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| 1831–47 |
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| Revolt of Abd al-Qadir (d. 1883), the son of a Sufi leader, whose uprising was the most sustained and threatening to the French occupation. Abd al-Qadir tapped religious and tribal sentiments to enlist a highly mobile army of 10,000. He also benefited from a decade of support from the sultan of Morocco (1833–44). In 1833 he captured Tlemcen and the next year signed the Desmichels Treaty with France (Feb. 26, 1834), which gave him control over most of the Province of Oran. Armed conflict began again in 1835, when he defeated the French at the Battle of the Macta River (June 28, 1835). The resulting Treaty of Tafna (May 30, 1837) ceded Abd al-Qadir control of almost two-thirds of Algeria, but the treaty was broken in 1839. With the loss of Moroccan support (1844) due to French pressure, the rebellion crumbled, and Abd al-Qadir surrendered in 1847. He was imprisoned for five years and finally settled in Damascus. | 1 |
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| 1833 |
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| Death of Ibn Mustafa Muhyi al-Din, the father of Abd al-Qadir. He had initiated the holy war against the French by leading attacks on Oran. Ibn Mustafa was an influential marabout (holy man), who was head of the Qadiriyya Sufi order in Algeria. He had developed good contacts with the Moroccans, and his influence was critical in the election of his son as a leader of the resistance to the French. | 2 |
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| 1837, Oct. 13 |
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| Ahmad Bey, the last Turkish provincial governor of Constantine, surrendered to the French after an unsuccessful appeal for help to the Ottoman sultan. | 3 |
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| 1838 |
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| The Tijaniyya Sufi order resisted Abd al-Qadir's siege of Ayn Madi, the center of their order. They refused to recognize him and by 1839 had made an alliance with the French. The Tijaniyya worked actively with the French to recruit other Muslims to acquiesce to their rule. | 4 |
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| 1841 |
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| Reinstitution of the French bureau arabe, first organized in 1839 to deal with Muslim affairs in Algeria. French officials who specialized in Algerian issues and culture attempted to govern and to instruct the French government. Members of the bureau initially saw their mission as one of civilizing the Muslim population. | 5 |
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| 1844, Oct. 1 |
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| Habus land, land left in trust for Islamic charitable or inheritance purposes, was confiscated and placed under the control of the French land department. These Muslim trusts were then made available to French settlers. | 6 |
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| 1845–46 |
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| The Tayyibiyya Sufi order, established at Oran at the beginning of the 18th century, incited the rebellion of mountain tribes of Titteri and Hodna by announcing the return of the mahdi, the “savior or redeemer” believed by Muslims to usher in the reign of peace and justice. | 7 |
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| 1846, July 21 |
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| Fertile tribal collective lands, defined by the French as vacant, were confiscated and made available to colonists as part of their cantonnement program, which was designed to confine indigenous peoples to specified areas. | 8 |
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| 1848 |
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| Algeria was annexed to France and colonization increased. French colonization introduced new cash crops including cotton, roses, tobacco, and grapes for wine production (1878–1903). The most reliable of all colonial agricultural products remained grain. | 9 |
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| 1848–49 |
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| Tax revolt led by the notable Abu Ziyan in the oasis of Za'atsha in the region of Ziban. The siege by the French lasted 52 days and ended in the massacre of all the inhabitants. It sparked further uprisings (1851–55) in other oases. | 10 |
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| 1851, Aug |
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| The Bank of Algeria was founded by the French. In April 1852 a commodities exchange was also established. | 11 |
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| 1857 |
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| The first railway system was constructed. | 12 |
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