From Coexistence to Conflict :: history

From Coexistence to Conflict From Coexistence to Conflict in 19th speed of light Mount LebanonMount Lebanon has been a troubled kingdom throughout more than of Lebanese history. Through close of the 19th century, the Maronite and Druze inhabitants of the Mount Lebanon region had successfully coexisted in an intricate inter-sectarian system. True to the words of Leila Fawaz, Lebanon was at peace, as it had been for closely of its history. Excessive foreign intervention, however, caused the status in Mount Lebanon to move from coexistence to conflict, which finally led to the civil war of 1860. The graduation exercise step that led to the payoff of inter-sect rule in Lebanon was the gaining of autonomy by local rules. Fakhr al-Din al Maani was the first prince in the region, and he was awarded that title and responsibility by the Ottomans as a reward for his loyalty to them. Prior to Fakhr al-Din, Lebanon did not have an autonomous ruler it was fully controlled by the Ottomans . The Maanis, however, were not only supported by the Ottomans, precisely by the local citizens as well, and this common support for a champion ruler helped bring about inter-sectarianism. The Druze-Maronite inter-sectarian system gained its roots during the reign of Fakhr al-Din II, who elevated the Maronites to the same civil status as their Druze counter discriminates. This equal status allowed two sects to live peacefully among each other. Fakhr al-Dins reign soon came to an eat up though in 1635, when the Ottomans, who had control over Lebanon at the time, captured and executed Fakhr al-Din for difficult to expand the area under his control. By upsetting the balance between local and Ottoman rule, Fakhr al-Din brought about the end of his reign as prince. later two insignificant rulers, the princedom fell to the Shihab family, which would rule the Mount Lebanon region from 1697 to 1842. During the long reign of the Shihab family, the Maronites had slowly started to gain power as the Druze began to weaken. The most not qualified of the Shihabs was Prince Bashir II. During his reign, Prince Bashir II developed a strong relationship with beau Bashir Jumblatt. The Jumblatt family was originally of Sunni Kurdish descent and they later became accepted as part of the Druze community. After the end of the Maani dynasty, the Jumblatts took their place as lords of the Shouf and rapidly rose to power. Consequently, the Jumblatts were able to influence other areas of the region.