Tanyus Shahin

Tanyus Shahin
طانيوس شاهين
Portrait of Tanyus Shahin
Head of the Republic of Keserwan
In office 1859–1861
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Personal details
Born	1815 Rayfoun, Mount Lebanon, Ottoman Empire
Died	1895 (aged 79–80) Rayfoun, Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Empire

Tanyus Shahin Saadeh al-Rayfouni (also spelled Tanios Chahine Saadé Al Rayfouné, given name also spelled Taniyus or Tanius) (1815–1895) was a Maronite muleteer and peasant leader from Mount Lebanon. He led a peasants' revolt in the area of Keserwan in 1859, during which he drove out the area's Maronite nobility, the feudal Khazen lords, and declared a peasants' republic. While he had a reputation as a ruffian and provocateur among members of the Maronite clergy and European consuls, Shahin became a popular figure among Christian commoners, many of whom considered him the guardian of their interests, a view which Shahin promoted.

Following his victory in Keserwan, Shahin and his fighters launched intermittent raids against villages in nearby regions, such as Jubail and Matn, often in the name of defending the rights of local Christians. The assaults and their repercussions served as catalysts of the 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war, particularly the battle of Beit Mery between local Maronites and Druze, in which Shahin was a principal belligerent. Although he claimed he could raise an army of 50,000 to combat the forces of the Druze feudal lords, he did not participate further in the war. Following the war's end, he was defeated by Youssef Karam in a struggle over political influence in Maronite affairs. Shahin subsequently relinquished his republic and worked in the judiciary of his home village, Rayfoun.

According to historian Elizabeth Thompson, there are sparse biographical details available about Shahin. He was born to a Maronite Christian family in the village of Rayfoun in the Keserwan district of Mount Lebanon in 1815. According to Thompson, Shahin may have been literate as indicated by his early career as an artisan and an entrepreneur, while Lebanese historian Kamal Salibi describes him as "half-literate". Prior to leading the 1859 peasant revolt in Keserwan, Shahin was a blacksmith and a muleteer who transported goods throughout Keserwan.