Video - The Conquest of Tunisia: Ottoman Rule Begins

While Algeria and Tripoli were in the hands of the Ottoman Empire, the fact that Tunisia, which was located in the middle and was of great importance, was in the hands of a puppet government that pitied the people under Spanish rule, was a danger for the Turkish navy, which had dominance in the Mediterranean. For this reason, Selim II ordered the Tunisian issue to be resolved once and for all. Captain Kılıç Ali Pasha, along with Koca Sinan Pasha, the serdar of the land army, set out for Tunisia (May 15, 1574). After hitting the Messina area, which passed into Sicilian waters via Navarin, he marched on Tunisia. The magnificent Ottoman Navy, consisting of over two hundred and fifty warships and around forty to fifty thousand soldiers, immediately landed near Halk-ul-Vâd Castle as soon as they arrived in Tunis. While Koca Sinan Pasha himself was besieging Halk-ul-Vâd, he assigned Tripoli Governor Mustafa Pasha and former Tunisian Governor Haydar Pasha to conquer the Bastion Castle located between the Tunisian Lake and the city. People believed that Tunisia could not be captured by the Spaniards by any means through fortification for years. -ul-Vad resisted the Ottoman army for only thirty-three days. On August 24, the castle was conquered and Mevlay Muhammed and the castle commander, Don Pietro Cerrera, were taken captive and sent to Istanbul. On September 13, with the conquest of Tabya Castle, Tunisia was completely captured. Tunisia was turned into a province, just like Algeria and Tripoli, and became a governor. Ramazan Pasha was appointed. Thus, the Ottoman rule began in Tunisia, which would continue for more than three centuries.