| Conflict: | Battle of the Smala |
| Partof: | the French conquest of Algeria |
| Date: | 16 May 1843 |
| Place: | Taguin, Emirate of Mascara |
| Result: | French victory |
| Combatant1: |  Kingdom of France |
| Combatant2: | Emirate of Mascara |
| Commander1: | Henri d'Orléans |
| Commander2: | Emir Abdelkader |
| Strength1: | 500 cavalry |
| Casualties1: | 9 dead 12 wounded |
| Casualties2: | 300 dead 3,000 captured |
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 (ar|[[:wikt:زمالة|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. Three days later, another 2500 followers were captured.
Al-Qadir fled to Morocco later that year, triggering French pressure on Morocco and the advent of the Franco-Moroccan War in 1844. He was eventually captured in 1847, ending major Algerian resistance to the French colonial occupation.