Yusuf Karamanli

Yusuf Karamanli
Pasha of Tripoli
Reign	11 June 1795 - 20 August 1832
Predecessor	Ali II Burghul Pasha Cezayrli (usuper)
Successor	Ali II
Born	1766 Tripoli, Ottoman Tripolitania
Died	1838 (aged 72)
Dynasty	Karamanli Dynasty
Father	Ali I
Religion	Islam

Yusuf (ibn Ali) Karamanli, Caramanli or Qaramanli or al-Qaramanli (most commonly Yusuf Karamanli), (1766 – 1838) was the best-known Pasha (reigned 1795-1832) of the Karamanli dynasty (1711–1835) of Tripolitania (in present-day Libya).

Karamanli was born in Tripoli in 1766, a member of the Karamanli dynasty (named after the Karamanids in Turkey), was originally of Turkish origin. His brother, Hamet Karamanli, was deposed in 1793 by Ottoman officer Ali Benghul; Benghul proceeded to restore Ottoman rule over Tripoli. In 1795 Yusuf returned to Tripoli, and with the aid of Hammuda Pacha (ruler) of Tunis, seized the throne, exiling Hamet and restoring Karamanli rule.

In 1801, Yusuf demanded a tribute of $225,000 from United States President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, confident in the ability of the new United States Navy to protect American shipping, refused the Pasha's demands, leading the Pasha to unofficially declare war in May 1801 by chopping down the flagpole before the American consulate.

The US Navy successfully blockaded Tripoli's harbors in 1803. After some initial military successes, most notably the capture of the USS Philadelphia, the pasha soon found himself threatened with invasion by American ground forces following the Battle of Derna and the reinstatement of his deposed brother, Hamet Karamanli, recruited by the American army officer William Eaton. He signed a treaty ending the war on June 10, 1805.

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