other · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Beylik of Constantine

1567 CE – 1837 CE (approx.) · capital Constantine

The eastern province of Ottoman Algiers, the largest and richest, whose last bey made Constantine the final stronghold against the French.

Origins

The Regency of Algiers organised the eastern beylik in 1567, with its seat in the ancient rock-top city of Constantine. It covered eastern Algeria from Kabylia to the Tunisian border and south to the Saharan oases such as Touggourt.

Rule and society

The beys ruled through local great families and makhzen tribes, collecting taxes in grain, wool and livestock and paying heavy tribute to Algiers. Salah Bey, who ruled from 1771 to 1792, built mosques, madrasas and bridges and is remembered in local song. Constantine was a centre of learning, crafts and leather work.

Decline and legacy

After Algiers fell in 1830, Ahmed Bey held Constantine and repulsed a French assault in 1836. The French stormed the city in October 1837, and the beylik was absorbed into French Algeria; Ahmed Bey fought on until 1848.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Beylik of Constantine. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beylik-of-constantine
MLA
“Beylik of Constantine.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beylik-of-constantine. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Beylik of Constantine.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beylik-of-constantine.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Beylik of Constantine’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beylik-of-constantine (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻