Mejba Revolt

Quick Facts: Who was Mejba Revolt?

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Mejba Revolt

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A major Tunisian rebellion (1864–65) against oppressive taxation and foreign influence.

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Origins & Early Life

The Mejba Revolt (1864–65) was a rebellion in Tunisia against the doubling of an unpopular poll tax (the mejba) imposed on his subjects by Sadok Bey. The most extensive revolt against the rule of the Husainid Beys of Tunis, it saw uprisings all over the country and came close to prompting military intervention by Britain and France. The revolt was suppressed with great brutality and the government became ever more seriously indebted to foreign creditors, backed by European governments, until it was finally unable to resist French occupation in 1881. Public debt did not exist in the Regency of Tunis until the end of the reign of Mustapha Bey in 1837, but his successors found themselves in increasingly difficult financial circumstances. They wanted to modernise the country and its institutions: Ahmed Bey had set up a military academy at Le Bardo and begun training a larger army.

Career & Major Achievements

He sent 15,000 Tunisian soldiers to fight for the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War, and also established new government offices—the rabta managing state grain silos; the ghaba in charge of olive oil forests; and the ghorfa, the central state procurement office. His successor Muhammad Bey was an ambitious palace-builder. To fund these expensive new ventures, the Beys of Tunis relied on tax revenues paid on a customary basis. Most of the country paid the mejba (Arabic: مجبة) established in the seventeenth century under the Muradid dynasty. There is much scholarly debate about exactly what this constituted and how it was levied, but it appears that before 1856, the term mejba signified a tax paid by a tribe, clan or other social group, based on a collective assessment.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Beys also imposed monopoly taxes on salt, tobacco, tanned hides and other commodities. In 1856, Muhammad Bey embarked on a major fiscal reform. He gave up most of his taxes on commodities and agricultural goods (except for olive and date trees, oils and cereals) as well as the old mejba levies, and instituted a new capitation tax called the i'ana (Arabic: اعانة) which quickly also became known as the mejba, although it was a new tax calculated on a completely different basis—it was levied on individuals rather than on groups. This new mejba was fixed at 36 piastres per adult male per year. For most peasants, this equated to about 45 days' labour.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1837: 1837 Milestone — Public debt did not exist in the Regency of Tunis until the end of the reign of Mustapha Bey in 1837, but his successors found themselves in increasingly difficult financial circumstances.
2. 1856: 1856 Milestone — There is much scholarly debate about exactly what this constituted and how it was levied, but it appears that before 1856, the term mejba signified a tax paid by a tribe, clan or other social group, based on a collective assessment.
3. 1864: 1864 Milestone — The Mejba Revolt (1864–65) was a rebellion in Tunisia against the doubling of an unpopular poll tax (the mejba) imposed on his subjects by Sadok Bey.
4. 1881: 1881 Milestone — The revolt was suppressed with great brutality and the government became ever more seriously indebted to foreign creditors, backed by European governments, until it was finally unable to resist French occupation in 1881.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Mejba Revolt

True or False: “The Mejba Revolt was primarily caused by the introduction of a new, highly unpopular poll tax levied on individuals rather than groups.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the doubling of the existing mejba was the immediate trigger, the underlying causes included fiscal reforms and increasing foreign debt.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abraham González (governor) — Historical peer (Born in 1864) (1864): Governor of Chihuahua and key Maderista leader during the Mexican Revolution.
• Adelaide Anne Procter — Historical peer (Died in 1864) (1864): English poet and philanthropist known for her work on poverty and faith.
• Alcide De Gasperi — Historical peer (Born in 1881) (1881): Key statesman who led Italy through its post-war reconstruction and founding of the EU.
• Aleksey Pisemsky — Historical peer (Died in 1881) (1881): A prominent Russian novelist and dramatist, contemporary to Turgenev and Dostoyevsky.
• Abraham Kuyper — Historical peer (Born in 1837) (1837): Influential neo-Calvinist pastor, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• Alexander Pushkin — Historical peer (Died in 1837) (1837): Founder of modern Russian literature and a towering figure of the Romantic era.
• Alfred Deakin — Historical peer (Born in 1856) (1856): Father of Australian Federation and second Prime Minister of Australia.
• Amedeo Avogadro — Historical peer (Died in 1856) (1856): Pioneering Italian scientist known for Avogadro's law on gas volumes and molecular theory.

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