Ottoman Tripolitania
Ottoman Tripolitania, also known as the Regency of Tripoli, was officially ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1551 to 1912.[1][2] It corresponded roughly to the northern parts of modern-day Libya in historic Tripolitania and Cyrenaica.[1][3] It was initially established as an Ottoman province ruled by a pasha (governor) in Tripoli who was appointed from Constantinople, though in practice it was semi-autonomous due to the power of the local Janissaries.[1][2] From 1711 to 1835, the Karamanli dynasty ruled the province as a de facto hereditary monarchy while remaining under nominal Ottoman suzerainty.[1] In 1835, the Ottomans reestablished direct control over the region until its annexation by Italy in 1912.[4]
Not to be confused with Tripoli Eyalet.Like the Ottoman regencies in Tunis and Algiers, the Regency of Tripoli was a major base for the privateering activities of the North African corsairs, who also provided revenues for Tripoli.[1][2] A remnant of the centuries of Turkish rule is the presence of a population of Turkish origin, and those of partial Turkish origin, the Kouloughlis.
1667 map
The "Kingdom of Tripoli" (Royaume de Tripoly) is shown as including much of modern-day Libya on a map by Guillaume Delisle (1707).
1736 map
1747 map
1771 map
Tripolitania in 1818
1907 map
