Semi-autonomous state affiliated with the Ottoman Empire
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Eyalet of Tunis
إيالة تونس(Arabic) ایالت تونس(Ottoman Turkish)
1574–1881
Flag
Coat of arms
The Eyalet of Tunis in 1609
Status
Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire
Capital
Tunis
Common languages
Tunisian Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, Judeo-Tunisian Arabic, Berber
Religion
Sunni Islam
Government
Monarchy
History
• Ottoman conquest of Tunis
13 September 1574
• Janissary Deys rise to power
1591
• Muradid dynasty begins
1613
• Husainid dynasty begins
1705
• French protectorate established
12 May 1881
Currency
Tunisian rial
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Hafsid dynasty
French protectorate of Tunisia
Today part of
Tunisia Algeria
Part of a series on the
History of Tunisia
Prehistoric
Prehistory
Ancient
Carthage
12th C.–146 BC
1st Roman (Province)
146 BC–435
Vandal
435–534
2nd Roman (Byzantine) / Byzantine North Africa
534–698
Prefecture
534–590
Exarchate
590–698
Early Islamic
Umayyad
698–750
Abbasid
750–800
Aghlabid
800–909
Fatimid
909–973
Medieval
Zirid
973–1148
Norman
1148–1160
Almohad
1160–1229
Hafsid
1229–1574
Early modern
Ottoman
1574–1705
Husainid
1705–1881
Modern
French Tunisia
1881–1956
Kingdom of Tunisia
1956–1957
Bourguiba rule
1957–1987
Ben Ali coup
1987
Ben Ali rule
1987–2011
Tunisian Revolution
2011
Parliamentary system
2011–present
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Ottoman Tunisia, also known as the Regency of Tunis,[1][2][3] refers to the Ottoman presence in Ifriqiya from the 16th to 19th centuries, when Tunis was officially integrated into the Ottoman Empire as the Eyalet of Tunis. The Ottoman presence in the Maghreb began with the takeover of Algiers in 1516 by the Ottoman Turkish corsair and beylerbey Aruj (Oruç Reis), eventually expanding across the entire region except for Morocco. The first Ottoman conquest of Tunis occurred in 1534 under the command of Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, the younger brother of Aruj, who was the Kapudan Pasha of the Ottoman Fleet during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. However, it was not until the final Ottoman reconquest of Tunis from Spain in 1574 that the Turks permanently acquired the former territories of Hafsid Tunisia, retaining it until the French occupation of Tunisia in 1881.
Tunis was initially under Ottoman rule from Algiers, but the Ottoman Porte soon directly appointed a governor (pasha) supported by janissary forces. However, Tunisia quickly gained autonomy and operated as an autonomous province under the local bey, also referred to as the Beylik of Tunis. While Algiers occasionally contested this autonomy, Tunisia successfully maintained its status. Throughout this period, the governing councils in Tunisia were composed mainly of foreign elite, conducting state affairs primarily in the Ottoman Turkish language.
Barbary pirates targeted European shipping, primarily originating from Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. However, after a prolonged period of diminishing raids, the increasing power of European states eventually brought an end to the practice through the Barbary Wars. During the Ottoman Empire's rule, Tunisia experienced territorial contraction, losing land to the west (Constantine) and the east (Tripoli). In the 19th century, Tunisian rulers took note of the ongoing political and social reforms in the Ottoman capital. Inspired by these reforms and the Turkish model, the Bey of Tunis embarked on modernizing institutional and economic reforms. However, Tunisia's mounting international debt provided a reason or pretext for French forces to establish a Protectorate in 1881.
A legacy of centuries of Turkish rule is the existence of a Turkish-origin population. Historically, male descendants were known as the Kouloughlis.
^Abadi, Jacob (2013). Tunisia Since the Arab Conquest: The Saga of a Westernized Muslim State. Ithaca Press. ISBN 978-0-86372-435-0.
^Moalla, Asma (2005). The Regency of Tunis and the Ottoman Porte, 1777-1814: Army and Government of a North-African Eyâlet at the End of the Eighteenth Century. RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 978-1-134-42983-7.
^Blili, Leïla Temime (2021). The Regency of Tunis, 1535–1666: Genesis of an Ottoman Province in the Maghreb. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-1-64903-049-8.
OttomanTunisia, also known as the Regency of Tunis, refers to the Ottoman presence in Ifriqiya from the 16th to 19th centuries, when Tunis was officially...
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the Columbian exchange, presumably during the Spanish occupation of OttomanTunisia between 1535 and 1574. The word derives from the Arabic root 'harasa'...
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Tunisians (Arabic: تونسيون Tūnisiyyūn, Tunisian Arabic: توانسة Twensa) are the citizens and nationals of Tunisia in North Africa, who speak Tunisian Arabic...
minorities in the former Ottoman Empire Turks in Algeria Turks in Egypt Turks in Libya Turks in Tunisia Maghrebis Tunisian people Pied-Noir Arab-Berber...
was a de facto independent state located in present-day Tunisia, formally part of the Ottoman Empire. It was ruled by the Husainid dynasty from 1705 until...
nominal authority. They included Egypt, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Lebanon. As the Ottoman Empire gradually shrank, 7–9 million Muslims...
minority groups in Tunisia. In 1534, with about 10,000 Turkish soldiers, the Ottoman Empire took control and settled in the region when Tunisia's inhabitants...
Muradid War of Succession was a period of troubles and civil wars in OttomanTunisia. It ran from the death of the Muradid sovereign Murad II Bey in 1675...
Hayreddin Pasha (c. 1820 – 30 January 1890) was an Ottoman-Tunisian statesman and reformer, who was born to a Abkhazians family. First serving as Prime...
list of flags, banners and standards used in Tunisia. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Tunisia. Flag of Tunisia Coat of arms of Tunisia...
of Hammamet was an attack by the Spanish-Sicilian-Maltese fleet on the Tunisian town Hammamet, the campaign ended in a fiasco and massacre for the allied...
north-western Tunisia, close to the border with Algeria. Tabarka was occupied at various times by Punics, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Genoese and Ottomans. The town...
Neapolitan galleys attacked some Tunisian vessels at La Goulette, northern Tunisia. 7, or perhaps 9 or 10, Tunisian sailing ships were destroyed, while...
croissants, music reflecting Ottoman influences, and other areas of Tunisian culture. The Encyclopédie 360 describes Tunisia as a country that "did not...
rulers of the Regency of Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli, and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 onwards. Twenty-nine deys held office from the establishment...
: 215–236 : 144–205 Architecture in Tunisia came under the influence of Ottoman architecture, especially in the coastal cities where Ottoman influence was strongest...
presence in Tunisia came five decades after their occupation of neighboring Algeria. Both of these lands had been associated with the Ottoman Empire for...
dynasty of the Husaynids, founded by Husayn Ibn 'All, an Ottoman agha of Greek origin, ruled Tunisia until 1957 when, after independence, it was abolished...
were not popular. Although desiring Ottoman support, repeatedly Ahmad Bey refused to apply in Tunisia the Ottoman legal reforms regarding citizen rights...
Reis; 1485 – 23 June 1565) was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended...
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