Mustafa II's accession in 1695 came amid Ottoman military catastrophe — the disastrous losses of the Great Turkish War had just culminated in the Treaty of Karlowitz, signed two years into his reign, stripping the Porte of Hungary and Transylvania permanently. Provincial mints like Tripoli continued striking billon fractions largely to sustain local commerce, operating with considerable autonomy from Istanbul in both timing and execution. The Tripolitanian regency at this point answered to an Ottoman governor but functioned as a semi-independent entity under the Karamanli dynasty's rising influence.
Billon coinage from North African regencies of this period frequently shows inconsistent alloy quality — the silver content in surviving Tripoli issues varies noticeably even within the same type.
Mustafa II's accession in 1695 came amid Ottoman military catastrophe — the disastrous losses of the Great Turkish War had just culminated in the Treaty of Karlowitz, signed two years into his reign, stripping the Porte of Hungary and Transylvania permanently. Provincial mints like Tripoli continued striking billon fractions largely to sustain local commerce, operating with considerable autonomy from Istanbul in both timing and execution. The Tripolitanian regency at this point answered to an Ottoman governor but functioned as a semi-independent entity under the Karamanli dynasty's rising influence.
Billon coinage from North African regencies of this period frequently shows inconsistent alloy quality — the silver content in surviving Tripoli issues varies noticeably even within the same type.