History of Tunisia

History of Tunisia

Key Dates

• 9th–2nd century BC: The Phoenicians, who originally inhabited land populated by Berbers, occupy the region and found the city of Carthage.

• 146 BC: Destruction of Carthage; the Numidians oppose the Romans for control of the territory.

• 105 BC: Roman rule until the Vandal occupation in the 5th century.

• 669: Beginning of the Arab conquest, replacing the Byzantines.

• 1229: The ruling dynasty rejects the authority of Marrakech and makes Tunis its capital.

• 1535: Charles V imposes his suzerainty. Turkish intervention follows.

• 1859–1882: Modernisation of the country. Growing Italian influence over Tunisia prompts French intervention.

• 1881: With the Treaty of Bardo, France establishes its protectorate.

• 1920: Creation of the Destour, the nationalist party of which Bourguiba becomes secretary-general in 1934.

• 1942–1943: Italian and German occupation during World War II.

• 1954: Internal autonomy after two years of guerrilla warfare against France.

• 1956: Tunisia becomes independent.

• 1957: Bourguiba takes power and remains president until his removal in November 1987.

• 1961–1963: Evacuation of Bizerte by the French, nationalisation of settlers' lands, secularisation of institutions, and a one-party system.

• 1975: Bourguiba becomes president for life. The country moves closer to France and the USA and adopts a moderate policy within the Arab League.

• 1977–1986: Period of strikes and protests, sometimes harshly repressed, against economic hardship.

• 1987: Removal of Bourguiba, who is replaced by his Prime Minister, Ben Ali, who is later elected president in 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009.

• 2000: Death of Habib Bourguiba.

• 2008: Serious unrest in the Gafsa region, severely affected by unemployment and poverty.

• 2009: Fifth term for Ben Ali, elected for the first time with less than... 90% of the vote.

• 2010–2011: The Jasmine Revolution forces Ben Ali to flee in January 2011. A tense transition period follows, with a state of emergency in place until early 2014.

• 2011: New elections bring to power a coalition led by the Islamist Ennahdha, with Moncef Marzouki at its head.

• 2014: The secular party Nidaa Tounes overtakes Ennahdha in the legislative elections. Its candidate, Béji Caïd Essebsi, later wins the presidential election against the incumbent Marzouki.

• 2015: After the attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March, which killed 20 tourists, another attack in Sousse three months later claims dozens of lives, dealing a severe blow to Tunisian tourism for several months.

• 2018: As the country slowly recovers—particularly in tourism—Tunisia is hit by a wave of socio-economic protests.