The 1860 Civil War That Reshaped Mount Lebanon

In 1860, Mount Lebanon erupted into a brutal civil war between Maronite Christians and Druze that left tens of thousands dead and culminated in the Damascus massacre. This episode explores the combustible mix of feudal rivalries, Ottoman reforms, and European intervention that lit the fuse. We follow the rise and fall of the Maronite rebel leader Tanyus Shahin, whose peasant revolt against the feudal khawwajat class set the stage for wider sectarian violence. We examine the role of the French expeditionary force, the complex motives of the Ottoman foreign minister Fuad Pasha, and the international commission that redrew Lebanon's borders in 1861, creating the Mutasarrifiyya—a new autonomous province under a Christian governor. Lucas and Luna unpack how this forgotten conflict cemented sectarian identities and laid the groundwork for Lebanon's modern consociational political system. They also consider the contested narratives: was it a class war, a religious war, or both? With careful attention to the perspectives of all parties, this episode offers a nuanced look at a pivotal moment that still echoes in Lebanon's fragile politics today.

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