Fly Whisk Insult Led to French Invasion of Algiers in 1830
In 1827, the French Consul-General Pierre Deval was struck by Hussein Dey of Algiers with a fly whisk due to unresolved debts from grain purchases during the Napoleonic period, an event referred to as the Affair of the Fan. This altercation provided King Charles X of France with justification to launch an invasion of Algeria. The debts originated from wheat shipments organized by the Bacri and Busnach families between 1795 and 1798. After receiving inadequate responses on April 29, 1827, Hussein Dey hit Deval. The French government, under Prime Minister Jules de Polignac, portrayed Dey as a tyrant. On June 14, 1830, a fleet led by Admiral Guy-Victor Duperré arrived at Sidi Ferruch, and Hussein Dey capitulated on July 5, 1830, surrendering the city to France. Charles X abdicated on August 2, 1830.
Key facts
- On April 29, 1827, Hussein Dey struck French Consul-General Pierre Deval with a fly whisk.
- The dispute arose from unpaid debts for wheat purchased by France from 1795 to 1798.
- The transactions were arranged by the Jewish Bacri and Busnach families.
- King Charles X used the incident as a pretext for invasion.
- The invasion fleet sailed from Toulon in May 1830.
- The fleet included about 100 warships and 600 merchant vessels.
- French forces landed at Sidi Ferruch on June 14, 1830.
- Hussein Dey surrendered on July 5, 1830.
- French soldiers took about 50 million francs from Algiers' treasury.
- Charles X abdicated on August 2, 1830, after the July Revolution.
- Jules de Polignac was prime minister from 1829.
- Admiral Guy-Victor Duperré commanded the fleet.
- General Louis Auguste Victor de Ghaisne, comte de Bourmont, led the troops.
- The invasion force comprised about 35,000 soldiers and 4,000 horses.
Entities
Artists
- Hussein Dey
- Pierre Deval
- King Charles X
- Jules de Polignac
- Admiral Guy-Victor Duperré
- General Louis Auguste Victor de Ghaisne, comte de Bourmont
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Louis-Philippe
Institutions
- Regency of Algiers
- Ottoman Empire
- French Republic
- French Directory
- British fleet
- Dutch fleet
Locations
- Algiers
- Algeria
- France
- Paris
- Toulon
- Sidi Ferruch
- Fort l'Empereur
- Casbah
- Italy
- Egypt
- North Africa