Timeline / 1100 to 1900 / TUNISIA
Date Country | Description
1118 - 1156 A.D. Tunisia
Norman incursions on the coast of Ifriqiya. The Djerba and Kerkennah islands, along with the towns of Gabès, Sfax, Mahdia and Sousse, are occupied by the Normans.
1160 A.D. Tunisia
Reconquest of the coast by the Almohads and reunification of Ifriqiya.
1184 - 1209 A.D. Tunisia
The powers of the Almohads declines.
1228 - 1236 A.D. Tunisia
The Hafsid Kingdom of Tunis exerts a remarkable influence in politics, economics and culture.
1253 A.D. Tunisia
The socio-cultural movement in Ifriqiya flourishes with individuals such as Sidi Bou Saïd and Sidi Mehrez venerated as patron saints.
1270 A.D. Tunisia
Death of Louis IX at the gates of Carthage during the Eighth Crusade against the Kingdom of Tunis.
1277 - 1370 A.D. Tunisia
The century is marked by trials and crises that shake the Hafsid kingdom: civil wars, foreign incursions and cholera epidemics.
1316 A.D. Tunisia
Birth of the illustrious scholar Ibn Arfa.
1332 A.D. Tunisia
Birth of the illustrious scholar Ibn Khaldun in Tunis.
1370 - 1394 A.D. Tunisia
Political stability under the reign of the Hafsid princes.
1394 - 1434 A.D. Tunisia
Development of commercial relations with Italian towns. Date Country | Description
1401 A.D. Tunisia
Death of the scholar Ibn Arfa.
1406 A.D. Tunisia
Death of the scholar Ibn Khaldun in Egypt.
1434 - 1488 A.D. Tunisia
Privateering starts.
1534 A.D. Tunisia
Tunis taken by the Ottoman privateer Barbarossa Khayr al-Din Pasha.
1535 A.D. Tunisia
Tunis taken by King Charles V of Spain.
1535 - 1574 A.D. Tunisia
Spanish occupation of the Kingdom of Tunis and fall of the Hafsid princes.
1574 A.D. Tunisia
The Ottomans, led by Sinan Pasha, oust the Spanish from Tunis and annex the town to the Ottoman empire.
1574 - 1612 A.D. Tunisia
A cast of Turkish soldiers (deys) from Istanbul govern the Regency of Tunis.
1587 A.D. Tunisia
Tunisia becomes an Ottoman province administered by a pasha appointed by the sultan in Istanbul and assisted by political-military leaders.
1614 - 1628 A.D. Tunisia
The border between Tunisia and Algeria is drawn.
1650 - 1695 A.D. Tunisia
Daily life in the regency is marked by civil wars and power struggles, first among the deys and then the beys.
1705 - 1728 A.D. Tunisia
Bey Husayn bin ‘Ali founds the dynasty that will run the country until 1881 independently, and then under the French protectorate until 20 March 1956. Date Country | Description Eighteen different beys come into power. The word bey refers to a political-military position dating back to the Turkish conquest, like pasha and dey.
1735 - 1782 A.D. Tunisia
Period of internal power struggles in the bey families. The reigning princes manage to ensure the dynastic succession.
1782 - 1814 A.D. Tunisia
The long reign of Bey Hammuda Pasha enhances the legitimacy of the dynasty and helps to stabilise the country.
1837 - 1855 A.D. Tunisia
Reign of the reformist prince Ahmad Pasha Bey.
1842 A.D. Tunisia
Reform of traditional teaching at the Zaytuna Mosque, which becomes official state-controlled teaching.
1846 A.D. Tunisia
Abolition of slavery.
1846 A.D. Tunisia
Creation of a modern military school and establishment of a programme to translate European manuals into Arabic. Institution of a regular army kitted out like its European counterparts.
1857 A.D. Tunisia
Promulgation of a charter during the reign of Muhammad Pasha Bey guaranteeing the rights of his Tunisian subjects and people living in Tunisia.
1861 A.D. Tunisia
Proclamation of the ‘Destour’ during the reign of Sadok Bey, the first modern constitution in the Muslim world.
1868 A.D. Tunisia
A time of financial difficulties and European manoeuvring. Tunisia’s state debt results in the establishment of an international financial commission, and a French– English initiative intended to control Tunisian finances.
1870 - 1877 A.D. Tunisia
Khaïreddine, the prime minister of the bey, instigates a programme of reforms. Foundation of the Collège Sadiki, the first modern secondary school in Tunisia. Foundation of the Sadiki hospital. Date Country | Description
1881 A.D. Tunisia
In Bardo, on 12 May, Sadok Bey is forced to sign the treaty establishing the French protectorate in Tunisia. French colonial occupation begins.
1881 - 1885 A.D. Tunisia
Insurrections and popular resistance against the occupation.