Mahmoud Djellouli

Mahmoud Djellouli (1755–1839) was a trader and Tunisian diplomat. He is among the important figures of the reigns of Ali I Bey (1759–1782)^{[verification needed]} and Hammouda Pacha Bey (1782–1814).

The activities of Djellouli are illustrative of the role played by the Mediterranean sea in developing the financial and political potency of beylical Tunisia. A trader, a corsair and a collector of levies, he wielded great influence over socioeconomic and political developments between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century

Early life

Mahmoud Djellouli was born in an influential and patrician family belonging to the Tunisian aristocracy . Of Arab origin, the Djellouli family became established in Tunisia provide the Hafsid dynasty with political mans, provided merchants and shipowners since the end of the 16th century and a hereditary feudal dynasty of governor bosses and general farmers for 17th century.

Business

He started his trader's career by taking back the business of his father and his administrative expenses: he succeeds his father Baccar, who died in 1782 as a governor boss of Sfax and holds concurrently this load with those of governor boss of the Sahel. He leans then on trade to reinforce his salable activities. His business is linked to exportation of farm produce to Europe and the levant:leathers, oil of olive, grain, pulses, etc. His agrarian domains serve his supplies above all and participate also to fiscal collection.

As a corsair, he participated in the weaponry of the corsairs during the Franco-British rivalries in the end of the 18th century, he counted so among the four predominant groups in their weaponry with Beys, Ben Ayed and Saheb Ettabaâ families.

He hired important sums in commercial loans (quirâdh) and in the constitution of societies. October 27, 1795, he formed a society with Ahmed Sallami and Ahmed El Kharrat in who its participation comes to 38,505 piastres.

In 1804, he acquired the direction of the customhouses of the regency and between 1808 and 1810 invested 600,000 piastres for the benefit of his sons Mohammed, Farhat, Hassan and Hussein in this direction. On the 1807, adviser and Minister of Finance of Hammouda Pacha Bey, he moves funds to arm regency and persuade the notables to gather in war against Ottoman of Algiers which regency ends up carrying off.

The bey names him an ambassador and a commercial and political representative of the regency in Malta between 1810 and 1813. In 1814-1815, with the disappearing of his protectors Hammouda Pacha and Youssef Saheb Ettabaâ, he leaves his functions to follow a career in sales and marketing. A street took the name of Street of the rich man in his homage. It is in the medina of Tunis where is the palace which he acquired in 1794.

Persondata
Name	Djellouli, Mahmoud
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1755
Place of birth
Date of death	1839
Place of death