| Hammuda Pacha Bey حمودة باشا باي | |
|---|---|
| Bey of Tunis | |
| Reign | 1631-1666 |
| Predecessor | Murad I Bey |
| Successor | Murad II Bey |
| Born | Hammuda ben Murad Tunisia |
| Died | April 13, 1666 Dar El Bey,Tunis |
| Spouse | Aziza bent Ahmed ben Othman Dey Fatma Hiziyya bent Ali Thabet Khadija bent Ja'afar Mira bent Mouhamed Askri El-Hannacha |
| Issue | Sidi Murad Bey Sidi Mohamed el-Hafsi Bey Mulay el-Hussein Bey |
| Dynasty | Muradids |
| Father | Murad I Bey |
| Mother | Yasmine |
| Religion | Islam |
Hammuda Pasha Bey (حمودة باشا), died April 13, 1666[1] was the secondBey of theTunisianMuradid dynasty. He reigned from 1631 until his death.[2]
Son ofMurad I Bey and anodalisque named Yasmine, both fromCorsica, Hammuda was notable for his strength as much as his generosity and concern for his people.[2] During his reign, he led many expeditions against dissident tribes in the northwest and south of the country in order to maintain order and security.[2]
In 1637, Hammuda orchestrated the election ofUsta Murad asDey, commander of theOttoman military in Tunis. Usta Murad, a friend of his father, was an oldcorsair, who European sources claim had captured around 900 ships and more than 20,000 prisoners to be sold asslaves at market in Tunis.
He obtained from the subsequent Dey,Ahmed Khodja Dey the right to a force of almost 600 footmen drawn from thesipahis to serve as a bodyguard; their command was guaranteed to theagha of the sipahis. In addition, in his reign the island ofDjerba, which belonged to the pasha ofTripoli was definitively annexed by Tunis, although this was in large part the result ofYusuf Dey's diplomatic efforts.
In 1647, at the height of his power, he appointed all the officials and managed to gain control of thejanissary force in Tunis. In 1659, the Ottoman sultanMehmed IV named himpasha of Tunis. But his piratical activities bothered the European powers andFrance sent a largenaval squadron to perform a demonstration of force. Hammuda, wishing to avoid conflict, signed a treaty on 25 December 1665. In it he specifies that Tunisia recognized the preeminence of the French consul over other foreign ambassadors and granted them the right to engage in commerce throughout the whole of Tunisia.
Hammuda Pasha established peace and order throughout the country. Bin Abi Dinar al-Kairaouani said of his reign that merchants could move everywhere freely without arms.[3]
A dedicated builder, Hammuda was responsible for the construction of manysouks of theMedina of Tunis, as well as many palaces, including theDar Hammouda Pacha and the predecessor of the modernDar El Bey. In 1655, he had Ottoman architects build theHammouda Pacha Mosque in the Turkish style, with an elegant octagonal minaret, below which he constructed his family mausoleum.[4]
Among his other achievements are the construction of abimaristan (hospital) in the medina of Tunis and the reconstruction, with embellishments, of the mausoleum ofSidi Sahab (mosque of Barbier) atKairouan.[4] In 1643 he bought the old pleasure palace of theHafsids atLe Bardo from thedivan of the Turkish garrison in Tunis.[5] Composed initially of three pavilions, which he had restored, he aggrandised it by adding orchards, ahammam, a cafe,souks and afunduq for visitors. His sonMurad II Bey made this his primary residence, dwelling there almost permanently.
Hammuda's father had married him to the very popular princessAziza Othmana, granddaughter ofOthman Dey. Her inheritance and the property given to her by Hammuda Pasha made up the most importanthabous in the country; in totally it is believed to have amounted to almost 90,000hectares scattered through the whole country. The revenue of these lands financed several funds supporting the needy at theAziza Othmana hospital as well as the maintenance of religious buildings in Tunis and in the holy cities ofMecca,Medina, andJerusalem. Only a portion was retained for her descendants. It was not until 1957 that the habous was dissolved and Aziza Othmana's property was liquidated or nationalised.
Hammuda's other spouses reflect mostly the need for political alliances:
In 1663, tired by age, he progressively divested himself of power in favour of his three sons:Murad II Bey received the succession to the Beylik of Tunis, Mohamed el-Hafsi Bey gained thesanjaks ofKairouan,Sfax,Sousse,Monastir and the whole southern part of the country, and the youngest brother Hussein Bey gained the sanjaks on the border with Algeria. Hammuda died in 1666 at Dar El Bey, which he had built so that he could reside closer to his people.
On his death he was buried in the mausoleum located under hismosque, in the corner opposite the minaret.[1]
| Preceded by | Bey of Tunis 1631–1666 | Succeeded by |
