20 Para – Regency of Tripoli

In 1808, the Regency of Tripoli, a semi-autonomous Ottoman province under the rule of Pasha Yusuf Karamanli, faced a complex and deteriorating currency situation. The state's finances were heavily strained by payments of tribute to the Ottoman Sultan, the costs of maintaining a corsair fleet, and the recent conclusion of the costly war with the United States (1801-1805). To meet these obligations, the Regency heavily debased its primary silver coin, the mahbub (or "Spanish dollar," often a piece of eight), by clipping, sweating, or counterfeiting it. This resulted in a severe loss of confidence in the coinage, creating a chaotic monetary environment where the intrinsic value of coins often mattered more than their face value.

The currency landscape was a fragmented mix of foreign and local coins. While Spanish dollars, Austrian thalers, and other European silver coins circulated for larger transactions, they traded at a premium over the debased local versions. Smaller transactions relied on a confusing array of copper mangır and para, which were also subject to debasement. This multiplicity of coins, each with fluctuating and unreliable values, complicated daily commerce and tax collection. Merchants, both local and foreign, had to be expert money-changers, and trade was hindered by constant disputes over the quality of payment.

Ultimately, this monetary instability was a symptom of the Regency's deeper political and economic decline. The government's reliance on seaborne predation (privateering) was becoming less profitable due to international pressure, while its ability to generate stable revenue from land-based taxes or trade was limited. The currency crisis of 1808 thus reflected a weakening state attempting to extract value from the economy through inflationary means, eroding trust and further hampering the possibility of sustainable economic growth in the face of increasing European dominance in the Mediterranean.