Sea of Troubles by Rutledge Ian;

Author:Rutledge, Ian;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Saqi Books

In Istanbul, the European powers and the Porte met to try to establish a form of government for Mount Lebanon which would put an end to the sectarian conflict. But there were deep divisions within the European camp. The ‘Papal powers’, France and Austria, backed the Maronites’ demand for an emirate covering the whole of Mount Lebanon, while the Protestant Britain and Prussia, supported by Russia, favoured Druze demands to retain their own independent feudal power bases. Unfortunately, the eventual compromise resolution between the European powers on a new political structure for Mount Lebanon – proposed by the Austrian chancellor Prince Klemens Von Metternich and ratified by the Porte – was almost designed to intensify sectarian divisions.

In January 1843, Mount Lebanon was split into two political entities, each under a qa’imaqam (lieutenant-governor). This ‘dual qa’imaqamate’ was established by drawing a line running horizontally along the Beirut-Damascus road, and designating the northern and southern halves as, respectively, Christian and Druze qa’imaqamates. However, the Russian consul in Beirut challenged the dividing line imposed by the European powers as it meant that 43 per cent of the families in the southern, Druze qa’imaqamate would be Christian.25 In fact the number of Christians then resident in the Druze sector (164,940) was greater than the number living in the Christian sector (127,300).26 Sure enough, civil war broke out once again in 1845 after Maronite leaders insisted that the jurisdiction of the Christian qa’imaqam and his agents should be extended to the numerous Christian enclaves in the Druze sector.

For some time the Maronites in the religiously mixed muqata‘as under Druze control had been forming militias; and with the help of agents under the direction of the French consul-general, Eugène Poujade, they had been acquiring arms. While the Maronite feudal lords stood aside, sections of the Maronite clergy led by Tubiya ‘Awn, Bishop of Beirut, encouraged their peasant flock to mount a ‘holy war’ against the Druze feudal lords. Their primary political objectives were to compel the Druze to relinquish their jurisdiction of the Maronite peasants and to restore the Shihab Emirate over the whole of Mount Lebanon, either in the person of the exiled Bashir II or one of the numerous Shihabi ‘princes’ of his extensive household. 27

The second civil war began with Maronite bands attacking and burning neighbouring Druze villages. Many of these militia bands carried French flags supplied by Consul-General Poujade; they apparently expected to receive direct French military assistance. However, not only did this French military aid fail to materialise, but appeals for help sent to the Maronites living in the northern, Christian qa’imaqate fell on deaf ears. Moreover, in some areas of fighting the Greek Orthodox Christians sided with the Druze.28 At the end of May, the Maronites had again been defeated and the Druze remained in full control of their administrative areas. Deaths on both sides were estimated at between 1,500 and 3,000.29

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