Abstract

This study explores the mechanisms of news transmission from the Ottoman central authority to the Regency of Algiers (1766-1830), examining the intermediaries, routes, and content of exchanged information. Using archival analysis of correspondence between Algiers and its agents in Izmir and Istanbul, the research adopts a historical methodology to reconstruct communication networks during this critical period, as the study particularly focuses on how political and military intelligence was conveyed before and after the French blockade of Algiers. The findings reveal an organized network involving the Mufti, Hajj Ali ibn al-Mufti, and Liman Reis as key intermediaries, as news flowed directly to the Dey initially, but after the French blockade, it was rerouted through Tunis and Constantine, with reports becoming more detailed, where the agents not only transmitted news but also defended Algiers' economic interests. Additionally, their interrogations provided the Porte with intelligence, demonstrating a two-way flow of information that shaped Ottoman Mediterranean policy. The study will address the topic by examining the following key questions: Who were the intermediaries responsible for transmitting news from the central authority (the Sublime Porte) to the Regency? What were the routes taken by the news en route to Algiers? And what was the nature of the news being conveyed?