BARDO, TREATY OF

also called Treaty of Al-Qasr as-Sa'id, or Treaty of Kasser Said (1881), agreement that established France's protectorate over Tunisia. A French expeditionary force of 36,000 men was sent to Tunisia in 1881 at the urging of the French foreign minister, Jules Ferry, ostensibly to subdue attacks of the Tunisian Kroumer tribe on the Algerian frontier. The French met little resistance from the bey, Muhammad as-Sadiq, and on May 12, 1881, a treaty was concluded, authorizing indefinite French military occupation, restricting the bey's authority to domestic affairs, stipulating a reorganization of Tunisian finances, and providing for a French minister resident, who would act as liaison between French and Tunisian authorities.