Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a (; born c. 1790 11 September 1837),
[Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''Présent des hommes de notre temps. Chroniques des rois de Tunis et du pacte fondamental'', vol. VIII, éd. Maison tunisienne de l'édition, Tunis, 1990, p. 31] was a Tunisian politician of
Circassia
Circassia ( ), also known as Zichia, was a country and a historical region in . It spanned the western coastal portions of the North Caucasus, along the northeastern shore of the Black Sea. Circassia was conquered by the Russian Empire during ...
n origin.
[Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 28]
Biography
Early career
From the
Circassian slave trade
The Black Sea slave trade trafficked people across the Black Sea from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to slavery in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The Black Sea slave trade was a center of the slave trade between Europe and the rest of t ...
to a
mamluk
Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
of
Hammuda ibn Ali
Abu Mohammed Hammuda ibn Ali Pasha (9 December 1759 – 15 September 1814) () was the fifth leader of the Husainid dynasty and the ruler of Tunisia from 26 May 1782 until his death on 15 September 1814. He was the son of Ali II ibn Hussein. He ...
, of high rank in the palace at
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 ...
, he passed into the service of the prince
Hussein
Hussein, Hossein, Hussain, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein, Hussin, Hoessein, Houcine, Hocine or Husain (; ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N (), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or ...
as Keeper of the Seals and secretary when he became a crown prince again in 1815. He accompanied him several times in the military column charged with collecting tribute from the Tunisian tribes and became his son-in-law.
Prime minister
When Hussein acceded to the throne in 1824, it was entirely natural that al-Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a became 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 ...
(Prime Minister) and councillor (in 1829).
However, he had to deal with the powerful commander in chief of the army and son-in-law- of
Mahmud Bey
Çobanoğlu Mahmud Bey was the fourth and final bey of the Chobanids. Reign
During Mahmud's reign, the raids on the Byzantine borders continued. The leadership of these raids was taken by his brother Ali Bey. Ali Bey crossed the Sakarya Rive ...
, general
Slimane Kahia. Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a was an important supporter of the policy of autonomy from 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 Hussein II attempted to institute. Likewise, during the
French conquest of Algeria
The French conquest of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, and the French consul (representative), consul escalated into a blockade, following which the Jul ...
, he strongly encouraged the Bey not to break relations with France, but to attempt to profit from Paris and the French consul at Tunis, whose influence on the Bey grew ever greater. He restored, for a time, the finances of the state – at the price of violent exactions and extortions from the producers and exporters of
olive oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil.
It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
.
He allied with the
Makhzen
Makhzen (, , ) is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servants and other well-connected ...
family of Ben Ayed in an export enterprise which became the source of his fortune. As a result, the
Djellouli family, previously empowered by an alliance with
Yusuf Sahib al-Tabi found themselves in difficulty as a result of the economic crisis of 1830, fell deep in debt and were completely bankrupt ten years later; the son of
Mahmoud Djellouli Mahmoud Djellouli (1755–1839) was a trader and Tunisian diplomat. He was a member of the same clan as Youssef Saheb Ettabaa and among the important figures of his time.
The life of Djellouli illustrates the role played by the Mediterranean Sea in ...
sought refuge in
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
for several years and while he regained his family's administrative roles he did not return to the commercial ventures which were the source of their fortune.
In 1830, Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a persuaded the Bey to respond to the Ottoman Sultan's calls for reform and to institute the first regiments of a regular army, drawn entirely from the best young men in the Turkish militia of Tunis and trained by European instructors. In January 1831, the first regiment was created, composed of several battalions of infantry, a battalion of artillery with 150 men, and a battalion of engineers with 120 men. The soldiers were dressed and armed in the European fashion and formed the original core of the modern Tunisian army, continuing in the reign of
Ahmed I Bey
Ahmad I (), 2 December 1805 Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''Présent des hommes de notre temps. Chroniques des rois de Tunis et du pacte fondamental'', vol. IV, éd. Maison tunisienne de l'édition, Tunis, 1990, p. 12 – 30 May 1855Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit.'' ...
.
After the death of Hussein II in 1835, Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a began to cultivate a strong influence on his successor and younger brother
Mustafa Bey who retained him as Grand vizier, but removed him from his position as Keeper of the Seals. Shakir Sahib at-Taba'a pushed the Bey to carry out many bold but very unpopular reforms, such as general
conscription
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
from the population of large towns.
Protests eventually dissuaded the Bey from continuing these reformes, but Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a's role as minister did not end, due to his great power and influence at court. Moreover, Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a maintained a policy of rapprochement with the Ottoman government in order to counter the growing power of European merchants who were under the protection of the French and English consuls. His reforming spirit and authoritarianism had a powerful influence on the Bey's son, the future
Ahmed I Bey
Ahmad I (), 2 December 1805 Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''Présent des hommes de notre temps. Chroniques des rois de Tunis et du pacte fondamental'', vol. IV, éd. Maison tunisienne de l'édition, Tunis, 1990, p. 12 – 30 May 1855Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit.'' ...
. Once in power, he revived the reforms of Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a, especially in the realm of military affairs.
During the olive oil crisis during the winter of 1833/1834, he repressed a revolt at
Kairouan
Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( , ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661� ...
in violation of the holy city's traditional
right of asylum
The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, such as a second country or another enti ...
and imposed a fine of more than 500,000
rial Rial, riyal, or RIAL may refer to:
* Rial (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name)
* Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning, McGill University
* Rial Racing, a former German Formula One team
Currency
Various currencies ...
. Another agricultural crisis of less moment arose at
Bizerte
Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...
in 1837, he once more repressed the revolt of a population squeezed by the weight of taxes.
Assassination
Mustafa Bey, whose suspicions were encouraged by his entourage and especially by the French consul, decided to execute him. Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a was strangled in the corridor of Le Bardo palace on 11 September 1837, as he went to meet the Bey.
A telling sign is that he was assassinated during a visit to Le Bardo by the French consul and the admiral
Lalande on a special mission to Tunis. Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a was almost immediately replaced by
Mustapha Saheb Ettabaa
Mustapha Saheb Ettabaa (; born 1784 and died 10 May 1861), was a Tunisian politician and a mamluk of Georgian origin who served as a minister in the Beylik of Tunis.
Early life
To increase his prestige at the court of Hammouda Pasha the Sfaxi s ...
, the oldest minister, although it was
Mustapha Khaznadar
Mustapha Khaznadar (; 1817–1878), born as Georgios Halkias Stravelakis () was a Tunisian politician who served as Prime Minister of the Beylik of Tunis from 1855 to 1873.. He was one of the most influential people in modern Tunisian history..
...
who became the dominant personage at court.
Legacy
Sahib at-Taba'a possessed large agricultural estates throughout the country, notably in the
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
, where he supported its economy and helped to bring an end to the economic troubles in the olive oil industry.
He owned 2112 olive trees at
M'saken
M'saken ( ''Msākan''; also spelled ''Masakin'', ''Msaken'') is a town in north-eastern Tunisia, close to Sousse.
Etymology
The origin of the word comes from "Msaken" masken (plural masken) meaning "habitat", "house" or "dwelling".
This ref ...
, where he built a
seraglio
A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from , via Turkish, Italian and French) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ottoman Empire.
"The S ...
, known as the "Seraglio of General Makroun". In addition to his ministerial duties he was of Sahel (uniting the of
Sousse
Sousse, Sūsah , or Soussa (, ), is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which ...
and
Monastir) from 1836 to 1837.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahib at-Taba'a, Shakir
19th-century slaves in the Ottoman Empire
People from the Ottoman Empire of Circassian descent
1837 deaths
Assassinated Tunisian politicians
Politicians assassinated in the 1830s
Tunisian people of Circassian descent
Prime ministers of Tunisia