| Odjak of Algiers | |
|---|---|
| Ujaq | |
 A Janissary of Algiers | |
| Active | 1518-1830 |
| Disbanded | De jure 1830, De facto 1837 |
| Country |  Regency of Algiers |
| Allegiance | Agha of the Odjak |
| Size | 12,000 (1600) 7,000 (1750) 4,000 (1800) |
| Main location | Algiers |
| Equipment | Initially: Equipment by the Ottoman Empire Nimcha, Kabyle musket, and other locally made weapons |
| Engagements | Algiers expedition (1541) Tuggurt Expedition (1552) Odjak of Algiers Revolution French-Algerian War 1681–88 Battle of Moulouya Tunisian-Algerian Wars Invasion of Algiers (1775) Invasion of Algiers in 1830 Battle of Constantine |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ibrahim Agha |
The "Odjak of Algiers" (also spelled Ujaq) was a unit of the Algerian army.[1] It was a highly autonomous part of the Janissary Corps, acting completely independently from the rest of the corps,[2] similar to the relationship between Algiers and the Sublime Porte.[3] Led by an Agha, they also took part in the country's internal administration and politics, ruling the country for several years.[4] They acted as a defense unit, a Praetorian Guard,[5] and an instrument of repression until 1817.
The Odjak of Algiers was a faction in the country which encompassed all Janissaries.[6] Its main institution was the diwân of Algiers which was established in the 16th century by Hayreddin Barbarossa and seated first in the Djenina Palace, then at the kasbah citadel.[7] This assembly, initially led by a janissary Agha, evolved from a military body, the Odjak of Algiers, into the country's primary administrative institution.[7] The diwân held true power in the Regency, and by the mid-17th century elected the head of state.[8]They also often controlled the country, for example during the period of Aghas from 1659 to 1671.[6]
- ^ "L'Odjak d'Alger". www.algerie-ancienne.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ Abun-Nasr, Jamil M.; Abun-Nasr, Abun-Nasr, Jamil Mirʻi (1987-08-20). A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33767-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Association, American Historical (1918). General Index to Papers and Annual Reports of the American Historical Association, 1884-1914. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ Brenner, William J. (2016-01-29). Confounding Powers: Anarchy and International Society from the Assassins to Al Qaeda. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-10945-2.
- ^ HistoireDuMonde.net. "Histoire du monde.net". histoiredumonde.net (in French). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ a b Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. (1987). A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. Cambridge University Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-521-33767-0.
[In 1671] Ottoman Algeria became a military republic, ruled in the name of the Ottoman sultan by officers chosen by and in the interest of the Ujaq.
- ^ a b Boyer 1970b, pp. 99–124.
- ^ Rinehart 1985, p. 24.