Tunisian politician Mustapha Ben Ismaïl was born in c. 1850, and became Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of Tunisia on this day in 1878. Born in Bizerte, little is known of his family origins or early life. He is thought to have been raised in Tunis, where he was variously a beggar, a barber and a bartender, before joining the royal guards of the Bey of Tunis. His good looks attracted the attention of Bey Muhammad III as-Sadiq, who rapidly elevated him at court, eventually appointing him Quid (military commander) of the northeastern province of Res et-Teib. In 1873, Ismaïl joined a coup to overthrow Grand Vizier Mustapha Khaznadar and instal Hayreddin Pasha. Under the new regime, he became Minister of the Navy, eventually overthrowing Hayreddin to become Grand Vizier. As chief minister, Ismaïl supported the development of French enterprise in Tunisia, failing to recognise the French government’s imperialist designs on the country. In 1882, the French invaded Tunisia, overthrowing Bey Sadiq and re-establishing the country as a French “protectorate”, ending 250 years of Ottoman rule. Ismaïl managed to retain some of his fortune and escaped to Istanbul, dying in poverty and obscurity in 1887, aged 36-37.