Yusuf Shihab
| Yusuf Shihab | |
|---|---|
| Emir of Mount Lebanon | |
| Reign | 1770–1789 |
| Predecessor | Mansur Shihab |
| Successor | Bashir Shihab II |
| Born | 1748 |
| Died | 1790 (aged 41–42) Acre |
| Issue | Sa'ad el-Din (son) Haydar III (son) |
| Dynasty | Shihab dynasty |
| Religion |
Maronite Catholic (in practice) Sunni Islam (nominally) |
Yusuf Shihab (1748–1790) was the autonomous emir of Mount Lebanon between 1770 and 1789. He was the fifth consecutive member of the Shihab dynasty to govern Mount Lebanon.
Yusuf Shihab was the son of Emir Mulhim. They were the leaders of the Shihab dynasty. The Shihabs were descendants of the Ma'an dynasty of Fakhr ad-Din. The first emir of the dynasty, Haydar al-Shihab, succeeded the last Ma'an emir (prince) of Mount Lebanon in 1697. Haydar al-Shihab was a Sunni Muslim, although his mother was Druze. His kinship with the Ma'ans allowed for him to serve as the eminent leader of the Druze clans of Mount Lebanon. The Shihabs were generally not religious and embraced their faith nominally, some were Sunni Muslims or Druze, and later other members became Maronite Catholics. Emir Yusuf was apparently raised as a Maronite Christian, but was publicly a Sunni Muslim. During Yusuf Shihab's rule, many members of the Shihab family converted to Christianity and Yusuf also began to rely on the support of the Maronite Christians.
In 1753, Emir Mulhim was ill and unable to govern. This led to a rivalry over succession between his brothers Ahmad and Mansur, while Mulhim and his nephew Qasim sought to prevent either from assuming control over the emirate. When Mulhim died in 1759, Qasim became the administrator of Chouf district, although after paying a bribe, this authority was transferred to Ahmad and Mansur. The two brothers engaged in conflict in which Yusuf supported Ahmad. Emir Mansur prevailed by 1763, and Yusuf fled the Chouf to Mukhtara, the headquarters of the powerful Druze Jumblatt clan. Ali Jumblatt, an ally of Emir Mansur, protected Yusuf and offered to mediate the dispute between the two. After Emir Mansur refused Ali Jumblatt's offer and seized Yusuf's properties, Ali switched allegiance and backed Yusuf in his struggle for control of the emirate.
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