Background
Karamanli was born in Tripoli in 1766, a member of the Karamanli dynasty (named after the Karamanids in Turkey), was originally of Turkish origin.
Karamanli was born in Tripoli in 1766, a member of the Karamanli dynasty (named after the Karamanids in Turkey), was originally of Turkish origin.
In 1795 Yusuf returned to Tripoli, and with the aid of Hammuda Pacha (ruler) of Tunis, seized the throne, exiling Hamet and restoring Karamanli rule. In 1801, Yusuf demanded a tribute of $225,000 from United States President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, confident in the ability of the new United States Navy to protect American shipping, refused the Pasha"s demands, leading the Pasha to unofficially declare war in May 1801 by chopping down the flagpole before the American consulate.
The United States Navy successfully blockaded Tripoli"s harbors in 1803.
He signed a treaty ending the war on June 10, 1805. By 1819, the various treaties of the Napoleonic Wars had forced the Barbary states to give up corsair activity almost entirely, and Tripoli"s economy began to crumble.
Yusuf attempted to compensate for lost revenue by encouraging the transport-Saharan trade, but with abolitionist sentiment on the rise in Europe and to a lesser degree the United States, this failed to salvage Tripoli"s economy. Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II sent in troops ostensibly to restore order, but instead deposed and exiled Ali II, marking the end of both the Karamanli dynasty and an independent Tripoli.