Fakhr-al-Din II

Emir Fakhr-al-Din ibn Maan (1572–April 13, 1635) (Arabic: الامير فخر الدين بن معن‎) was the 1st prince of the State of Lebanon which has self-governed under the Ottoman Empire between the 17th and 19th centuries. Son of Prince Qorqmaz ibn Maan (Arabic: الامير قرقماز بن معن‎) and Sit Nasab (Arabic: الست نسب‎) of the Tanukhi family, he was given the title "Emir" or Prince in Arabic because the Maan dynasty reigned over Lebanon. His period was characterized by economic and cultural prosperity, and he had fought other Lebanese families to unite the people of Lebanon and seek independence from the Ottoman Empire. He is therefore considered by many to be the first "Man of Lebanon" to seek the sovereignty of modern-day Lebanon. However, the Ottomans had discovered his plot and executed him with three of his children on April 13, 1635.

Biography

Born in Baakline to a Druze family, he was raised by Sheikh Ibrahim Abou Sakr, a prominent Maronite from the Khazen family, in the Lebanese village of Ballouneh.

In 1608 Fakhr-al-Din forged an alliance with the Italian Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The alliance contained both a public economic section and a secret military one.

Fakhr-al-Din's popularity alarmed the Ottomans who authorized Hafiz Ahmed Pasha, Muhafiz of Damascus, to mount an attack on Lebanon in 1613 in order to reduce Fakhr-al-Din's growing power.

Faced with Hafiz's army of 50,000 men, Fakhr-al-Din chose exile in Tuscany, leaving affairs in the hands of his brother Emir Yunis and his son Emir Ali Beg. Fakhr-al-Din's exile did not prompt the Lebanese army to surrender to Hafiz Ahmed Pasha's army. They maintained their positions while the military operations raged until Emir Yunus managed through negotiations and persuasion to bring an end to the killings, securing the retreat of the Ottoman army.

Hosted in Tuscany by the Medici Family, Fakhr-al-Din was welcomed by the grand duke Cosimo II, who housed him throughout his stay. Fakhr-al-Din had wished to enlist Tuscan assistance in the liberation of Lebanon, but was met with a refusal as Tuscany was unable to afford such an expedition. The prince soon gave up the idea, eventually realizing that such cooperation would only subject Lebanon to a new occupation. His stay nevertheless allowed him to witness Europe's cultural revival in the 17th century.

In 1618, political changes in the Ottoman sultanate had resulted in the removal of many of Fakhr-al-Din's enemies from power, signaling the prince's triumphant return to Lebanon soon after, upon which he was able quickly to reunite all the lands of Lebanon beyond the boundaries of its mountains; and having revenge from Emir Yusuf Pasha ibn Siyfa, attacking his stronghold in Akkar, destroying his palaces and taking control of his lands, and regaining the territories he had to give up in 1613 in Sidon, Tripoli, Bekaa among others. Under his rule, printing presses were introduced and Jesuit priests and Catholic nuns encouraged to open schools throughout the land.

In 1623, the prince was betrayed by the Harfouch family who made arrangements with Mustafa Pasha, Mirmiran of Damascus, to launch an attack against him, resulting in the battle at Majdel Anjar where Fakhr-al-Din's forces although outnumbered managed to capture Pacha and secure the Lebanese prince and his allies a much needed military victory,and he took over Syria and Palestine from the Turks.

However, as time passed, the Ottomans seemed uncomfortable with the prince's increasing powers and extended relations with Europe. The promise they had made to the Medici family, regarding the Prince of Lebanon, was ignored. In 1632, Kuchuk Ahmed Pasha was named Muhafiz of Damascus, being a rival of Fakhr-al-Din and a friend of Sultan Murad IV, who ordered Kuchuk Ahmed Pasha and the sultanate's navy to attack Lebanon and depose Fakhr-al-Din.

This time, the prince had decided to remain in Lebanon and resist the offensive, but the death of his son Emir Ali Beik in Wadi el-Taym was the beginning of his defeat. He later took refuge in Jezzine's grotto, closely followed by Kuchuk Ahmed Pasha who caught eventually with him and his family.

Fakhr-al-Din was taken to Istanbul and appeared before the sultan.

Later, the sultan had Fakhr-al-Din and his family killed on 13 April 1635, in Constantinople, bringing an end to possibly one of the greatest eras in the history of Lebanon. After his Death ,his Children and grand Children continued ruling Lebanon under the name of State of Lebanon until 1842 when the first Lebanese Civil War started between the Druze and Christians and dividing it to two states by the Turks.

Rumors have it that Fakhr-al-Din had secretly adopted the Christian faith. Those rumours, later proven to be baseless, were encouraged by the Christian regents that followed the Maans to try to appease the powerful Druze clans.

External links

• The Maans