The beys 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 Al-Husayn I ibn Ali, also known as Hussein I ( ar, حسين الأول; born in 1675 – 13 September 1740). He was the founder of the Husainid Dynasty, which ruled Tunisia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1957. Biography Husayn was born ...

on July 15, 1705, replacing the

Muradid dynasty The Muradid dynasty was a dynasty of beys that ruled Tunisia from 1613 to 1702. They were succeeded in 1705 by the Husainid dynasty. History The dynasty was founded by Murad I Bey, a janissary of Corsican origin. Ramdan Bey, ruler of Tunis, ha ...

. For most of their rule, the Husainids ruled with the title of Bey. 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 aboli ...

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 signed the

Treaty of Bardo The Treaty of Bardo (french: Traité du Bardo, ar, معاهدة باردو) or Treaty of Qsar es-S'id, Treaty of Ksar Said established a French protectorate over Tunisia that lasted until World War II. It was signed on 12 May 1881 between repre ...

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 France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

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 in ...

. 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 stat ...

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 is ...

Habib Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of ...

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 A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

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 classi ...

, Hammam-Lif,

Mornag Mornag is a small town and commune in Tunisia. As of 2014 it had a population of 61,518. It lies along the A1 (Tunisia) Tunisia's A1 or A-1 motorway is a 247 km road connecting Tunis and Sfax. In the map shown, the A-1 is in red. The highway ...

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 ...

. About the Bardo Palace, the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 bo ...

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) 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. 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 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 combin ...

which are components of the country's coat of arms. They are also those of the football club of the

Stade Tunisien Stade Tunisien (; ar, الملعب التونسي) or ST is a football club from Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia. Alongside Espérance de Tunis and Club Africain it forms the group of three best teams in the capital city region. Founded in 1948, it is ...

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" suggest ...

: one, called Bey sigh, is made of pink, green and white

marzipan Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and small marzipan imit ...

; the other, called bey's baklawa, is a form of Tunisian

baklava Baklava (, or ; ota, باقلوا ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine. The pre- Ottoman origin of t ...

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 Diplomatics (in American English, and in most anglophone countries), or diplomatic (in British English), is a scholarly discipline centred on the critical analysis of documents: especially, historical documents. It focuses on the conventions, p ...

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

. Most beys have multiple spouses because

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of 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 marr ...

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 on ...

. 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 Muhammad III as-Sadiq,

Ali III ibn al-Husayn Ali Bey ( ar, أبو الحسن علي باشا باي بن الحسين) (14 August 1817 – 11 June 1902) was the Husainid Bey of Tunis from 1882 until his death. He was the first ruler under the French protectorate. He was named Bey al-M ...

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 List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, between 1914 and 1915.

References

{{Heads of state and government of Africa