Tripolitania's billon coinage under Mahmud II reflects the Karamanli dynasty's increasingly tenuous grip on the regency during this period — Ottoman suzerainty was nominal at best, and local minting decisions were largely autonomous. By 1808, the Karamanlis were navigating mounting debts and tribal pressures that would eventually end their rule entirely in 1835 when the Ottomans reasserted direct control.
The billon content of these issues varies considerably across surviving examples, suggesting inconsistent bullion supply reaching the Tripoli mint.
Tripolitania's billon coinage under Mahmud II reflects the Karamanli dynasty's increasingly tenuous grip on the regency during this period — Ottoman suzerainty was nominal at best, and local minting decisions were largely autonomous. By 1808, the Karamanlis were navigating mounting debts and tribal pressures that would eventually end their rule entirely in 1835 when the Ottomans reasserted direct control.
The billon content of these issues varies considerably across surviving examples, suggesting inconsistent bullion supply reaching the Tripoli mint.