Series of international conventions (1860-1864) between the Ottoman Empire and the European Powers
The Règlement Organique established the autonomous Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, shaping the region's governance until 1914.
Key Facts
- Initial convention signed
- 5 September 1860, Paris
- European troops authorized
- Up to 12,000 soldiers
- French troop contribution
- Half of total authorized force
- Beyoglu Protocol signed
- 9 June 1861, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
- Permanent statute confirmed
- September 1864
- Duration of arrangement
- 1861–1914
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1860 Lebanon conflict, in which Ottoman troops aided Islamic forces and disarmed Christian civilians, triggered a massacre of Christians. International outcry prompted France to invoke its treaty role as protector of Christians in the Ottoman Empire, dating to 1523, leading to calls for European intervention.
Between 1860 and 1864, the Ottoman Empire and the European Powers—Austria, Great Britain, France, Prussia, and Russia—negotiated a series of conventions collectively called the Règlement Organique. The initial agreement, signed in Paris on 5 September 1860, authorized up to 12,000 European troops to restore order in Syria, followed by the Beyoglu Protocol of 1861 and a further convention in 1864.
The conventions established the autonomous Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, separated from Syria, with an Armenian Christian governor, Daud Pasha, appointed by the Sultan. The 1864 convention made the arrangement permanent, reorganized the governing council to include representatives of multiple religious communities, and the statute remained in force until 1914.
Political Outcome
Creation of the autonomous Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate with an internationally recognized Christian governor, confirmed permanently by the 1864 convention and lasting until 1914.
Mount Lebanon under direct Ottoman provincial administration as part of Syria
Mount Lebanon as an autonomous Mutasarrifate with an internationally recognized Christian governor