Muhammad VI al-Habib (), commonly known as Habib Bey ( ; 13 August 1858 in

Le Bardo Le Bardo ( ') is a Tunisian city west of Tunis. As of 2004, the population is 73,953. Built by the Hafsid dynasty in the 14th century, the name Bardo comes from the Spanish word "wikt:prado#Spanish , prado" meaning "meadow". Bardo became a resid ...

– 13 February 1929 in

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, 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 classic ...

) was the sixteenth Husainid

Bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, reigning from 10 July 1922 until 11 February 1929. His father was Mohamed el-Mamoune Bey, the younger child of Hassine II Bey who had died young in 1861 without ruling when Habib was only three years old, and his mother was a Circassian

odalisque An odalisque (, ) was an enslaved chambermaid or a female attendant in a Turkish seraglio, particularly the court ladies in the household of the Ottoman sultan. In western European usage, the term came to mean the harem concubine, and refer ...

named Fatma. His uncle

Muhammad III as-Sadiq Muhammad III as-Sadiq (; 7 February 1813 – 27 October 1882) commonly known as Sadok Bey (), was the Husainid Bey of Tunis from 1859 until his death. Invested as Bey al-Mahalla (Heir Apparent) on 10 June 1855, he succeeded his brother Muhamm ...

took charge of his education and married him to the niece of his

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

Mustapha Ben Ismaïl Mustapha Ben Ismaïl (; born around 1850 in Bizerte and died in 1887 in Istanbul)Ammar Mahjoubi, Khaled Belkhodja et Abdelmajid Ennabli, ''Histoire générale de la Tunisie'', Vol. III « Les temps modernes », éd. Sud Éditions, Tunis, 2007, p. ...

, his favourite courtier and mainstay of authority in the Regency of Tunis. Made

Bey al-Mahalla Bey al-Mahalla () meaning ''Bey of the Camp'', was a title for the heir apparent to throne of the Beylik of Tunis. The title was given to the most senior member of the Beylical family after the reigning Bey. The title came the style of Highness ...

(Heir Apparent) on 12 May 1906, he succeeded his cousin Muhammad V an-Nasir on 8 July 1922. He was made a Divisional General in the beylical army on the same day he became Bey al Mahalla and was promoted to Marshal when he succeeded to the throne. Throughout his reign he did not seek to hinder the authorities of the French protectorate, in contrast to the approach of his predecessor. He came to the throne deeply in debt and without any support owing to his coming from a branch of the family that was not close to power. He therefore remained reliant on the good graces of the French Resident General,

Lucien Saint Lucien Saint (26 April 1867 – 24 February 1938) was a French administrator and politician. Early years Lucien Charles Xavier Saint was born on 26 April 1867 in Évreux, Eure, where his father was a doctor. He obtained a law degree in Paris, a ...

. Nevertheless, the aftermath of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

saw a change in relations between France and its colonies. About 80,000 Tunisians, mostly conscripted, had served in the French army, and about 20,000 had been killed or wounded. The

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, which until its dissolution had been the nominal suzerain of the Beys of Tunis, no longer existed. Ideas of

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

were growing, and the

Tunisian national movement The Tunisian national movement was a sociopolitical movement, born at the beginning of the 20th century, which led to the fight against the French protectorate of Tunisia and gained Tunisian independence in 1956. Inspired by the ideology of the You ...

regrouped in 1922 with the foundation of the

Destour The Constitutional Liberal Party (, '), most commonly known as Destour, was a Tunisian political party, founded in 1920, which had as its goal to liberate Tunisia from French colonial control. History The term ''Destour'' is usually translate ...

party. The French authorities took a number of political initiatives, establishing consultative councils including the Grand Council and regional (caïdat) councils and introducing

new laws The New Laws ( Spanish: ''Leyes Nuevas''), also known as the New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians, were issued on November 20, 1542, by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (King Charles I of Spain) and regard t ...

allowing some Tunisians to acquire French nationality. These initiatives galvanised the

ians, prompting Habib Bey to advise

Abdelaziz Thâalbi Abdelaziz Thâalbi (عبد العزيز الثعالبي, September 5, 1876 – October 1, 1944) was a Tunisian politician. He was one of the founding members of the Destour party. Early life Abdelaziz Thâalbi's father was a notary whos ...

to leave the country if he continued to oppose them. Habib Bey took part in the inauguration of the

Grand Mosque of Paris The Grand Mosque of Paris (, ; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Paris or simply the Paris Mosque, located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, is one of the largest mosques in France. It comprises prayer rooms, an outdoor garden, a small lib ...

in July 1926 along with Mouley Youssef of Morocco. He was also the first Tunisian ruler to have his name included in Friday prayers, replacing the Ottoman caliph. Lucien Saint invited him and his sons Azzedine Bey and Lamine Bey to make a private visit to Marignac in July 1923 and again the following year. He bought the Zarrouk palace in Carthagehttp://www.persee.fr/doc/etaf_0768-2352_1974_mon_1_1 p.288 accessed 1/5/2017 where he lived, by the sea, until his death. He was buried in the Tourbet el Bey in 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 ...

. He was succeeded by Ahmed Bey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhamad 06 El-Habib El-Habib, Muhamad 6 El-Habib, Muhamad 6 Muhamad 6 el-Habib Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Tunisian royalty Tunisian people of Circassian descent