Mustapha Khaznadar ( ar, مصطفى خزندار; 1817–1878), born as Georgios Halkias Stravelakis () 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 , ...

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 ...

who served as

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 ...

of the Beylik of Tunis from 1855 to 1873.. He was one of the most influential people in modern

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

n history..

Biography

Early life

Mustapha Khaznadar was born in the village of Kardamyla on the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

island of

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of masti ...

. as Georgios Halkias Stravelakis. in 1817.. In January 1822, rebels from the neighboring islands of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greece, Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a se ...

arrived on Chios and declared their

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 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) ...

, the Ottoman sultan soon sent an army of about 40,000 to the island of Chios, where roughly 52,000 Greek inhabitants were massacred and tens of thousands of women and children were taken into slavery. During the Chios massacre, Georgios's father, the

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

Stephanis Halkias Stravelakis, was killed, while Georgios along with his brother Yannis were captured and sold into slavery by the Ottomans. He was then taken to

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

and then Constantinople, where he was sold as a slave to an envoy of 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 ...

Religious conversion and political career

The young Georgios was taken by the family of Mustapha Bey, and was renamed Mustapha. Later, he was passed to his son Ahmad I Bey while he was still crown prince. The young Mustapha now worked first as the prince's private

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

before becoming Ahmad's state treasurer (''Khaznadar''). He managed to climb to the highest offices of the Tunisian state, married Princess Lalla Kalthoum in 1839 and was promoted to lieutenant-general of the army, made

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 ...

in 1840 and then

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the Grand Council from 1862 to 1878. In 1864, Mustapha Khaznadar, then Prime Minister, in an effort to raise the taxation of the Tunisian peasants to meet the demands of the Ottoman Empire he faced a rebellion, known as the Mejba Revolt, that almost overthrew the regime. However, the government was swift to act and ultimately suppressed the uprising. Mustafa Khaznadar retained memories of his Greek origin and when he finally managed, he made contact with his remaining family, and helped to pay for the education of his two (Greek) nephews.. Khaznadar died in 1878 and is buried in the mausoleum of Tourbet el Bey, in the heart of the

Medina of Tunis The Medina of Tunis is the medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from ...

Gallery

File:Mustafa Khaznadar.jpg, Painting of Mustapha Khaznadar and his son. File:Khazdadar.JPG, Khaznadar during his career as

. File:Sadok Bey on horse.jpg,

Equestrian portrait An equestrian portrait is a portrait that shows the subject on horseback. Equestrian portraits suggest a high-status sitter, who in many cases was a monarch or other member of the nobility, and the portraits can also carry a suggestion of chivalry ...

of Muhammad III, Khaznadar is just behind him. File:Fackh.JPG, Khaznadar Palace, which he built for himself. File:Grave of Mustapha Khaznadar in Tourbet El Bey.jpg, Tomb of Khaznadar in Tourbet el Bey, near his wife Lalla Kalthoum.

Honours

Officer of the Order of the Blood (Nichan Dam) of Tunisia (1856) * Ordre du Nichan Iftikhar Chevalier ribbon (Tunisia)

Officer of the

Order of Glory Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

(Nichan Iftikhar) of Tunisia

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khaznadar, Mustapha 1817 births 1878 deaths Politicians from Chios Former Greek Orthodox Christians Greek slaves from the Ottoman Empire Converts to Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy People from the Ottoman Empire of Greek descent Greek former Christians Prime Ministers of Tunisia Greek Muslims