its construction. Although he had a great desire for reform, particularly in economic and military matters, his initiatives ultimately had little success because of a poor understanding of their financial consequences and the lack of expertise in his government. Family life Although most other rulers of his dynasty in the 18th and 19th centuries maintained a harem as well as having official wives, Ahmad Bey had only one wife and one concubine. Before the abolition of slavery, he habitually offered to his courtiers any odalisques given to him as presents. He had two children who died in infancy, so he died without direct issue. and was succeeded by his cousin Muhammad Bey. He died in 1855 in the summer palace of Sharfiya, at La Goulette, and was buried in the Tourbet el Bey in the Medina of Tunis. In popular culture Ahmed Bey appears as the lead character of the 2018 Tunisian TV series Tej El Hadhra directed by Sami Fehri. Ahmed Bey's diplomatic consul from the United States of America was John Howard Payne (1791-1852) the dramatist responsible for Clari, the Maid of Milan and the world famous song "Home, Sweet Home" Payne's interactions with the Bey of Tunisia were detailed in Gabriel Harrison's The Life and Writings of John Howard Payne See also Tunisian navy under Ahmed Bey Further reading Eltarhuni, Ali (2015). Factors that affected the Tunisian industrialization movement in the era of Ahmed Bey (r. 1837-1855) (PhD). University of Cincinnati References 1806 births 1855 deaths 19th century in Tunisia Crimean War Wars involving the Ottoman Empire Beys of Tunis Tunisian royalty Abolitionists