Ahmad ibn Muhammad, bey of Constantine, has initiated a radical overhaul of the Ottoman administration in his beylik by replacing Turkish officials with local leaders, making Arabic the official language, and attempting to reform finances according to the precepts of Islam.
The French besiege and capture Constantine during September 10 through 13, 1837, after an ill-fated invasion force led by Marshal Bertrand Clauzel had had to retreat from Constantine in humiliation and defeat in the previous year, after the French had failed in several attempts to gain some of the bey's territories through negotiation.
