Tunisie

[A MAGNIFICENT AUTOGRAPH / ROYALTY / EULOGY FROM TUNISIAN BEG TO THE RULER OF NAPLES] Autograph letter / document sealed 'Ahmad Basha Beg', sent to the ruler of Naples, Ferdinand II?.

1841 — Very Good Arabic Original autograph document/letter sealed by Ahmad I of Tunisia. 54x42 cm. 1 p. 6 long lines. The letter includes full of poetic praise. It must be sent after successful diplomatic intercourse with Naples. Ferdinand II (Ferdinando Carlo) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his early death in 1859. It starts with 'Thank God alone', and goes on 'From poor Ahmad Pasha to Lord Almighty Field Marshal Amîr [ruler]. Sealed by the seal of Ahmad Basha Beg including an impressive qasidah in Arabic. Ahmed I (ibn Mustafa), born 2 December 1805 in Tunis died May 1855 at La Goulette, was the tenth Husainid Bey of Tunis, ruling from 1837 until his death. He was responsible for the abolition of slavery in Tunisia in 1846. He succeeded his father Mustafa Bey on 10 October 1837. He had grand ambitions - to expand his army and create a modern navy; to build a new royal residence, a mint and modern institutions of education but neither he nor his brother-in-law the young Mustapha Khaznadar who served as his finance minister, had a clear idea of what such initiatives would cost. As a result, many of his projects became expensive failures which damaged the financial health of the country. Soon after his accession, Ahmad Bey received the traditional Firman from the Sublime Porte which formally invested him with authority to rule from the Ottoman Empire and furnished him with the insignia of office. The Ottoman envoy, Osman Bey, arrived in la Goulette on 15 May 1838 onboard a frigate. The following day, Osman Bey made his official entry into Tunis on horseback, preceded by all the ministers of the beylical cabinet who went before him until he was two leagues from the city. Before he were carried the sword of honor and the caftan to be presented to the Bey. He was escorted by spahis and followed by a large contingent of regular troops an Arab cavalry. Three days after his official entry into the city, the envoy presented himself at the Bardo Palace to formally invest Ahmad Bey with his insignia of office and present gifts. Named as a Divisional General in the Ottoman army in May 1838, he was later promoted by the Sultan to the rank of Marshal on 14 August 1840. This was the first time that a Bey of Tunis had held a rank higher than Divisional General. The purpose of these honors was to emphasize the supremacy of the Ottoman Empire over the Regency of Tunis. Under a treaty with France signed in 1830 by Hussein Bey, a piece of land in Carthage had been ceded to allow the erection of a monument to Louis IX of France who had died there during the Eighth Crusade. On 25 August 1840, the first stone was laid in the cathedral of Carthage. Ahmad Bey also permitted the Christian community of Tunis, consisting mainly of European merchants, to enlarge their small church near the Bab el Bhar. In June and July 1846 the Duke of Montpensier, son of King Louis Philippe of France visited Tunis and Carthage. He was received with great solemnity by Ahmad Bey. According to the Tunisian historian Mohamed Bayram V, Bey's reforms were focused on state structures, the army, and education. He established a modern structure of government and gave his high officials the title of 'minister'. His senior ministers were his Grand Vizier Mustafa Sahib at-Taba'a, Mustapha Khaznadar, Minister of Finance and of the Interior, Mustafa Agha as Minister of War, Mahmoud Khodja as Minister of the Navy and Giuseppe Raffo as Foreign Minister. At certain times Mahmoud Ben Ayed also served as Trade Minister, Kuchuk Muhammad in the honorific post of Minister in charge of the security home of Ahmad Bey's reforms wasted money, such as the large frigate built at La Goulette that could not make it through the channel to the sea. of Tunis and Mohamed Lasram IV as Minister of the Pen. The historian Ibn Abi Dhiaf was the Bey's private secretary. Among Ahmad Bey's successes may be counted as the abolition of slavery in January 1846. To this may be added the formation of the military academy at...