How did the Shihab family come to rule Mount Lebanon?

The Shihab family (also spelled Chehab) rose to power in Mount Lebanon following the extinction of the house of Ma'n in 1697. Upon the death of the last Ma'n prince, the local notables elected a member of the Shihab family to serve as the new prince of the region.12

At the time of their ascension, the Shihab family were Sunni Muslims who maintained a following among the Druze population. They continued to rule Mount Lebanon until 1842, a period during which the family’s political orientation shifted as they increasingly inclined toward the growing Christian population, with some members of the family eventually converting to the Maronite faith. The most prominent ruler of the dynasty was Bashir Shihab II, who governed from 1788 to 1840.123