The Beylicate in Seventeenth-Century Tunisia

Jamil M. Abun-Nasr

doi:10.1017/S0020743800024338

The Beylicate in Seventeenth-Century Tunisia

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 January 2009

Jamil M. Abun-Nasr

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At the beginning of the seventeenth century the beylicate in Tunisia was a minor executive office. In the course of this century Tunisia's political institutions underwent a gradual change, the outcome of which was the emergence of the beylicate as the country's dominant ruling institution. This development involved a twofold process: the transformation of the beylicate into a hereditary institution having roots in native Tunisian society, and the gradual isolation and reduction of the authority of the foreign military class which had usurped power from the representative of the Ottoman sultan.from the representative of the Ottoman sultan. In this study I will analyse the meagre data available for this period of Tunisian history in order to explain the historical circumstances and local forces which account for this development.

Type: Articles
Information: International Journal of Middle East Studies , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , January 1975 , pp. 70 - 93

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800024338 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

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^{page 70 note 1} For the conflict over Tunisia between 1510 and 1574 see Barbour, Nevill, ‘North West Africa from the 15th–19th centuries’ in The Muslim World, a historical survey part III, ed. by Bagley, F. R. C. (Leiden, 1969), pp. 126–9.Google Scholar See also Dînâr, Muhammad b. Abî, Kitâb al-mu'nis fî akhbâr Ifrîqiyya wa Tûnis (Tunis, A H. 1286), p. 177.Google Scholar

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^{page 72 note 2} Histoire des dernières révolutions du royaume de Tunis et des mouvements du royaume d'Alger (Paris, 1689), p. 22. The anonymous author of this work says in the preface that he obtained all the information for his book from Muhammad al-Hafsî, whom he met in Istanbul after al-Hafsî had been driven out of Tunis. For al-Hafsî see below, pp. 80, 83–4. Henceforth this work will be referred to merely as Histoire.Google Scholar

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^{page 75 note 2} Claude Severt to Consuls and Governors of Marseilles, 18 November 1618, in Plantet, , Correspondence des beys de Tunis et des consuls de France avec la cour, vol. 1 (Paris, 1893–1989), pp. 28–9.Google Scholar This work will henceforth be referred to as Plantet, Correspondence…. Tunis.Google Scholar

^{page 75 note 3} Antoine Bérangier to Consuls and Governors of Marseilles, 7 July 1619, in Plantet, , Correspondence…Tunis, vol. 1, p. 34.Google Scholar

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^{page 76 note 8} al-Diyâf, Ibn Ab^, Ithâf…, vol. II, p. 28.Google Scholar

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^{page 77 note 3} Ibn Abî al-Diyâf, , Ithâf…, vol. 2, p. 35; Histoire, p. 59.Google Scholar

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^{page 79 note 3} al-Diyâf, Ibn Abî, Ithdâf…, vol. II, pp. 38–9.Google Scholar

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^{page 79 note 5} Ibid. pp. 39–40.

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^{page 80 note 1} al-Diyâf, Ibn Abî, Ithâf…, vol. II, p. 36.Google Scholar

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^{page 80 note 4} Histoire, p. 165.Google Scholar

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^{page 81 note 1} Histoire, p. III.Google Scholar

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^{page 81 note 3} Histoire, p. 523.Google Scholar

^{page 81 note 4} Yûsuf, Muhammad al-Saghîr b., al-Mashra' al-Malkî sahl al-maqta’, translated by Victor Serres and Mohammed Lasram as ‘Soixante ans d'histoire de la Tunisie (1705–1765)' in Revue Tunisienne, vols. 2–VII (1895–1900). For the above reference see vol. II (1895), p. 528.Google Scholar

^{page 81 note 5} Pignon, ‘La milice…’, pp. 305–6.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 1} Ambrozin to Colbert, 10 June 1673,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p.284.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 2} ‘Mémoire de sieur d'Almeras au Roi…’, in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 261.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 3} De Breteuil to Colbert, 9 July 1672,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 274.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 4} Ambrozin to Colbert, 10 June 1673,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 284.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 5} al-Diyâf, Ibn Abî, Ithâf…, vol. 2, p. 46; Histoire, p. 128.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 6} Ambrozin to Colbert, 10 June 1673,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence…. Tunis, vol. 1, p. 284.Google Scholar

^{page 82 note 7} Lemaire, Claude to de Seignelay, 10 August 1685,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 341.Google Scholar

^{page 83 note 1} Ambrozin to Colbert, 10 June 1673,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 284.Google Scholar

^{page 83 note 2} Histoire, p. 123.Google Scholar

^{page 83 note 3} See below, p. 84.Google Scholar

^{page 83 note 4} Histoire, p. 319.Google Scholar

^{page 83 note 5} De Breteuil to Colbert, 9 July 1672,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 274.Google Scholar

^{page 84 note 1} Histoire, pp. 187–88; al-Diyâf, Ibn Abî, Ithâf…, vol. 2, p. 47;Google ScholarGratian to Colbert 31 December 1675,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 290.Google Scholar

^{page 84 note 2} Gratian to Colbert, 31 December 1675,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence…. Tunis, vol. 1, p. 290.Google Scholar

^{page 84 note 3} Gratian to Colbert, 16 January 1678,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 292.Google Scholar

^{page 84 note 4} Ibid.

^{page 84 note 5} Histoire, pp. 271–6;Google Scholaral-Diy^f, Ibn Abî, in Ithâf…, vol. 2, pp. 48–9.Google Scholar

^{page 84 note 6} Claude Lemaire to the Magistrates and Deputies of Marseilles of 8 May 1684Google Scholar and to de Seignelay of 4 July 1684,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, pp. 322–3.Google Scholar

^{page 85 note 7} Lemaire, Claude to de Seignelay, 9 August and 16 October 1684,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, pp. 324–5.Google Scholar

^{page 85 note 8} Lemaire, Claude to de Seignelay,4 March 1685,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 331.Google Scholar

^{page 85 note 9} [Nicholas Béranger] ‘émoire pour servir à l'histoire de Tunis depuis l'année 1684’ published anonymously in Lucas, Paul, Voyage de sieur Lucas, fait par ordre du Roy dans la Grèce, l'Asie Mineur, la Macédoine et l'Afrique, vol. 2 (Paris, 1712), p. 166.Google Scholar Henceforth this treatise will be referred to as Béranger, ‘émoire’. For a discussion of Béranger's authorship of this treatise see Grandchamp, Pierre, La France en Tunisie, vol. 9 (Tunis, 1920–1933), pp. xi–xix.Google Scholar

^{page 86 note 1} Lemaire to de Seignelay, 26 May and 10 August 1685,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, pp. 338, 341.Google Scholar

^{page 86 note 2} Béranger, ‘Mémoire, pp. 173–4.Google Scholar

^{page 86 note 3} Béranger's letters have been published by Pierre Grandchamp in vols. ix and x of his La France en Tunisie (Tunis, 1920–1933).Google Scholar

^{page 86 note 4} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, p. 175.Google Scholar

^{page 86 note 5} For a summary of Béranger's account of Ibrâhîm al-Sharîf's career in Tunisia, see below, pp. 92–3.

^{page 87 note 6} Spont, Alfred, ‘Les Francais à Tunis de à1700’ in Revue des questions his toriques, vol. 67 (Paris, 1900), pp. 95–6.Google Scholar

^{page 87 note 7} Spont, ‘Les Francais…’, pp. 96–8.Google Scholar

^{page 87 note 8} See the documents dealing with d'Estrées’ mission and the text of the treaty of 1685, in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, pp. 344–68.Google Scholar

^{page 87 note 9} Béranger's letter of 21 December 1692, in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 6.Google Scholar

^{page 87 note 10} Béranger's letters of 21 November 1696, 14 September 1701, and 18 May 1702,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, P. 253, and vol. X, Pp. 224, 241.Google Scholar

^{page 88 note 1} Béranger's letters of 3 May 1694 and 13 January 1694,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, La France en Tunisie, vol. IX, pp. 49, 121.Google Scholar

^{page 88 note 2} Béranger's letters of 5 July 1693 and 19 June 1694,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 72, 151.Google Scholar

^{page 88 note 3} Sorhainde to de Pontchartrain, 11 August 1697,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, p. 550. See also Béranger's letter of 10 09 1693Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 90.Google Scholar

^{page 88 note 4} Béranger's letter of 16 November 1692,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 7.Google Scholar

^{page 88 note 5} Béranger's letters of 16 November and 4 December 1692, 25 June, 5 July, 23 July, 24 October and 21 November 1693, 20 May 1694, 23 August 1696, 25 July 1697, and 30 December 1698,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 7, 12, 70, 72, 76, 108, 113, 144–5, 243, 297, and 340 respectively.Google Scholar

^{page 88 note 6} Béranger's letters of 20 May 1694, 21 November 1696, and 15 July 1697,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 145, 251, 294.Google Scholar

^{page 89 note 1} Chetwood's three letters are kept in the Public Record office, London (F.O. 335–12–3).Google Scholar

^{page 89 note 2} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, p. 386.Google Scholar

^{page 89 note 3} Ibid. p. 275.

^{page 89 note 4} In 1687 the Algerian pirates even took the prizes they captured in Tunisian waters to the Tunisian port of Porto-Farina and sold them there. See de Seignelay to Michel, Jean-Baptiste, 27 December 1687,Google Scholar and Michel to de Seignelay, 28 January 1688,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, pp. 406–9.Google Scholar

^{page 90 note 1} Michel, Jean-Baptiste to de Seignelay, 27 October 1689,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence. Tunis, vol. 1, p. 425.Google Scholar

^{page 90 note 2} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, pp. 181–6.Google Scholar

^{page 90 note 3} Béranger's letter of 1 February 1693, in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 31.Google Scholar

^{page 90 note 4} Béranger's letters of 6 July, 8 July, 25 october and 3 December 1694,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 154–78.Google Scholar

^{page 90 note 5} Béranger's ‘Mémoire’, pp. 209–10, and his letter of 22 January 1695,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 187.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 1} Béranger's letter of 3 May, 5 May, 15 June, and 15 July 1695,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 205–17.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 2} Béranger's letter of 2 August 1695Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 219.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 3} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, p. 279.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 4} Béranger's letter of 31 October 1699,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 349.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 5} Béranger's letter of 3 October 1700,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 371.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 6} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, pp. 279–91, and his letter of 23 November 1700,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 372–3.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 7} Cf. for example his letters of 16 and 23 February and 3 March 1693,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, pp. 35–89.Google Scholar

^{page 91 note 8} Béranger's letter of 25 March 1695,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 201.Google Scholar

^{page 92 note 1} Béranger's letter of 14 December 1694,Google Scholar in Grandchamp, , La France en Tunisie, vol. 9, p. 184.Google Scholar

^{page 92 note 2} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, pp. 276–7.Google Scholar

^{page 92 note 3} Ibid. p. 167.

^{page 92 note 4} Sorhainde to de Pontchartrain, 6 November 1694,Google Scholar in Plantet, , Correspondence… Tunis, vol. 1, pp. 523–4.Google Scholar

^{page 92 note 5} Béranger, ‘Mémoir’, p. 278.Google Scholar

^{page 92 note 6} Ibid. pp. 365–7.

^{page 93 note 1} Béranger, ‘Mémoire’, pp. 309–11, 333–4, 344–5.Google Scholar

^{page 93 note 2} Ibid. pp. 254–5.

^{page 93 note 3} Ibid. pp. 315–17.

^{page 93 note 4} Ibid. pp. 321, 346.

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