Week 4 Blog: Tunisia's Changing Boundaries.

 The purpose of my blog today will be to show how Tunisia’s borders have changed throughout history. To understand Tunisia’s changing boundaries, Tunisia’s history and the fact that the land has been part of numerous empire’s is crucial. 

The history of Tunisia really begins in 1100 BC with the powerful city state of Carthage. The state of Carthage was located just a few miles from the modern capital of Tunis and originally corresponds roughly to the modern borders of Tunisia. The Carthaginian Empire borders expanded, conquering much of Western Sicily, Sardinia and Southern Spain. By 146 BC, the Carthaginians were conquered by the Romans and the land became part of the vast Roman Empire. The Romans established the Province of Africa which roughly corresponds to Modern Tunisia (Map 1). These Ancient Empires were crucial in manufacturing a separate identity and culture for the country of Tunisia. Even though Tunisia was part of much larger empires with vast borders, the importance and separation of the Province of Africa and Carthage’s predominance in the Carthaginian Empire helped to develop a separate identity (Map 2). 

After 439 AD, the Roman Empire fell and the area was taken over by a Germanic group called the Vandals. The borders of the Vandal Kingdom actually roughly corresponded to the Carthaginian Empire with the exception of Southern Spain (Map 3). The Vandal Kingdom was short-lived and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) took back the area. The Byzantine boundaries were much diminished from the days of the Roman Empire but still included much of the old Roman Empire, especially the Balkans, the Middle East, and Southern Italy. Both the Vandals and the Byzantines heavily taxed and in the case of the Vandals religiously oppressed the locals and this made them deeply unpopular which helped to strengthen a local identity and solidarity against the occupiers. 

By the year 698 AD, Tunisia was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate and the majority of the inhabitants were converted to Islam. The borders of the Umayyad Caliphate stretched from modern Spain to Iran and was one of the largest empires ever in history (Map 4). The next few hundred years mostly involved modern Tunisia being in the same caliphate as many other places in North Africa. For example, from 1160 to 1229, Tunisia was part of the Almohad Caliphate (based in Morocco) which also included Southern Spain, Morocco and Algeria. Starting in 1229, independence was proclaimed from the Almohads and the Hafsid Dynasty ruled modern Tunisia and Libya for over 300 years (Map 5). This period is significant because it shows when Islam became the major religion of Tunisia and the fluditiy of borders between Tunisia and the neighboring Muslim powers. This period in the region shows North Africa coming into its own and being shaped into an Islamic society. 

From 1554 to 1881, Tunisia was ruled by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire, despite its large size controlling much of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans, gave the Tunisians a large amount of self rule (Map 6). From 1881 to 1956, Tunisia was part of the French Colonial Empire, like Ottoman Rule, the Tunisians were allowed a great deal of autonomy. During these two periods, Tunisia was ruled by semi-independent rulers called Beys (Map 7). In 1956, Tunisia proclaimed independence from France and it’s modern boundaries have not changed since then.

Overall, despite the fact that Tunisia’s boundaries have changed through history, much of the time the country was a part of major empires that gave them a great deal of autonomy. Even when Tunisia was a part of more repressive empires such as the Byzantines and the Vandals, the Tunisians hated them and that helped bring citizens closer together. The nation’s boundaries have changed frequently throughout history but through relative autonomy during times of empire, and the fact that it was the occasional seat of political power (Carthigianans & Hafsids) all contributed to the creation of a separate Tunisian identity. 

Maps: 

Map 1: Carthaginian Empire

Map 2: The Roman Empire 

Map 3: Vandal Kingdom 

Map 4: Umayyad Caliphate 

Map 5: Hafsid Kingdom

Map 6: 

Map 7: The French Colonial Empire. 

Work Cited: 

World Trade Press. "Tunisia: Historical Timeline." AtoZ World Culture, 27 June 2021, https://www-atozworldculture-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/tunisia/historical-timeline.html.