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Treaty of Bardo, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate

The French protectorate of Tunisia (French: Protectorat français de Tunisie; Arabic: الحماية الفرنسية في تونس al-ḥimāya al-Fransīya fī Tūnis), officially the Regency of Tunis (French: Régence de...

The French protectorate of Tunisia (French: Protectorat français de Tunisie; Arabic: الحماية الفرنسية في تونس al-ḥimāya al-Fransīya fī Tūnis), officially the Regency of Tunis (French: Régence de Tunis) and commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial empire era, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956.

The protectorate was established by the Bardo Treaty of 12 May 1881 after a military conquest, despite Italian disapproval. It was part of French North Africa with French Algeria and the Protectorate of Morocco, and more broadly of the French Empire. Tunisian sovereignty was more reduced in 1883, the Bey was only signing the decrees and laws prepared by the Resident General of France in Tunisia.

Events Before

  1. Philosopher John Muir (41) weds Louisa Strentzel

    Philosopher John Muir (41) weds Louisa Strentzel

  2. Worcester Ruby Legs pitcher Lee Richmond throws the first perfect game in MLB history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Bl

    Worcester Ruby Legs pitcher Lee Richmond throws the first perfect game in MLB history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Blues at the Agricultural County Fair Grounds in Worcester

  3. First performance of "O Canada," the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des C

    First performance of "O Canada," the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français

  4. First Test cricket game in England begins with W. G. Grace scoring 152 on debut against Australia at The Oval

    First Test cricket game in England begins with W. G. Grace scoring 152 on debut against Australia at The Oval

  5. Theodore Roosevelt, later 26th US President marries Alice Hathaway Lee, on his 22nd birthday

    Theodore Roosevelt, later 26th US President marries Alice Hathaway Lee, on his 22nd birthday

Events After

  1. German scientist Robert Koch discovers and describes the tubercle bacillus, which causes tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tub

    German scientist Robert Koch discovers and describes the tubercle bacillus, which causes tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), establishing germ theory

  2. Actress Sarah Bernhardt marries diplomat Aristide Damala in London

    Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, Ruy...

  3. Richard Wagner's opera "Parsifal" premieres in Bayreuth, Germany

    Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor, best known for his operas, although his mature works are often referred to as music dramas.

  4. US educational pioneer Booker T. Washington (26) weds Fanny Smith

    US educational pioneer Booker T. Washington (26) weds Fanny Smith

  5. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuts in Moscow

    The Year 1812, Solemn Overture, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture, is a concert overture in E♭ major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

More from the 1880s

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic kno

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1]

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey

American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in

American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1916

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 12, 1881?
The French protectorate of Tunisia (French: Protectorat français de Tunisie; Arabic: الحماية الفرنسية في تونس al-ḥimāya al-Fransīya fī Tūnis), officially the Regency of Tunis (French: Régence de Tunis) and commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial empire era, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956. The protectorate was established by the Bardo Treaty of 12 May 1881 after a military conquest, despite Italian disapproval. It was part of French North Africa with French Algeria and the Protectorate of Morocco, and more broadly of the French Empire.
Why is Treaty of Bardo, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate historically important?
It was part of French North Africa with French Algeria and the Protectorate of Morocco, and more broadly of the French Empire. Tunisian sovereignty was more reduced in 1883, the Bey was only signing the decrees and laws prepared by the Resident General of France in Tunisia.

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May 12 in HistoryYear 1881