Dey Baba Mohamed Ben Othman

Baba Mohamed Ben Othman was one of the longest-serving, most capable, and successful rulers in the three-hundred-year history of the Regency of Algiers. In July 1775, Spain launched the largest amphibious expedition in its eighteenth-century history, dispatching over 400 warships and 22,000 troops under General Alexander O'Reilly to conquer Algiers.

Dey Mohamed organized a brilliant defensive ambush on the beaches of El Hamma and Bab Ezzouar, mobilizing 50,000 Algerian tribal warriors and artillerymen. The Spanish forces suffered a crushing defeat, losing thousands of men and abandoning immense artillery trains, establishing Baba Mohamed's international fame and securing Algerian sovereignty for decades.