Murad II Bey
| Murad II Bey | |
|---|---|
| Bey of Tunis | |
| Mohamed Bey El Mouradi | |
| Reign | 1666 - 1675 |
| Predecessor | Hammuda Pasha Bey |
| Born | Ottoman Tunis |
Murad II Bey(Arabic:مراد باي الثاني,died 1675) in the palace ofBardowas the thirdMuradidBey of Tunisfrom 1666 until his death.[1][2]
Reign[edit]
Son ofHammuda Pasha Bey,[1]he distinguished himself by his courage, his fortitude and his concern for the good governance of the people.[1]He spent the greater part of his time travelling the land to levy the tribute, deal with intrusions by the army ofAlgiersand the collusion of the northwestern tribes with the Algerians. Furthermore, he faced a revolt of thedivanof the militia, led by theDeyAli Laz.[3]After Murad II suffered reverses in one of his expeditions far from Tunis, Laz replaced him with Mohamed Agha, an officer of the Turkish militia.[3]But Murad II eventually defeated the latter and was restored to power in 1673,[3]at which point he reformed the militia.[3]This marked the end of the Dey's power to counter the Bey.
Building[edit]
Among his architectural projects is the construction of theMadrasa Mouradiyya,built on the location of an oldfunduq(warehouse) occupied by a portion of the Turkish militia; thismadrasahwas dedicated to theMalikischool of Islamic law.[2]In addition, Murad II was also responsible for the construction of a mosque atGabèsand the creation of water works, notable a dam-bridge of theMedjerda River.[2]
Succession[edit]
Murad II married the daughter ofYusuf Deyand left three sons at his death:Mohamed Bey El Mouradi(called Mamet Bey), Ali Bey and Ramadan Bey.[2]The first two launched a fratricidal conflict, in which their uncle Mohamed El Hafsi also took part. This conflict led to a long period ofcivil warcalled theRevolutions of Tunis,which lasted from 1675 to 1701 and ended with the assassination of all princes of the dynasty byIbrahim Sharif of Tunisin 1701.
At his death, Murad II was buried in the mausoleum of his father located on the side of theHammouda Pacha Mosque.[2]
