The Abolition of Slavery in Ottoman Tunisia  University Press of florida Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers Florida International University, Miami Florida State University, Tallahassee New College of Florida, Sarasota University of Central Florida, Orlando University of Florida, Gainesville University of North Florida, Jacksonville University of South Florida, Tampa University of West Florida, Pensacola The AboliTion of SlAvery in oTTomAn TuniSiA  ismael m. montana Foreword by Ehud R. Toledano University Press of Florida Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota Copyright 2013 by Ismael M. Montana All rights reserved The publication of this book is made possible in part by a grant from the Department of History at Northern Illinois University. Unless otherwise indicated, illustrations are reproduced courtesy of Ismael M. Montana. Printed in the United States of America. This book is printed on Glatfelter Natures Book, a paper certified under the standards of the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). It is a recycled stock that contains 30 percent post-consumer waste and is acid free. This book may be available in an electronic edition. 18 17 16 15 14 13 6 5 4 3 2 1 A record of cataloging-in-publication data is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-0-8130-4482-8 The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida. University Press of Florida 15 Northwest 15th Street Gainesville, FL 32611-2079 http://www.upf.com To my loving and beautiful family, Dzifa and Jilma Kekeli, and in memory of Hawa Mahama (d. 2008), my beloved mother and strongest supporter I have opened the way. I have abolished the sale of slaves, and I will never leave the work of emancipation whilst a slave remains in my dominions Ahmad Bey (1835–1855) Contents List of Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . xi List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . xxi List of Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . xxv Notes on Transliteration . . . . . . . . . xxvii Notes on Currency. . . . . . . . . . . xxix Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. The Slave Trade from the Ottoman Period . . . . . 10 2. Reforms and Foreign Trade, 1759–1814. . . . . . 25 3. Changing Patterns of the Slave Trade, 1759–1814 . . . 35 4. The Slave Trade during European Domination of the Mediterranean, 1815–1841 . . . . . . . 51 5. The Road to Abolition . . . . . . . . . . 74 6. Final Abolition, 1846 . . . . . . . . . . 96 7. The Aftermath of Abolition, 1846–1855 . . . . . 115 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Appendix A: The Tunisian Trans-Saharan Slave Trade and the Traffic across the Mediterranean . . . . . 138 Appendix B: The Abolition of the Slave Trade, 1841–1845 . 145 Appendix C: The Final Abolition of Slavery, 1846 . . . 154 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197