Yusuf Karam

1822 - 1889

Lebanese hero known for his opposition to Ottoman rule in Lebanon.

Born to a Maronite family in Ehden, north Lebanon, Yusuf Karam had an eclectic education. He wrote and spoke fluent Arabic, Syriac, Italian, French, and English. He also learned the art of fighting and horse riding.

In 1841, he participated in his first battle against the Ottomans to lift the siege against the town of Dayr al-Qamar. At the age of twenty-three, he succeeded his father as governor of Ehden. During the conflicts between Maronite Christians and Druze from 1840 to 1845, he was appointed by the Ottomans to become governor of the Christian district headquartered in Juniya. In 1860, Karam refused the Ottomans' offers that he lead a small contingent of Lebanese soldiers. Exiled from Lebanon by the Ottomans, Karam returned in 1864, but he was exiled again in 1867 and died in Italy in 1889.

— GEORGE E. IRANI