Snapshot · Empire: World History
During the 1860 Damascus sectarian violence, Abd el-Kader sheltered 12,000 Christians — including French missionaries — in his home, earning honours from Napoleon III and Abraham Lincoln.
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At 39:57 · chapter starts 38:55
Abd el-Kader surrendered into French captivity and was housed, with a household of 80, in the Château d'Amboise in the Loire Valley — the same château associated with Mary Queen of Scots, where Leonardo da Vinci is buried. The damp French climate began killing his companions, and after correspondence with Napoleon III, he was allowed to retire to Damascus as a private citizen. There he built a new life, preaching at the Umayyad Mosque and attracting 1,200 armed Algerian followers. In 1860, sectarian violence between Druze and Christians left 4,000 dead; Abd el-Kader opened his house and personally led armed escorts to safety, sheltering 12,000 people including French missionaries. The former prisoner of France became the protector of the French in Damascus — honoured by Napoleon III with the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur and by Abraham Lincoln with a pair of pistols.
After surrendering, Abd el-Kader was imprisoned in a Loire Valley château — then allowed to retire to Damascus. In 1860, when sectarian violence erupted and 4,000 Christians were killed, he sheltered 12,000 people in his home. Napoleon III sent him the Légion d'honneur; Lincoln sent him pistols.
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