Uthman Dey or Kara Osman Dey (died in September 1610) was Dey of Tunis from 1593 until his death.Yvette Katan Bensamoun, Rama Chalak et Jacques-Robert Katan, ''Le Maghreb : de l'empire ottoman à la fin de la colonisation française'', éd. Belin, Paris, 2007, p. 35

Biography

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

soldier of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

n origin, where he had worked as a

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who repairs shoes * Cobbler (food), a type of pie Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * ''The Cobbler' ...

, he arrived with the forces of

Koca Sinan Pasha Koca Sinan Pasha (, "Sinan the Great", ; c. 1506 – 3 April 1596) was an Albanian-born Ottoman Grand Vizier, military figure, and statesman. From 1580 until his death he served five times as Grand Vizier. Early life Sinan Pasha, also known ...

which took

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 ...

from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1574. In 1593 he was elected as

Dey Dey (, from ) was the title given to the rulers of the regencies of Algiers, Tripolitania,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 onwards. Twenty-nine ''deys'' held office from the establishment of the deylicate ...

of the Turkish militia of Tunis; he thereby became the military commander of Tunis. Then in 1598 he truly took power by restricting the

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

to a purely honorific role. Tunis entered a new era under his rule, with the pacification of the hinterland, the creation of a powerful fleet and a network of forts (''borj'') intended to guard the coast. It was in practice him who welcomed (around 1609) the major communities of refugees expelled from Castile and Aragon.Lionel Lévy, ''La nation juive portugaise : Livourne, Amsterdam, Tunis. 1591-1951'', éd. L'Harmattan, Paris, 1999, p. 59 It is estimated that between 60,000 and 80,000 of these arrived in Tunisia in this period. He settled some at Tunis and also allowed further families to settle in

Zaghouan Zaghouan (or Zaghwan; , ) is a town in the northern half of Tunisia. Situated on a low ridge of the Dorsale Mountains, the town has a mild climate and presents a green aspect. Cold water from here was taken by the Zaghouan Aqueduct to Carth ...

Testour Testour ( ') is a town located in the north of Tunisia. The town is perched on the hills of Medjerda Valley, south-west of Medjez-el-Bab, the crossroads between Tunis, Béja, and the north of Tunisia. It was known during the Roman period, as T ...

Soliman Soliman an alternative to may refer to: * Soliman (surname), including a list of people with the name * Soliman Kenawy, Egyptian journalist * Soliman, Tunisia, a place See also * Suleiman, a name, including a list of variants * Solomon (disambigua ...

Turki Chagatai (, ), also known as Turki, Eastern Turkic, or Chagatai Turkic (), is an extinct Turkic language that was once widely spoken across Central Asia. It remained the shared literary language in the region until the early 20th century. It was ...

Grombalia Grombalia is a Tunisian city located in the Nabeul Governorate. At the 2014 census, its population was 24,336, while the population of the municipality was 67,475. It is the birthplace of former president Moncef Marzouki Mohamed Moncef Marzouki ...

Medjez el-Bab Majaz al Bab (), also known as Medjez el Bab, or as Membressa under the Roman Empire, is a town in northern Tunisia. It is located at the intersection of roads GP5 and GP6, in the ''Plaine de la Medjerda''. It has been a titular see of the Cathol ...

and

Tebourba Tebourba ( ') is a town in Tunisia, located about 20 miles (30 km) from the capital Tunis, former ancient city ( Thuburbo Minus) and bishopric, now a Latin Catholic titular see. Thuburbo Minus Historically Thuburbo Minus ("Little Thuburbo ...

. These settlers brought a new way of life and new crafts (like the making of the chachia) with them, which contributed to the prosperity of the territory. Dey also welcomed

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

, including

Jack Ward John Ward or Jack Ward ( 1553 – 1622), also known as Birdy, Sparrow or later as Yusuf Reis, was an English people, English pirate who later became a Barbary pirates, Corsair for the Ottoman Empire operating out of Ottoman Tunisia, Tunis ...

, whom arranged a deal to use Dey's Tunis port as a base of operations for raiding and taking of European ships, with Dey guaranteed a portion of the loot. In his old age he became nervous about leaving the capital and the troublesome militia, so he create the position of

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 ...

to commander the armed expeditions sent out into the countryside to collect taxes and maintain order. He conferred the office on a Georgian

janissary A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted dur ...

named Ramdhan. Uthman also had a palace built in the centre 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 ...

, to serve as his residence, which is known as the Dar Othman (dating to the end of the 16th century) - he was the only Dey to live in the medina, as the others preferred the greater security of the kasbah. He also built several barracks and forts, as well as walls of several cities, which had been destroyed during the war against Spain, as 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 ...

. He married his daughter to his lieutenant and eventual successor,

Yusuf Dey Yusuf Dey (c.1560 in Tripoli – 1637 at Tunis) was Dey of Tunis from 1610 until his death. Biography Son of Mustapha El Turki, an Ottoman Turkish soldier stationed at Tripoli, he took up a post in the militia of Tunis. He was recognised b ...

.Pierre-Robert Baduel, ''Chantiers et défis de la recherche sur le Maghreb contemporain'', éd. Karthala, Paris, 2009, p. 81
/ref> Uthman Dey was also the grandfather of princess Aziza Uthmana. At his death he was buried in what is now the tourba Aziza Uthmana in the kasbah, where his descendants were also interred.

Bibliography

*Alphonse Rousseau, ''Annales tunisiennes ou aperçu historique sur la régence de Tunis'', éd. Bastide, Alger, 1864.

References

{{reflist Deys of Tunis 1610 deaths