What oasis city of Algeria fell to the French in 1852?

The French invasion and occupation of present-day Algeria during the 1830s was a classic case of European colonialism. With the Ottoman Empire, which had control over Algiers, starting to disintegrate (a period known as “the Eastern Question”) and France and England both seeking colonial conquest, the vast territories of northern Africa were increasingly up for grabs. France succeeded in conquering the western half of the Maghreb (in other words, northern Africa), comprised of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Its hold on Algeria, however, would be fraught with difficulties, as indigenous political and insurgent movements arose to oppose French occupation. Laghouat was one of the cities that revolted against French occupation. Laghouat is located several hundred miles south of Algiers (the name of the capital) and is known as an oasis on the edge of the northern Sahara. The population of the city rebelled against France in 1852, a revolt which was brutally suppressed by French forces.

The desert oases city of Laghout fell to the French forces in early December of 1852.