Deys of Tunis

The Dey of Tunis (Arabic: داي تونس) was the military commander of the janissaries in the regency of Tunis. In the seventeenth century the holders of the position exercised varying degrees of power, often near-absolute. Until 1591 the Dey was appointed by the Ottoman governor (“Pasha”). In 1673 the Dey and the janissaries revolted against Murad II Bey and were defeated. After this the hereditary position of Bey was pre-eminent in Tunis. The position of Dey continued to exist until it was abolished by Sadok Bey in 1860.