the Regency managed its internal and external affairs independently. But King

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

decided to declare war again. He sent squads to bomb Algiers between 1783 and 1784. Having found that the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...

had no authority over Algiers, the Madrid cabinet sought a direct way to negotiate peace. The negotiations were difficult, but on June 16, 1785, a peace agreement was concluded. Dey Mohamed Ben Othmane demanded in the peace talks a compensation of 1,000,000 ''pesos'' for the various expeditions. The members of the diwân of Algiers (assembly) also obtained the attribution of the present diplomats.

Domestic policy

On a national level, his reign, the longest of all the deys, was marked by stability. In the management of the affairs he manifested a great sense of the state. He was busy recovering

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

and

Mers el Kebir Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by ''Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus'' (MERS-CoV). Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe depending on age and risk level. Typica ...

under Spanish tutelage. He appointed an energetic Bey in the west, Mohamed el Kebir, whom he instructed to take these two places. He also carried out successful campaigns to pacify the hinterland. He was also able to face the rise of Constantinois where he named another illustrious Bey

Salah Bey ben Mostefa Salah Bey ben Mostefa (; 1725–1792), was the Beys of Constantine, Algeria, bey of the Beylik of Constantine in the Deylik of Algiers from 1771 to 1792. Salah Bey's governance is marked by a victorious participation against the Invasion of Algie ...

in 1771. He died on July 12, 1791, and was replaced by his ''Khaznadji'' (Prime Minister) and his adopted son

References

Bibliography