Mustapha Saheb Ettabaa ( ar, مصطفى صاحب الطابع; born 1784 and died 10 May 1861), was a
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
n
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and a
mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
of
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
origin who served as a minister in 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 ...
.
Early life
To increase his prestige at the court of Hammouda Pasha the
Sfax
Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean ...
i shipowner and tax farmer Mahmoud Djellouli had his agent acquire a young slave in the market in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
who would be capable of occupying a privileged place within the court. Djellouli then offered him to the bey.
At the Bardo Palace, Mustapha followed the normal Mamluk training course. On the sudden death of Hammouda Pasha, Mustapha was freed according to the customs of the Beylical court but, after leaving the Bardo, the influential minister
Youssef Saheb Ettabaa
Youssef Saheb Ettabaa ( ar, يوسف صاحب الطابع; born c. 1765, died 23 January 1815), was a Tunisian politician and a mameluk of Moldavian origin. He became a Prime Minister of the Beylik of Tunis.
Early career
He was enslaved as a ...
attached him to the service of the new ruler Osman Bey, who was quickly assassinated.
Political career
Mustapha really entered politics under the reign of Hussein Bey whom he served as Keeper of the Seals (Saheb Ettabaa) (he had no family link with Youssef Saheb Ettabaâ or Chakir Saheb Ettabaa). He held this position between 1835 and 1837 . He leads with the French general
Bertrand Clauzel
Bertrand, comte Clauzel (12 December 177221 April 1842) was a Marshal of France. When asked on Saint Helena which of his Generals was the most skillful Napoleon named Clauzel along with Louis-Gabriel Suchet and Étienne Maurice GérardOjala, Jean ...
delicate negotiations on the claims of Tunisian princes of the beyliks of
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
and
Oran
Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
. His prestige gradually increases, which allows him to enter the Beylical family through his marriage to Princess Mahbouba. By virtue of his position, he was able to help the Djellouli family when they went bankrupt in 1840. He then became a principal minister whose influence was significant; he headed the cabinet when Ahmed I er Bey visited France in 1846, then during Sadok Bey's visit to Algiers in 1860. There he greeted
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
and gave him a copy of the codes and of the newly adopted constitution, agreed by the Grand Council of which he was a member.
Family life
He first married Mahbouba, daughter of Moustapha Bey, with whom he had two children: Chedly and Rachid. After the death of his wife, he married Gulfidan, a Circassian odalisque with whom he had a third child, Ahmed. His three sons all bore the name of Saheb Ettabaâ which was to become their family name. His funeral took place in accordance with the customs of the Beylical family and he was buried in
Tourbet el Bey
The Tourbet el Bey ( ar, تربة الباي) is a Tunisian royal mausoleum in the southwest of the medina of Tunis.
Bibliography
* ''Mustapha Saheb Ettabaa: un haut dignitaire beylical dans la Tunisie du XIXe siècle'', Nadia Sebaï, éditions cartaginoiseries, 2007