The

bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

s of

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

were the monarchs of

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

from 1705, when the

Husainid dynasty The Husainid dynasty or Husaynid dynasty ( ar, الحسينيون) was a ruling dynasty of the Beylik of Tunis, which was of Greek origin from the island of Crete. It came to power under al-Husayn I ibn Ali in 1705, succeeding the Muradid dynast ...

acceded to the throne, until 1957, when monarchy was abolished.

History

Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10111, Paris, Bey von Thunis mit Ehrenwache

The

, originally of Cretan Turkish origin, came to power under Al-Husayn I ibn Ali on July 15, 1705, replacing the Muradid dynasty. For most of their rule, the Husainids ruled with the title of

Bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

. The Husainids ruled the

Beylik of Tunis The Beylik of Tunis (), also known as Kingdom of Tunis ( ar, المملكة التونسية) was a largely autonomous beylik of the Ottoman Empire located in present-day Tunisia. It was ruled by the Husainid dynasty from 1705 until the abolit ...

under the suzerainty of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

until May 12, 1881, when

Muhammad III as-Sadiq Muhammad III as-Sadiq ( ar, محمد الثالث الصادق; 7 February 1813 – 27 October 1882) commonly known as Sadok Bey ( ar, الصادق باي), was the Husainid Bey of Tunis from 1859 until his death. Invested as Bey al-Mahalla (He ...

signed the Treaty of Bardo and the

came under the control of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

as a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

. Following

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

from France on March 20, 1956, the

Kingdom of Tunisia The Kingdom of Tunisia (french: Royaume de Tunisie; ar, المملكة التونسية ') was a short-lived country established as a monarchy on 20 March 1956 after Tunisian independence and the end of the French protectorate period. It appear ...

was proclaimed and the Bey

Muhammad VIII al-Amin Muhammad VIII al-Amin ( ar, محمد الثامن الأمين; 4 September 1881 – 30 September 1962) commonly known as Lamine Bey ( ar, الأمين باي), was the last Bey of Tunis (15 May 1943 – 20 March 1956),Werner Ruf, ''Introduction ...

assumed the title of King. He reigned as such until the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Habib Bourguiba deposed the Husainid dynasty and declared Tunisia a

one-party A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...

republic on July 25, 1957, ruling as President for life until he was deposed in 1987.

Beys of Tunis (1705–1956)

King of Tunisia (1956–1957)

Genealogical tree

Simplified genealogical tree of the Beys of Tunis. Only the Beys and their direct ancestors are shown.

Residence

Lions Staircase - Bardo Palace - Tunis - Tunisia - 1899

Each bey has his palace because, according to tradition, he can not live in the palace of his predecessor for respect for his widows. Among the most important are those of

Bardo In some schools of Buddhism, ''bardo'' ( xct, བར་དོ་ Wylie: ''bar do'') or ''antarābhava'' (Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese: 中有, romanized in Chinese as ''zhōng yǒu'' and in Japanese as ''chū'u'') is an intermediate, transitio ...

, Ksar Said,

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

, Hammam-Lif,

Mornag Mornag is a small town and commune in Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital ...

La Goulette La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia. La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...

. About the Bardo Palace, the French botanist

René Louiche Desfontaines René Louiche Desfontaines (14 February 1750 – 16 November 1833) was a French botanist. Desfontaines was born near Tremblay in Brittany. He attended the Collège de Rennes and in 1773 went to Paris to study medicine. His interest in bot ...

who visited Tunisia at the end of the eighteenth century, left the following description: "The bey lives in a pretty castle called Bardo, located in the middle of a large plain, three quarters of the north of the city. This castle is very old:

Leo Africanus Joannes Leo Africanus (born al-Hasan Muhammad al-Wazzan, ar, الحسن محمد الوزان ; c. 1494 – c. 1554) was an Andalusian diplomat and author who is best known for his 1526 book '' Cosmographia et geographia de Affrica'', later ...

confirms that, in his time, kings have already make their stay. The wall that surrounds it is well built, and defended by some pieces of cannon placed on the side of the door. The court of the bey is numerous; the officers who compose it are, in general, very honest and very polite towards foreigners. " Many have been converted after the abolition of the monarchy: the Bardo Palace hosts the

Bardo National Museum (Tunis) , logo = , image = Tunis, musée du Bardo, salle de Virgile 01.jpg , caption = Apartments of the Bey, room called Virgil, after the name of the mosaic of Sousse that was exposed until the extension of the years 2010 , alt = , map_type = ...

and the

Assembly of the Representatives of the People The Assembly of the People's Representatives ( ar, مجلس نواب الشعب ', french: Assemblée des représentants du peuple; ARP) is Tunisia's legislative branch of government. The unicameral Assembly replaced the Constituent Assembly and ...

while the Carthage Palace became the headquarters of the

Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts The Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts (''Beït al-Hikma'') is a scholarly national academy based in Tunis. It is housed officially in a mid-19th century palace, Zarrouk Palace, situated on the Mediterranean coast at the base of the ...

. Bardo Palais du Bey.jpg, View of the Bardo Palace around 1900 Throne Room - Bardo Palace - Tunis - Tunisia - 1899.jpg, Throne room of the Bardo Palace in 1899 Tribunal Chamber - Bardo Palace - Tunis - Tunisia - 1899.jpg, Hall of Justice of the Bardo Palace in 1899 Bedchamber of the late Bey of Tunis, Kasr-el-Said, Tunisia-LCCN2001699372.jpg, Bey bedroom at Ksar Said Palace in 1899 Private Drawing Room, I, Kasr-el-Said, Tunisia WDL2502.png, View of a Ksar Said Palace salon in 1899 Rose Palace patio.jpg, Patio of the Rose Palace (present national military museum) Manouba palais la rose 4.JPG, Hall of Honor of the Rose Palace

Popular culture

The colors of the Bey of Tunis, the

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and the

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...

which are components of the country's coat of arms. They are also those of the football club of the Stade Tunisien which was under his patronage. They are also found in Tunisian

pastries Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ...

: one, called Bey sigh, is made of pink, green and white marzipan; the other, called bey's baklawa, is a form of Tunisian baklava.

Queen consort of Tunisia

The queen consort of Tunisia (Spouse of Bey of Tunis) is called Lalla Beya in reference to her husband. She had little or no role in state affairs and did not accompany her husband on diplomatic visits abroad or at official dinners at the palace. Her only concern was the management of the palace and the

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

. The first queen consort of the

was Lalla Jannat, as wife of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali. Most beys have multiple spouses because

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...

was in use until the adoption of the

Code of Personal Status in Tunisia The Code of Personal Status (CPS) ( ar, مجلة الأحوال الشخصية) is a series of progressive Tunisian laws aiming at the institution of equality between women and men in a number of areas. It was promulgated by beylical decree o ...

. Very few have taken a single spouse, like

, who married only Lalla Jeneïna Beya (1887–1960) in 1902. She was the last queen consort of Tunisia before the establishment of the republic on 25 July 1957. Queen Lalla Kmar (1862–1942) was queen consort of Tunisia during three reigns, after having successively married

, Ali III ibn al-Husayn and

Muhammad V an-Nasir Muhammad V an-Nasir ( ar, محمد الناصر بن محمد باي), commonly known Naceur Bey (La Marsa, 14 July 1855 – La Marsa, 8 July 1922)Akram Ellyas et Benjamin Stora, ''Les 100 portes du Maghreb : l'Algérie, le Maroc, la Tunisie. ...

, and played a notable role in the affairs of the kingdom. Muhammad V an-Nasir published a decree ordering the protection of Lalla Kmar, the absence of infringement of her rights and granting her a salary. He also built the Essaâda palace in

La Marsa La Marsa ( aeb, المرسى ') is a coastal town in far north eastern Tunisia near the capital Tunis. The population is estimated as 92,987, as of 2014. The old summer capital of pre-colonial Tunisia, it is today a popular vacation spot for many ...

for her honor during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, between 1914 and 1915.

References

{{Heads of state and government of Africa