The Maan family, under orders from the governor of Damascus, had come to Lebanon in 1120 to defend it against the invading Crusaders.
They had settled on the southwestern slopes of the Lebanon Mountains and soon adopted the Druze religion.
Their authority began to rise with Fakhr ad Din I, who was permitted by Ottoman authorities to organize his own army, and reaches its peak with Fakhr ad Din II (1570-1635).
Fakhr ad Din I greatly enhances Lebanon's military and economic development, although his aspirations toward complete independence for Lebanon end tragically.
Noted for religious tolerance and suspected of being a Christian, Fakhr ad Din attempts to merge the country's different religious groups into one Lebanese community.
In an effort to attain complete independence for Lebanon, he concludes a secret agreement with Ferdinand I, duke of Tuscany in Italy, the two parties pledging to support each other against the Ottomans.
The Ottoman ruler in Constantinople, informed of this agreement, reacts violently and orders Ahmad al Hafiz, governor of Damascus, to attack Fakhr ad Din.
Realizing his inability to cope with the regular army of Al Hafiz, the Lebanese ruler goes to Tuscany in exile in 1613.
He returns to Lebanon in 1618, after his good friend Muhammad Pasha becomes governor of Damascus.
Following his return from Tuscany, Fakhr ad Din, realizing the need for a strong and disciplined armed force, channels his financial resources into building a regular army.
This army proves itself in 1623, when Mustafa Pasha, the new governor of Damascus, underestimating the capabilities of the Lebanese army, engages it in battle and is decisively defeated at Anjar in the Beqaa Valey.
Impressed by the victory of the Lebanese ruler, the sultan of Constantinople gives him the title of Sultan al Barr (Sultan of the Mountain).
In addition to building up the army, Fakhr ad Din, who becomes acquainted with Italian culture during his stay in Tuscany, initiates measures to modernize the country.
After forming close ties with the dukes of Tuscany and Florence and establishing diplomatic relations with them, he brings in architects, irrigation engineers, and agricultural experts from Italy in an effort to promote prosperity in the country.
He also strengthens Lebanon's strategic position by expanding its territory, building forts as far away as Palmyra in Syria, and gaining control of Palestine.
Finally, the Ottoman sultan Murad IV of Constantinople, wanting to thwart Lebanon's progress toward complete independence, orders Kutshuk, governor of Damascus, to attack the Lebanese ruler.
This time Fakhr ad Din is defeated, and he is executed in Constantinople in 1635.
No significant Maan rulers succeed Fakhr ad Din II.
