1. Muhammad VII al-Munsif, commonly known as Moncef Bey was the Bey of Tunis between 19 June 1942 and 14 May 1943.
19 Facts About Moncef Bey
1. 2.
Moncef Bey was the penultimate ruler of the Husainid dynasty.
3.
Moncef Bey was invested as Bey al-Mahalla on 30 April 1942 and succeeded his first cousin once removed, Ahmed Bey, on the latter's death on 19 June of the same year.
4.
On 2 July 1942, Moncef Bey was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion d'honneur by the Vichy regime.
5.
Moncef Bey insisted on the establishment of a consultative legislative Council in which Tunisians would predominate; access to civil service roles for Tunisians, and measures against poverty and unemployment.
6.
Moncef Bey wanted compulsory schooling in Arabic, the nationalisation of key enterprises, and a range of other measures of a broadly nationalist character.
7.
On 12 October 1942 at the Eid al-Fitr ceremonies in the palace of La Marsa, Moncef Bey expressed his surprise that there was not a single Tunisian among the senior government personnel who were attending with the French Resident General, Admiral Jean-Pierre Esteva.
8.
The Bey then sent a telegram to Marshal Petain asking for Esteva to be recalled.
9.
Moncef Bey considered that the Resident General's tone was an insult to his representative and thus to his own person.
10.
Moncef Bey was confronted by demands from Petain to remain loyal to France and from Roosevelt to allow free passage for Allied troops.
11.
Moncef Bey proclaimed Tunisian neutrality while secretly informing Roosevelt that Tunisia would support the Allies.
12.
Moncef Bey refused an offer from the Italian ambassador Bombieri to repudiate the Treaty of Bardo and enter into a new treaty with Italy.
13.
On 1 January 1943 the Moncef Bey named as his new Prime Minister Mohamed Chenik, who was described as 'half-American' by the German representative Rudolf Rahn.
14.
Moncef Bey refused to sign any other anti-Jewish decrees, including those requiring Jews to wear the yellow star, or to undertake forced labour, or to exclude Jews from certain activities.
15.
Moncef Bey was succeeded by his second cousin, Lamine Bey, on 15 May 1943.
16.
Moncef Bey was then moved to the small town of Tenes, in the north of the country and on 17 October 1945 he was moved again to Pau where he remained until his death on 1 September 1948.
17.
Moncef Bey's remains were brought back to Tunis and he was buried with full honours in the Jellaz Cemetery unlike other ruling members of his family, who were mostly buried in Tourbet el Bey.
18.
Moncef Bey is commemorated today in the Place Moncef-Bey in La Marsa, formally named on 1 September 2012 by President Moncef Marzouki.
19.
Moncef Bey married Lalla Traki Beya, daughter of Muhammad IV al-Hadi in October 1900 in Sidi Bou Said.