Timeline / 1820 to 1860 /

Date Country Theme

1821 - 1825 Lebanon Political Context

Bashir Shihab II, who was elected as amir in 1788 under Ottoman suzerainty, is overthrown when he backs Acre, and flees to Egypt, later to return and form an army. Bashir Jumblatt, the leader, gathers the Druze factions and declares a rebellion that leads to massacres and battles with the Maronites who support Bashir Shihab.

1825 Lebanon Political Context

Bashir Shihab II, helped by the Ottomans and by Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar (governor of Acre), defeats his rival in the Battle of Simqanieh. Bashir Jumblatt dies in Acre at the order of al-Jazzar. Bashir II represses the Druze rebellion, particularly in and around Beirut. This makes Bashir II the only leader of .

1831 Lebanon Political Context

Bashir II breaks away from the , allies with Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha of Egypt and assists his son Ibrahim Pasha in a . This siege lasts seven months before the fall of the city on 27 May 1832. They also conquer Damascus on 14 June 1832.

1836 Lebanon Travelling

The discovery of the Jeita Grotto, credited to Reverend William Thomson. Further expeditions reveal the depth and the importance of the cave.

1837 Lebanon Travelling

The Galilee earthquake. In the 17th century, Fakhr-al-Din II took over Beaufort castle, but was defeated by the Ottomans who destroyed the upper portion. The earthquake causes further damage to the structure and the ruins become a quarry and a shelter for sheep.

1839 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

The Jesuits come to Beirut and build a modest school.

1840 Lebanon Political Context

Conflicts between the Druze and the Maronite Christians explode. A Maronite revolt against the feudal class erupts, lasting till 1858.

1841 Lebanon Economy And Trade

Teams of spinners are brought from France to train young women. This was a real social revolution in this rural and traditional part of the country. According to G. Ducousso’s book The Silk Industry in and Lebanon (1912), the French Consul in Beirut counted no fewer than 183 spinning mills in Lebanon. Date Country Theme

1848 Lebanon Travelling

Established by Congregational and Presbyterian American missionaries, the National Evangelical Church of Beirut is the oldest and largest of nine congregations situated outside Beirut.

1853 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

Antun Bey Najjar, a merchant who made his fortune in Constantinople, builds Khan Antun Bey in 1853. It becomes a great business centre and the building is used by many institutions such as Beirut’s foreign consulates, the Ottoman administration, postal services, merchants’ offices and Beirut’s first bank, Imperial Ottoman.

1855 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

A school is built by the Jesuits in (Kisruwan district).

1855 Lebanon Reforms And Social Changes

A school is built by the Jesuits in Ghazir (Kisruwan district).

1860 Lebanon Political Context

A full-scale war erupts between Maronites and Druze. III of France sends 7,000 troops to Beirut and helps impose a partition: Druze control of the territory is recognised as the fact on the ground, and the Maronites are forced into an enclave. This is ratified by the Concert of Europe in 1861.

1860 Lebanon Political Context

Yusuf Bek Butros Karam, a Lebanese Maronite born in 1823 fights in the 1860 civil war and leads a rebellion in 1866-67 against the Ottoman Empire’s rule in Mount Lebanon. His proclamations have been interpreted as an early expression of Lebanese nationalism.