Chapter V – France to the Rescue
In June, the Netherlands declared war, to avenge their previous defeat. The nation, under its new Bey and with elections still pending, prepared for a serious Class 3 threat but then something amazing happened. France decided to intervene on the side of Tunis!
The Dutch blockading squadron retreated, in the wake of the French navy, and the elections in October led to another unchallenged Nationalist victory (100% of the vote). France took the fight to the Dutch colonies, removing any semblance of threat from North Africa, but curiously that led to a flare-up of anti-western sentiment in Tunis. By 1856, militancy had reached record levels, maxing out in many provinces.
The enactment of a good health care reform did little to appease the people, while France demanded a legation quarter, which the Tunisian government was in no position to refuse. The people were not pleased.
In November 1856, France and the Netherlands negotiated a white peace, and it seemed like that would be the end of European threats to Tunis.
That was soon proved mistaken, as Spain declared war in December (with relations with France at 99.7).
Spain was a power to be feared, and if Tunis was up against it on its own, victory would have been very difficult, but France once again came to the rescue, and attacked the Spanish in their home territories and in Spanish Morocco. But not before the Spanish had landed an expeditionary force in Bizerte.
There were no French forces nearby, and the Tunisian government considered it a matter of honour to show that Tunis could defend itself. Besides, much had been invested in the past years to increase the skill and professionalism of Tunisian troops, and their officers were eager to test themselves in battle. So, the whole Tunisian army, 36,000 men strong, including two brigades of artillery and one brigade of cavalry, was led by general Nur al-Din al-Annabi, a skilled attacker, against the Spanish positions.
The enemy put up a spirited fight, but in the end the Tunisians were victorious.
As the Spanish retreated into French Algeria, the Tunisian government enacted a series of legislations that formalized minimum safety regulations and a 14 hour workday. Those measures made living conditions easier for the rapidly rising population of Tunisia, while their adverse effects were unnoticeable in the absence of industry.
In 1858, France made peace with Spain, ending the 9th War of the Constantine Region Concession. War exhaustion in Tunisia was 38%, but in July of that year it could look forward to some years of peace and recovery, as France pulled the country into its sphere of influence.
The only dark patches of Mohammed Bey’s reign came in the summer of 1859. The French ambassador was murdered, infuriating Tunis’ protectors. Mohammed issued a formal apology but refused to take any steps that would leave a lasting source of shame on Tunis.
Even so, the nation lost much prestige and it came as a double shock when the new ambassador met the same gruesome fate just weeks later!
Mohammed Bey died on 22 September 1859, having become infirm after those repeated blows to Tunis’ prestige. He was succeeded by Muhammad III as-Sadiq (Sadok Bey to the Europeans). The nation may have lost half of its hard-earned prestige in a most insidious manner, but it was now for the first time safe, under a mild French protection that did not extend to meddling in the affairs of the government. Tunis had survived the worst. Now it was time to rebuild, and plan for the future.