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French Protectorate of Tunisia

French protectorate of Tunisia
Protectorat français de Tunisie
الحماية الفرنسية في تونس
Protectorate of France
1881–1956


Flag

Anthem
La Marseillaise

Humat al-Hima
Beylical Anthem
(instrumental only)
Tunisia (dark blue)
French possessions in Africa (light blue)
1913
Capital Tunis
Languages French
Italian
Berber languages
Standard Arabic
Tunisian Arabic
Judeo-Tunisian Arabic
Turkish
Religion Roman Catholicism
Judaism
Sunni Islam
Government Constitutional monarchy
Bey
 •  1859–1882 Muhammad III as-Sadiq (first)
 •  1943–1956 Muhammad VIII al-Amin (last)
Resident-General
 •  1885–1886 Paul Cambon (first)
 •  1954–1955 Pierre Boyer de Latour du Moulin (last)
High Commissioner
 •  1955–1956 Roger Seydoux Fornier de Clausonne
History
 •  Treaty of Bardo May 12, 1881
 •  Battle of Tunisia 1942–1943
 •  Independence March 20, 1956
Area
 •  1881 est. 155,000 km² (59,846 sq mi)
Population
 •  1939 est. est. 2,600,000 
     Density 16.8 /km²  (43.4 /sq mi)
Currency
Tunisian rial
(until 1891)
Tunisian franc
(1891–1958)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Beylik of Tunis
Kingdom of Tunisia


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The French protectorate of Tunisia (French: Protectorat français de Tunisie; Arabic: الحماية الفرنسية في تونس‎‎ al-Ḥimāya al-Fransīya fī Tūnis) was established in 1881, during the French colonial Empire era, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956.

Tunisia formed a province of the decaying Ottoman Empire but enjoyed a large measure of autonomy under the bey Muhammad III as-Sadiq. In 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Russian victory foreshadowed the dismemberment of the empire, including independence for several Balkan possessions and international discussions about the future of the North African provinces. The Berlin Congress of 1878 convened to resolve the Ottoman question. Britain, although opposed to total dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, offered France control of Tunisia, in return for Cyprus. Germany, seeing the French claim as a way to divert French attention from revengeful action in Europe (where France had suffered defeat at Prussian hands in 1870–1) and little concerned about the southern Mediterranean, agreed to allow France overlordship in Tunisia. Italy, which had economic interests in Tunisia, strongly opposed the plan but was unable to impose its will.


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Wikipedia

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