The Battle of the Smala took place on 16 May 1843, when the French, led by Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale,[1] 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.

He was eventually captured in 1847, ending major Algerian resistance to the French colonial occupation.

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