23 Facts About Fakhr-al-Din II

Fakhr-al-Din II was appointed over the sanjaks of Sidon-Beirut in 1593 and Safed in 1602.

Fakhr-al-Din II escaped and became an exile in Tuscany and Sicily.

Fakhr-al-Din II surrendered to the Ottomans during a siege of his Chouf hideout in 1633 and was executed in Constantinople two years later.

Fakhr-al-Din II protected, promoted, and helped modernize commercial agriculture in his domains, inaugurating the lucrative silk trade of Mount Lebanon.

Fakhr-al-Din II's building works included palatial government houses in Sidon, Beirut and his Chouf stronghold of Deir al-Qamar, caravanserais, bathhouses, mills, and bridges, some of which remain extant.

Fakhr-al-Din II was referred to as 'emir' by local chroniclers, but the title reflected the traditional prominence of his family in the community and was not an official rank.

Fakhr-al-Din II cultivated close ties with Safed's Sunni religious scholarly class, known as the.

Fakhr-al-Din II sent Ali to take safety with his Bedouin allies in the desert, while sending a Sunni delegation to Damascus led by Khalidi with a peace proposal entailing large payments to the authorities.

Fakhr-al-Din II sent a new sanjak-bey to Safed, where Fakhr al-Din was headquartered at the time, prompting Fakhr al-Din's flight to Sidon.

Fakhr-al-Din II bribed the deputy admiral of the blockade to allow his escape and boarded a European ship for Livorno, Tuscany.

Fakhr-al-Din II was not permitted to disembark; instead, Yunus and other kinsmen and supporters greeted him on board and informed him that "all of the people of the Shuf [Chouf]" awaited his return.

Fakhr-al-Din II captured the Bahsas fort on Tripoli's southern outskirts and besieged the Citadel of Tripoli.

Fakhr-al-Din II subsequently escorted the outgoing beylerbey to Beirut and ordered Beylik to return to his father.

Fakhr-al-Din II cooperated with its new beylerbey, Mustafa Pasha ibn Iskandar, in the latter's offensive against the Sayfas in the eyalet.

Fakhr-al-Din II forced out his old ally Sulayman Sayfa from the Safita fortress and was later ceded the fortresses of Krak des Chevaliers and Marqab by Yusuf's sons.

Fakhr-al-Din II's increased dependence on mercenaries in the late 1620s allowed and financially necessitated him to raise more revenue from the local population, risking their goodwill towards him.

Fakhr-al-Din II obtained and strengthened fortresses throughout his early career, starting with the Chouf redoubt of Niha in 1590, followed in 1594 by fortifications in Beirut, Sidon's inland fort, and the fort guarding Sidon's port.

Fakhr-al-Din II built watchtowers to guard the mulberry groves he planted in and around Tripoli.

Fakhr-al-Din II compensated for the higher cost of their employment by taking larger shares of the surplus from his at the expense of the peasantry.

Fakhr-al-Din II helped modernize agriculture in his territories with Italian expertise and was the first to promote silk as a cash crop in Mount Lebanon at a time of global demand.

Fakhr-al-Din II gave birth to Fakhr al-Din's eldest son Ali.

Fakhr-al-Din II continued to live in Sidon where Fakhr al-Din renovated a palace for her.

Fakhr-al-Din II was the mother of his sons Haydar and Bulak, and daughter Fakhira.