The
1860 Mount Lebanon civil war (also called the
1860 Civil War in Syria) was the culmination of a peasant uprising, which began in the north of
Mount Lebanon as a rebellion of
Maronite peasants against their
Druze overlords and culminated in a massacre in
Damascus. It soon spread to the south of the country where the rebellion changed its character, with Druze turning against the Maronite Christians. Around 20,000 Christians were killed by the Druzes and 380 Christian villages and 560 churches destroyed. The Druzes and Muslims also suffered heavy losses.