TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did Tunis become Ottoman?

Today: Tunisia · North Africa

311years under Ottoman rule

Tunis came under Ottoman rule in 1569; Ottoman rule ended in 1881. It changed hands in between; there are 2 separate Ottoman periods.

Tunis
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1569–1573 · 4 years1574–1881 · 307 years

Chronology

  1. 1534
    Note

    Hayreddin Barbarossa added the city to the Ottoman lands, but Charles V took it in July 1535.

    Sultan: Suleiman I
  2. 1569
    Became Ottoman

    The city passed to the Ottomans again.

    Sultan: Selim II
  3. 1573
    Left Ottoman rule

    The city was occupied by Spain a second time.

    Sultan: Selim II
  4. 1574
    Became Ottoman

    The city was recovered, joined the Ottoman lands for good and became a province.

    Sultan: Selim II · Event page →
  5. 1881
    Left Ottoman rule

    On 12 May 1881 France signed the Treaty of Bardo with the bey of Tunis and took the country under its protection.

    Sultan: Abdulhamid II

How the total is counted: years of actual Ottoman rule are added up. Temporary occupations shorter than a year (that were reversed) are not subtracted; they appear as notes in the chronology.

In the atlas

On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Tunis”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.

Open the map in 1569

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “TUNUS” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.