Karamanli dynasty facts for kids

The Karamanli dynasty was a family of rulers who governed a region called Ottoman Tripolitania. This area is now part of modern Libya. They ruled independently from 1711 to 1835. Their main city was Tripoli. At its strongest, the Karamanli family controlled most of Libya, including areas like Cyrenaica and Fezzan.

The dynasty was started by Pasha Ahmed Karamanli. He was a descendant of an older ruling family called the Karamanids. One of the most famous Karamanli rulers was Yusuf ibn Ali Karamanli Pasha. He ruled from 1795 to 1832. He even fought a war with the United States between 1801 and 1805, known as the First Barbary War. The last ruler from this family was Ali II Karamanli.

History of the Karamanli Dynasty

In the early 1700s, the Ottoman Empire was losing its power over its lands in North Africa. This included Tripolitania. There was a time of civil war, where no ruler could stay in charge for long.

Ahmed Karamanli Takes Control

Ahmed Karamanli was a brave soldier and a popular cavalry officer. He was part of the Janissary army, which was a special Ottoman fighting force. In 1711, Ahmed took control of Tripolitania. He did this by removing the Ottoman governor in an event known as the 1711 Karamanli coup.

Ahmed then convinced the Ottoman leaders to recognize him as the new governor. He became a "pasha," which was a high title. He made sure that his position would be passed down to his children. This meant his family would rule after him. Even though Tripolitania still paid a small amount of money to the Ottoman Sultan (called the "padishah"), it mostly acted like its own independent kingdom.

Ahmed was a smart and capable leader. He helped his city's economy grow a lot. He did this by using "corsairs," which were like government-sponsored pirates. These corsairs would attack ships on important Mediterranean trade routes. Countries that wanted their ships to be safe had to pay money to the pasha. This money was called tribute. Ahmed also expanded Tripolitania's control. By the time he died in 1745, his rule reached as far as Fezzan and Cyrenaica.

Tripolitanian Civil War

Ahmed's rulers who came after him were not as strong. This meant Tripolitania did not have a long "golden age" like some of its neighbors. However, the region's power balance helped the Karamanli family survive. They managed to get through several family problems without being invaded.

In the 1780s, 'Ali ibn Mehmed, a later ruler, stopped paying attention to government matters. He gave most of his power to his oldest son, Hasan. But in 1790, Hasan was killed by his youngest brother, Yusuf Karamanli. This started a fight for power between Yusuf and his middle brother, Hamet Karamanli.

In 1793, an Ottoman officer named Ali Burghul stepped in. He removed Hamet from power and briefly brought Tripolitania back under Ottoman rule. But in 1794, 'Ali, Hamet, and Yusuf Karamanli returned. They had help from the ruler of Tunis. They kicked out Ali Burghul and made Tripolitania independent again. 'Ali officially gave up his power to Hamet. But Yusuf quickly removed Hamet. Yusuf then ruled as the bey (a local ruler) of Tripoli from 1795 to 1832.

Conflicts with Other Nations

In 1801, Yusuf Karamanli asked the United States for a large payment of $225,000. This was a tribute to protect American ships from the corsairs. The US President at the time, Thomas Jefferson, refused. He believed the new United States Navy could protect American shipping.

Because of this, Yusuf Pasha unofficially declared war in May 1801. He cut down the flagpole in front of the American consulate. President Jefferson sent the US Navy to the Mediterranean Sea. They successfully blocked Tripolitania's harbors in 1803.

After some early successes, like capturing the USS Philadelphia ship, Yusuf Pasha faced a threat. American ground forces, led by William Eaton, invaded. They even planned to put Yusuf's deposed brother, Hamet Karamanli, back in power after the Battle of Derna. On June 10, 1805, Yusuf signed a peace treaty, ending the war. This was called the Treaty of Peace and Amity.

Controlling Trade Routes

The Karamanli family strengthened their control over the Fezzan region during the 1700s. In the early 1800s, Yusuf expanded their influence even more. He sent groups south to control the important trade routes across the Sahara Desert. These routes led to the Kanem–Bornu Empire. By 1807, he made all the tribes in Cyrenaica and Fezzan submit to him. He brought Fezzan under his direct control. Military trips into the central Sahara helped secure the trade routes in 1816.

Yusuf also tried to profit from the slave trade. He even planned to conquer Bornu, but this plan did not happen. He needed money from other countries to fund such a large campaign. When his requests for a loan from the British failed in 1824, he stopped his plans to conquer Bornu.

Decline of the Dynasty

A page from a Quran written in Libya near the end of the Karamanli rule.

By 1819, new agreements after the Napoleonic Wars forced the Barbary states to stop piracy almost completely. This caused Tripolitania's economy to suffer greatly. Yusuf tried to make up for lost money by encouraging the trans-Saharan slave trade. However, many countries in Europe and the United States were against slavery. This meant the slave trade could not save Tripolitania's economy.

As Yusuf's power weakened, his three sons started fighting among themselves. Yusuf gave up his rule in 1832 to his son Ali II. But a civil war quickly broke out. The Ottoman Sultan, Mahmud II, sent troops. He said they were there to restore order. Instead, they removed Ali II from power and sent him away. This marked the end of the Karamanli dynasty. It also meant the end of an independent Tripolitania. However, a family with the same name still lives in modern Tripoli, Libya.

List of Karamanli Rulers (1711–1835)

• Ahmed I (July 29, 1711 – November 4, 1745)
• Mehmed Pasha (November 4, 1745 – July 24, 1754)
• Ali I Karamanli (July 24, 1754 – July 30, 1793)
• Ali Pasha (July 30, 1793 – January 20, 1795) – He was an Ottoman-supported ruler.
• Ahmed II (January 20 – June 11, 1795) – Also known as 'Ahmed' or 'Hamet'.
• Yusuf Karamanli (June 11, 1795 – August 20, 1832)
• Mehmed Karamanli (1817) (1st time, in rebellion)
• Mehmed ibn Ali (1824) (1st time, in rebellion)
• Mehmed Karamanli (1826) (2nd time, in rebellion)
• Mehmed Karamanli (July 1832) (3rd time, in rebellion)
• Mehmed ibn Ali (1835) (2nd time, in rebellion)
• Ali II Karamanli (August 20, 1832 – May 26, 1835)

See also

• First Barbary War
• Second Barbary War
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
• 1711 Karamanli coup