The Government

Government:

A Brief Run-Down of the Ottoman Government:

The government for the city of Algiers is influenced by the government for the entire Ottoman Empire. The sultan in the Ottoman government guaranteed justice, or 'adala, in the land. All authority is based on the ruler's personal commitment to justice, an idea which had both Turco-Persian and Islamic aspects. The protection of justice involves protecting the lowest members of society, the peasantry, from unfair taxation, corrupt magistracy and inequitable courts. This means that the sultan is the absolute ruler of the empire, for this is the only way he can totally ensure no corruption. This serves as the basis of all Ottoman cities government, for all Ottoman cities are dependent on the sultan. The sultan also assumes the title of the Caliph, or supreme temporal leader, of Islam. Because the two Islam holy cities are located in the Ottoman Empire, the sultan needs to take control of his Muslim empire. Also, government wants to provide a safe pilgrimage to Mecca, the Holy City, and maintain Muslim security all around the world. Under this position, the sultan wants to ensure Islam orthodoxy.

The sultan conducts a number of institutions that prove that he is the political, economical and social leader of the Ottoman empire. First, to ensure justice, he set up a number a practices and institutions that center around the sultan. The first institution was the bureaucracy, which in turn controlled the local governments. Second, the observance of the government provided the sultan to keep watch on all his officials. He can observe private meetings of the Diwan, or central advisory group to the sultan, and also the proceedings of the ulama courts. Third, the sultan began a set of severe punishments, called siyasa, on corrupt officials. He did so in order to ensure his power. Fourth, in order to prevent fraudulent taxes and arbitrary laws by public officials, the sultan posts his orders and taxes for the public to see. Lastly, the Ottoman Empire government largely relies on input from the people. If the citizens do not like a sultan, he will eventually fall from power. ("The Ottomans")

A History of the Government of Algiers:

Of the three centers of the Ottoman empire, Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers, Algiers is the most powerful and important. Because of the explosion of Spanish exploration and expansion, the Ottoman sultan desperately needed to maintain a strong western frontier post. During this time, even though Spain sought areas in the Americas instead of in the Mediterranean region, there was still a threat that Spain would seize ports from the coast of Maghrib. Wahran, or Oran, an Algerian city was under Spanish rule from 1509 to 1792. Therefore, Algiers served as the seat of the Ottoman naval force, whose job was to defend their empire against the Spanish and engage in privateering against the Europeans in war. In addition to this, Algiers served as the seat of an important janissary force. These powers gave the governor of Algiers in turn have a lot of power; he could influence the other parts of Algeria to do what he wanted them to do. Until the middle of the seventeenth century, most of the power remained in the hands of the governor, sent from Istanbul and replaced every few years. The governor's power then shifted quite a bit, for he was unable to control the naval captains and all he could force upon the janissaries were collection of taxes and payment of their stipends. By the middle of the seventeenth century, a high council of janissary forces were able to take control of the collection of taxes, and soon were able to appoint their own dey to collect their taxes and make sure that they received what was due to them. Finally, by the eighteenth century, the dey was able to attain from the central government the title of governor. (Albert Hourani, 239)

The Form of Government in Algiers now:

At first the area of Maghrib (former name for Algeria) that was under Ottoman rule was controlled by the governor of Algiers, but in the 1570s three provinces, with the capitals of Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers, set up their own separate Ottoman governments. The typical Ottoman government included:

1. a governor sent from Istanbul with his household

2. an administration with local Ottomans as its administrators

3. a corps of professional janissaries recruited in Anatolia

4. a Hanafi qadi

5. a recruited navy, whose member included Europeans converts to Islam the navy was used for privateering against the Europeans who the Ottoman sultan or local governors were constantly at war with

Many of the people of the Algiers have organized themselves in separate millets, which operates under its own leader and sets of laws and customs. Because of the many different religions in Algiers, the millets are basically different religious groups. The millets cover the aspects of society the ruling class does not, including marriage, divorce, birth and death, health, education, internal security, and justice. People can move to different millets, but the state discourages that because many millets are extremely antagonistic if one converts from their religion to another one, and the government doesn't not want to break the social harmony. The millets serve as a system which separates people of different religions in order to preserve social order. Also, cities of the Ottoman Empire break themselves up into guilds as well. The guilds regulate economic activities by setting quality and economic standards that all members must keep in order to maintain his or her occupation. (HISTORY: The Ottoman Empire)

Law:

The basis of law in Algiers, as in every other Ottoman city, is the Shari'ah, or Muslim religious law, and the kanun, or civil law. The Shari'ah covers all aspects of Algerian society, especially the life for Muslims. It concentrates on personal behaivior, and reflects the Qur'an and the early Muslim tradtion. This code of law does not deal with the matters of public law, state organization and administration. This code of law only administers the personal behaivior and status and the principles of public law in the Muslim millets. The civil law is run by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. (HISTORY: The Ottoman Empire)

The people of Algiers follow the Islamic laws. The major laws of Algiers are included in the Muslim "five pillars." This forces women to live very restricted lives and men to have as many as four wives at one time. The women live very isolated and in seclusion, usually in a seperate part of the household, which is called harem. Also, women are required to wear viels, or haik, in public.

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