Description
Book SynopsisA new history of Ottoman Tunis
The first Ottoman conquest of Tunis took place in 1534 under the command of Kheireddine Barbarossa. However, it was not until 1574 that the Ottomans finally wrested control of the former Hafsid Ifriqiya (modern-day Tunisia), retaining it until the French occupation of Tunisia in 1881. The Regency of Tunis was thus born as an imperial province, and individuals originating from throughout the vast territory of the Ottoman Empire settled there, rapidly creating a new elite via marriage with women from local notable families. This book studies the former Hafsid territory’s position within the Ottoman world and the social developments that accompanied the genesis of the united Regency of Tunis until the death of Hamouda Pasha.
On the social plane, who were these Turko-Ottomans who were able to drive the Hafsid kings from their throne? Were they noble officers, as is so often remembered? The sources paint a different picture: one of rogues from distant Anatolia, and captives of corsairs from across the Mediterranean. These men expanded privateering for their own profit, seizing the country’s riches for themselves and monopolizing exports to Europe.
Leïla Blili revisits the conventional historiography of Ottoman Tunisia, widely considered by historians to be an autonomous province ruled by a dominant class of Turko-Ottomans cut off from local society. She shows that the Regency of Tunis was much less autonomous than secondary scholarship has alleged and, through her analysis of the marriages of these Turko-Ottomans, that they were in fact well-integrated into the local population. In doing so, she also illuminates the place of kinship ties in the establishing of inheritances, access to spheres of power, and the very acquisition of titles of nobility.
Trade Review"Leïla Blili’s work on Ottoman Tunisia is a scholarly tour de force. Her thoughtful reconsideration of relationships between Istanbul, local elites, and traditional notables transforms the narrative of these critical centuries. Her meticulous research and original arguments make a significant contribution, not only to the history of Tunisia, the Maghreb, and the Ottoman Empire, but also to Mediterranean history writ large."—Julia Clancy-Smith, The University of Arizona
"Blili has excavated many details about the political contestations of the late Hafsid and early Ottoman eras, bringing to life the men holding positions of authority in Tunis. Along the way, she indicates the recurrence of marriage alliances between political contenders and local families, painstaking work that also is presented in eight genealogical charts featuring some of the most prominent men of the ruling class. The fast-paced narration and short chapters make the text accessible and full of insights for scholars interested in the political elite of Tunis in the 16th and 17th centuries."—International Journal of Middle East Studies
"[P]rovides innovative and provocative insights into the more than century-long process of Tunisia's attachment to the Ottoman Empire, as well as a valuable contextualization, ranging far beyond Tunisia itself, of the environment and circumstances in which this process played out."—Journal of Islamic Studies
Table of ContentsContents
Introduction
Part 1: At the Margins of the Empire
1. The Mediterranean Scene
2. Back to a Medieval Time
3. The Barbarossa Brothers in the Maghreb
4. Kheireddine Barbarossa and the Project of a Maghrebi State
5. Kheireddine, Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy
6. The Dismantling of the Hafsid Territory Among the Spanish, Turks, and Marabouts: 1535–1557
7. Dargouth and the Ottoman Breakthrough in the Mediterranean
8. Mediterranean Networks
Part 2: In the Fold of the Empire
9. The Battle of Tunis, 1569–1574, and the End of the Hafsids
10. The Age of Uncertainty: 1574–1587
11. Instruments of Ottoman Occupation: The Army of the Janissaries
12. Land and Men: Patterns of Land Appropriation
13. Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis, 1587–1599: A Decade of Turbulence
14. Between Myth and History: Othman Dey and Saint Abou Al Gaith
15. Othman and the World of the Renegades
16. The Pachas of Tunis, Caught Between Diplomatic and Local Interests: 1596-1631
17. The First Turkish Houses of Tunis: Matrimonial Strategies and Transmissions of Power
18. Deys, Beys, Alliances, and Successions, 1611–1640
19. The Mouradite House
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
