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{{Short description|Ruling dynasty of Morocco since |
{{Short description|Ruling dynasty of Morocco since 1631}} | ||
{{about|the |
{{about|the Moroccan royal family|the pre-colonial history of Morocco under Alawi rule|Alawi Sultanate|the sect of Shia Islam|Alawites||}} | ||
{{Royal house | {{Royal house | ||
| |
| name = 'Alawi dynasty | ||
| native_name = {{lang|ar|سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين}} | |||
|titles= |
| titles = ] (1631–1957)<br />] (1957–present) | ||
|styles=]|native_name_lang=ar|coat of arms=] | | styles = ] | ||
|parent house=] | | parent house = ], of ], of ] | ||
|country= |
| country = ] | ||
|founder=] (died 1659) | | founder = ] (died 1659) | ||
|current head=] | | current head = ] | ||
|founding year={{Start date and age|1631}} | | founding year = {{Start date and age|1631}} | ||
|origin=], ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{History of Morocco}} | |||
{{Moroccan Royal Family}} | {{Moroccan Royal Family}} | ||
⚫ | The '''{{'}}Alawi dynasty''' ({{langx|ar|سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين|translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn}}) – also rendered in English as '''Alaouite''', '''{{'}}Alawid''',<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> or '''Alawite'''<ref name=":15" /> – is the current ] royal family and reigning ]. They are an Arab ] dynasty and claim descent from the Islamic prophet ] through his grandson, ].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=العلويون/الفيلاليون في المغرب |url=http://www.hukam.net/family.php?fam=90 |access-date=2022-04-06 |website=www.hukam.net}}</ref> Their ancestors originally migrated to the ] region, in present-day Morocco, from ] on the coast of the ] in the 12th or 13th century.<ref name=":9">{{cite book |last1=Messier |first1=Ronald A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RubuBwAAQBAJ&dq=yanbu+alaouite&pg=PT308 |title=The Last Civilized Place: Sijilmasa and Its Saharan Destiny |last2=Miller |first2=James A. |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-292-76667-9 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Morrow |first=John Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EWQOEAAAQBAJ&dq=yanbu+alawi&pg=PA66 |title=Shi'ism in the Maghrib and al-Andalus, Volume One: History |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-5275-6284-4 |pages=66 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2019-11-04 |title=ينـبع النـخـل .. لا نـبع ولا نـخل - أخبار السعودية {{!}} صحيفة عكاظ |url=https://www.okaz.com.sa/article/403197?ts=1556176621 |access-date=2022-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104194352/https://www.okaz.com.sa/article/403197?ts=1556176621 |archive-date=2019-11-04}}</ref> | ||
{{History of the Arab States}} | |||
⚫ | The '''{{'}}Alawi dynasty''' ({{ |
||
The dynasty rose to power in the 17th century, beginning with ] who was declared ] of the Tafilalt in 1631. His son ], ruling from 1664 to 1672, was able to unite and pacify the country after a long period of regional divisions caused by the weakening of the ]. His brother ] presided over a period of strong central rule between 1672 and 1727, one of the longest reigns of any Moroccan sultan. After Isma'il's death the country was plunged into disarray as his sons fought over his succession, but order was re-established under the long reign of ] in the second half of the 18th century. The 19th century was marked by the growing influence of |
The dynasty rose to power in the 17th century, beginning with ] who was declared ] of the Tafilalt in 1631. His son ], ruling from 1664 to 1672, was able to unite and pacify the country after a long period of regional divisions caused by the weakening of the ], establishing the ] that succeeded it. His brother ] presided over a period of strong central rule between 1672 and 1727, one of the longest reigns of any Moroccan sultan. After Isma'il's death, the country was plunged into disarray as his sons fought over his succession, but order was re-established under the long reign of ] in the second half of the 18th century. The 19th century was marked by the growing influence of European powers. | ||
The 'Alawis ruled as sovereign ] up until 1912, when the ] and ] were imposed on Morocco. They were retained as symbolic sultans under ] rule. When the country regained its independence in 1956, ], who had supported the nationalist cause, resumed the 'Alawi role as independent head of state. Shortly afterwards, in 1957, he adopted the title of "King" instead of "Sultan".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Barry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIopDwAAQBAJ&dq=morocco+king+sultan+title+1957&pg=PA591 |title=Dictionary of World Biography: Fourth edition |publisher=ANU Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-76046-126-3 |pages=591 |language=en}}</ref> His successors, ] and ] (the current reigning monarch), have continued the dynasty's rule under the same title. Today, the ] is officially a ],<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=Morocco {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Capital, People, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Morocco |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=12 September 2022 |title=Morocco; Government |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/morocco/#government |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Daadaoui |first=M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v5bWCwAAQBAJ&dq=morocco+constitutional+monarchy+-wikipedia&pg=PA61 |title=Moroccan Monarchy and the Islamist Challenge: Maintaining Makhzen Power |publisher=Springer |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-230-12006-8 |pages=61 |language=en |quote=The dominance of the monarchy in the sociopolitical arena is further institutionalized in the Moroccan constitution, which effectively diffuses makhzenite authority into three separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. While this separation of powers is informed by western style government, it does effectively place all powers under the iron grip of the monarch. Article 1 of the constitution promulgating a constitutional monarchy in Morocco is misleading, insofar as the king is not a figurehead acting as a symbol of unity for Moroccans. In fact the constitution, amended five times since the independence, has largely served to the traditional prerogatives of the monarchy.}}</ref> but the king retains strong ] power over the state and public affairs, despite some political reforms in recent decades.<ref name=":46">{{Cite book |last=Gilson Miller |first=Susan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vochAwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |title=A History of Modern Morocco |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9781139619110 |pages=235–236 |quote=The most important innovations, however, were the limitations on the king's ability to intervene in day-to-day politics. While the king's role as "supreme arbiter" of political life remained unquestioned, the new constitution enhanced the legislative powers of the parliament and increased the independence of the judiciary, moving at least in spirit toward a separation of powers. What it did not do was to unequivocally limit the king's preponderant influence over public affairs, or move Morocco closer to becoming a parliamentary monarchy; in other words, it stopped short of remaking Muhammad VI into "a king who reigns but does not rule."}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sater |first=James N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxAzDAAAQBAJ |title=Morocco: Challenges to tradition and modernity |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-317-57398-2 |pages=104 |language=en |quote=Recent reforms, including constitutional reform and the appointment of the PJD government in 2011, have only perpetuated the lack of meaningful political participation and supported authoritarianism. Ironically, reforms have multiplied the resources available to Morocco's monarchical institution to control the political sphere, creating the image of the Janus yet also an impasse.}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite news |date=16 May 2017 |title=Analysis {{!}} Why Jordan and Morocco are doubling down on royal rule |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/05/16/why-jordan-and-morocco-are-doubling-down-on-royal-rule/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Morocco: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/morocco/freedom-world/2022 |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=Freedom House |language=en}}</ref> | |||
The 'Alawis ruled as sovereign ] up until 1912, when the ] and ] were imposed on Morocco. They were retained as symbolic sultans under ] rule. When the country regained its independence in 1956, ], who had supported the nationalist cause, resumed the 'Alawi role as independent head of state. Shortly afterwards, he adopted the title of "King" instead of "Sultan". His successors, ] and ], have continued the dynasty's rule under the same title. | |||
== Name == | == Name and etymology == | ||
The dynasty claims descent from ] via ], the son of |
The dynasty claims descent from ] via ], the son of ]. The name '''Alawi'' ({{Langx|ar|علوي}}) stems either from the name of Ali (the father of Hasan),<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rézette|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyw6QbFX7HcC&q=The+name+Alaouite+comes+from+the+Ali&pg=PA47|title=The Western Sahara and the Frontiers of Morocco|publisher=Nouvelles Editions Latines|year=1975|pages=47|language=en|quote=Moulay Rachid who really founded the dynasty in 1664, was born in Tafilalet of a family that had come from Arabia}}</ref> from which the dynasty ultimately traces its descent, or from the name of the dynasty's early founder ] of the ].<ref name=":0522" /> Historians sometimes also refer to the dynasty as the "Filali Sharifs", in reference to their origin from the Tafilalt.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hasan |first=Masudul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZFMkAQAAIAAJ&q=Filali+sharifs |title=History of Islam: Classical period, 1206-1900 C.E |publisher=Adam Publishers & Distributors |year=1998 |pages=422 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fage |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mXa4AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA182 |title=A History of Africa |last2=Tordoff |first2=with William |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-317-79727-2 |pages=182 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":052" /> | ||
The honorific title ''mawlay'' (also transliterated as ''mulay'' or ''moulay''), meaning "my lord", was also commonly used in conjunction with the names of sultans.<ref name=":05">{{Cite book|last=Campo|first=Juan Eduardo|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=9780195305135|editor-last=Esposito|editor-first=John L.|chapter=Mawlā}}</ref> | |||
The state and empire ruled by the 'Alawis was also known in some periods as the "Sharifian Empire" (الإيالة الشريفة in Arabic) or ''Empire Chérifien'' in ] according to the ]). This name was still in official usage until 1956 (when ] regained its independence from colonial rule), and is also used by historians to refer to the preceding ] state, which was also ruled by a sharifian dynasty.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nelson|first=Harold D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5r7znMj44YC&pg=PR1|title=Morocco, a Country Study|publisher=Headquarters, Department of the Army (US government)|year=1985|pages=xxiv, 30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Thénault|first=Sylvie|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pwN6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Ends of Empire|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2019|isbn=9780198713197|editor-last=Thomas|editor-first=Martin|pages=299–316|chapter=The End of Empire in the Maghreb: the Common Heritage and Distinct Destinies of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia|editor2-last=Thompson|editor2-first=Andrew}}</ref><ref name=":052" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Julien|first=Charles André|title=History of North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, from the Arab Conquest to 1830, Volume 2|publisher=Routledge & K. Paul|year=1970|isbn=9780710066145}}</ref> | |||
== |
== Origins == | ||
⚫ | The 'Alawis were a family of ]ian religious notables (or ''shurafa'') who claimed descent from ] via his grandson ], the son of ] and of Muhammad's daughter ].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0522" /> Like the Sa'di dynasty before them, the 'Alawis originally came from the village of ] in the ] region of ].<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":9" /> According to the dynasty's official historians, the family migrated from the Hijaz to the Tafilalt during the 12th or 13th century at the request of the locals who hoped that the presence of a sharifian family would benefit the region. It is possible that the 'Alawis were merely one of many Arab families who moved westwards to Morocco during this period. The Tafilalt was an ] region in the ] in eastern Morocco and the site of ], historically an important terminus of the ] routes.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Bosworth|first=Clifford Edmund|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&q=new+islamic+dynasties|title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2004|isbn=9780748621378|location=|pages=|chapter=The 'Alawid or Filali Sharifs}}</ref><ref name=":0522">{{Cite book|last=Bennison|first=Amira K.|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Third Edition|publisher=Brill|year=2007|isbn=9789004150171|editor-last=Fleet|editor-first=Kate|location=|pages=|chapter=ʿAlawī dynasty|editor2-last=Krämer|editor2-first=Gudrun|editor3-last=Matringe|editor3-first=Denis|editor4-last=Nawas|editor4-first=John|editor5-last=Rowson|editor5-first=Everett}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Wilfrid|first=J. Rollman|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=9780195305135|editor-last=Esposito|editor-first=John L.|chapter=ʿAlawid Dynasty}}</ref> | ||
⚫ | Little is known of 'Alawi history prior to the 17th century.<ref name=":0" /> In the early 15th century they appear to have had a reputation as holy warriors, but did not yet have a political status. This was the example of one family member, Ali al-Sharif (not to be confused with the later 'Alawi by the same name below), who participated in battles against the ] and Spanish in ] and ] and who was also invited by the ] of ] to fight against ] on the ].<ref name=":15">{{cite book|last=Abun-Nasr|first=Jamil|title=A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1987|isbn=0521337674|location=Cambridge}}</ref>{{Rp|228}} By the 17th century, however, they had evidently become the main leaders of the Tafilalt.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
=== Origins === | |||
⚫ | The 'Alawis were a family of ] religious notables (or ''shurafa'') who claimed descent from ] via his |
||
⚫ | Little is known of 'Alawi history prior to the 17th century.<ref name=":0" /> In the early 15th century they appear to have had a reputation as holy warriors, but did not yet have a political status. This was the example of one family member, Ali al-Sharif (not to be confused with the later 'Alawi by the same name below), who participated in battles against the ] and Spanish in ] |
||
Their status as ''shurafa'' (descendants of Muhammad) was part of the reason for their success, as in this era many communities in Morocco increasingly saw sharifian status as the best claim to political legitimacy. The Saadian dynasty, which ruled Morocco in the 16th century and early 17th century prior to the rise of the 'Alawis, was also a sharifian dynasty and played an important role in establishing this model of political-religious legitimacy.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book|last=Rivet|first=Daniel|title=Histoire du Maroc: de Moulay Idrîs à Mohammed VI|publisher=Fayard|year=2012}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|228}} | Their status as ''shurafa'' (descendants of Muhammad) was part of the reason for their success, as in this era many communities in Morocco increasingly saw sharifian status as the best claim to political legitimacy. The Saadian dynasty, which ruled Morocco in the 16th century and early 17th century prior to the rise of the 'Alawis, was also a sharifian dynasty and played an important role in establishing this model of political-religious legitimacy.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book|last=Rivet|first=Daniel|title=Histoire du Maroc: de Moulay Idrîs à Mohammed VI|publisher=Fayard|year=2012}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|228}} | ||
== Political history == | |||
=== Rise to power === | === Rise to power === | ||
The family's rise to power took place in the context of early-to-mid-17th century Morocco, when the power of the Saadian sultans of ] was in serious decline and multiple regional factions fought for control of the country. Among the most powerful of these factions were the ] (also spelled Dila'iyya or Dilaites), a federation of ] (Berbers) in the ] who increasingly dominated central Morocco at this time, reaching the peak of their power in the 1640s. Another, was 'Ali Abu Hassun al-Semlali (or Abu Hassun), who had become leader of the ] since 1614.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|222, 228}} When Abu Hassun extended his control to the ] region in 1631, the Dala'iyya in turn sent forces to enforce their own influence in the area. The local inhabitants chose as their leader the 'Alawi family head, ] – known as Mawlay Ali al-Sharif,<ref name=":0522" /> Mawlay al-Sharif, or Muhammad I<ref name=":2" /> – recognizing him as ].<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|222, 228}} |
The family's rise to power took place in the context of early-to-mid-17th century Morocco, when the power of the Saadian sultans of ] was in serious decline and multiple regional factions fought for control of the country. Among the most powerful of these factions were the ] (also spelled Dila'iyya or Dilaites), a federation of ] (Berbers) in the ] who increasingly dominated central Morocco at this time, reaching the peak of their power in the 1640s. Another, was 'Ali Abu Hassun al-Semlali (or Abu Hassun), who had become leader of the ] since 1614.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|222, 228}} When Abu Hassun extended his control to the ] region in 1631, the Dala'iyya in turn sent forces to enforce their own influence in the area. The local inhabitants chose as their leader the 'Alawi family head, ] – known as Mawlay Ali al-Sharif,<ref name=":0522" /> Mawlay al-Sharif, or Muhammad I<ref name=":2" /> – recognizing him as ].<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|222, 228}} Mawlay al-Sharif led an attack against Abu Hassun's garrison at Tabu'samt in 1635 or 1636 (1045 AH) but failed to expel them. Abu Hassun forced him to go into exile to the Sous valley, but also treated him well; among other things, Abu Hassun gifted him a slave concubine who later gave birth to one of his sons, ].<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|228}}<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|224}} | ||
While their father remained in exile, al-Sharif's sons took up the struggle. His son ] (or Muhammad II<ref name=":2" />), became the leader after 1635 and successfully led another rebellion which expelled Abu Hassun's forces in 1640 or 1641 (1050 AH). With this success, he was proclaimed ] in place of his father who relinquished the throne to him.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp| |
While their father remained in exile, al-Sharif's sons took up the struggle. His son ] (or Muhammad II<ref name=":2" />), became the leader after 1635 and successfully led another rebellion which expelled Abu Hassun's forces in 1640 or 1641 (1050 AH). With this success, he was proclaimed ] in place of his father who relinquished the throne to him.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|228–229}}<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|224–225}} The Dala'iyya invaded the region again in 1646 and following their victory at Al Qa'a forced him to acknowledge their control over all the territory west and south of Sijilmasa. Unable to oppose them, Sidi Mohammed instead decided to attempt expansion in other directions.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|228–229}}<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|224–225}}<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=trans. from Arabic by Eugène Fumet |first=Ahmed ben Khâled Ennâsiri |url=http://bnm.bnrm.ma:86/ClientBin/images/book704908/doc.pdf |title=Kitâb Elistiqsâ li-Akhbâri doual Elmâgrib Elaqsâ , vol. IX : Chronique de la dynastie alaouie au Maroc |date=1906 |publisher=Ernest Leroux |pages= |language=fr |access-date=2021-12-10 |archive-date=2021-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004001249/http://bnm.bnrm.ma:86/ClientBin/images/book704908/doc.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Rp|page=22}} | ||
⚫ | Mawlay Sharif died in 1659, and Sidi Mohammed was once again proclaimed sovereign. This provoked a succession clash between Sidi Mohammed and one of his younger half-brothers, ]. Details of this conflict are lengthy, but ultimately Al-Rashid appears to have fled Sijilmasa in fear of his brother. He eventually managed to secure an alliance with the ] Arab tribes who had previously supported his brother and also with the Ait Yaznasin (Beni Snassen), a ] Amazigh tribe. These groups recognized him as sultan in 1664,<ref>{{Cite book|last=O. Houdas|first=Abū al-Qāsim ibn Aḥmad al-Zayyānī|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5598026d/f32.item#|title=Le Maroc de 1631 à 1812 / de Aboulqâsem ben Ahmed Ezziâni|date=1886|publisher=Paris, Ernest Leroux|pages=14|language=fr}}</ref> while around the same time Sidi Mohammed made a new base for himself as far west as ]. The power of the Dala'iyya was in decline, and both brothers sought to take advantage of this, but both stood in each other's way. When Sidi Mohammed attacked Angad to force his rebellious brother's submission on August 2, 1664, he was instead unexpectedly killed and his armies defeated.<ref>{{Cite book|last=trans. from Arabic by Eugène Fumet|first=Ahmed ben Khâled Ennâsiri|url=http://bnm.bnrm.ma:86/ClientBin/images/book704908/doc.pdf|title=Kitâb Elistiqsâ li-Akhbâri doual Elmâgrib Elaqsâ , vol. IX : Chronique de la dynastie alaouie au Maroc|date=1906|publisher=Ernest Leroux|pages=41|language=fr|access-date=2021-12-10|archive-date=2021-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004001249/http://bnm.bnrm.ma:86/ClientBin/images/book704908/doc.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|229}}<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|225}} | ||
Despite some territorial setbacks, the 'Alawis' influence slowly grew, partly thanks to their continued alliance with certain Arab tribes of the region. In June 1650, the leaders of ] (or more specifically ], the old city), with the support of the local Arab tribes, rejected the authority of the Dala'iyya and invited Sidi Mohammed to join them. Soon after he arrived, however, the Dala'iyya army approached the city and the local leaders, realizing they did not have enough strength to oppose them, stopped their uprising and asked Sidi Mohmmed to leave.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|229}} | |||
⚫ | Al-Rashid was left in control of the 'Alawi forces and in less than a decade he managed to extend 'Alawi control over almost all of Morocco, reuniting the country under a new sharifian dynasty.<ref name=":052">{{Cite book|last=Terrasse|first=Henri|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition|publisher=Brill|year=2012|isbn=|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|location=|pages=|chapter=ʿAlawīs|editor2-last=Bianquis|editor2-first=Th.|editor3-last=Bosworth|editor3-first=C.E.|editor4-last=van Donzel|editor4-first=E.|editor5-last=Heinrichs|editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|229}} After much campaigning in northern Morocco, Al-Rashid secured the surrender of Fez in June 1666.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|230}}<ref name="Le Tourneau 19495">{{Cite book|last=Le Tourneau|first=Roger|title=Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman|publisher=Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition|year=1949|location=Casablanca}}</ref>{{Rp|83}} He made it his capital. He defeated the remnants of the Dala'iyya and destroyed their capital in the Middle Atlas in June 1668. In July, he captured Marrakesh.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|230}} His forces took the Sous valley and the ] in the south, forced ] and its ] to acknowledge his authority, while in the north he controlled most territory except for the European coastal enclaves. Al-Rashid had thus succeeded in reuniting the country under one rule. He subsequently died young in 1672.<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|225}}<ref name=":052" /> | ||
⚫ | Mawlay Sharif died in 1659, and Sidi Mohammed was once again proclaimed sovereign. |
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] in Fez, a garrison fort built by ] in order to house some of his '']'' tribes]] | |||
⚫ | |||
=== |
=== Rule of the Alawi sultans === | ||
{{Main|Alawi Sultanate}} | |||
⚫ | Upon Al-Rashid's death his younger half-brother Mawlay Isma'il became sultan. As sultan, Isma'il's 55-year reign was one of longest in Moroccan history.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":20" /> He distinguished himself as a ruler who wished to establish a unified Moroccan state as the absolute authority in the land, independent of any particular group within Morocco – in contrast to previous dynasties which relied on certain tribes or regions as the base of their power.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|230}} He succeeded in part by creating a new army composed of ] slaves (the '']'') from ] (or descendants of previously imported slaves), many of them Muslims, whose loyalty was to him alone. Mawlay Isma'il himself was half Black, his mother having been a Black slave concubine of ].<ref name=":21">{{Cite book|last=El Hamel|first=Chouki|title=Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013}}</ref><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|231}} This standing army also made effective use of modern artillery.<ref name=":0" /> |
||
], the monumental entrance to ] in ], finished in 1732]] | |||
He also moved the capital from Fez to ], where he built a vast ], a fortified palace-city whose construction continued throughout his reign.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Arnold|first=Felix|title=Islamic Palace Architecture in the Western Mediterranean: A History|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2017|pages=309–312}}</ref> He also built fortifications across the country, especially along its eastern frontier, which many of his ''{{'}}Abid'' troops garrisoned. This was partly a response to continued Ottoman interference in Morocco, which Isma'il managed to stop after many difficulties and rebellions.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|231-232}} Al-Khadr Ghaylan, a former leader in northern Morocco who fled to Ottoman Algiers during Al-Rashid's advance, returned to Tetouan at the beginning of Isma'il's reign with Ottoman help and led a rebellion in the north which was joined by the people of Fez. He recognized Isma'il's nephew, Ahmad ibn Mahriz, as sultan, who in turn had managed to take control of Marrakesh and was recognized also by the tribes of the Sous valley. Ghaylan was defeated and killed in 1673, and a month later Fez was brought back under control. Ahmad ibn Mahriz was only defeated and killed in 1686 near ].<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|231-232}} Meanwhile, the Ottomans supported further dissidents via Ahmad al-Dala'i, the grandson of ] who had led the Dala'iyya to dominion over a large part of Morocco earlier that century, prior to Al-Rashid's rise. The Dala'is had been expelled to Tlemcen but and they returned to the Middle Atlas at the instigation of the Ottomans and under Ahmad's leadership in 1677. They managed to defeat Isma'il's forces and control Tadla for a time, but were defeated in April 1678 near Wadi al-'Abid. Ahmad al-Dala'i escaped and eventually died in early 1680.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|231-232}} After the defeat of the Dala'is and of his nephew, Isma'il was finally able to impose his rule without serious challenge over all of Morocco and was able to push back against Ottoman influence. After Ghaylan's defeat he sent raids and military expeditions into Ottoman Algeria in 1679, 1682, and 1695–96. A final expedition in 1701 ended poorly. Afterwards, peace was re-established and the Ottomans agreed to recognize Morocco's eastern frontier near Oujda.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|232}}<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|226}} | |||
==== The reign of Mawlay Isma'il ==== | |||
Isma'il also sought to project renewed Moroccan power abroad and in former territories. Following the decline of central rule in the late Saadian period earlier that century, the ], created after ]'s ] of the ], had become de facto independent and the ] fell into decline. The 'Alawis became masters over Tuat (oasis in present-day Algeria) in 1645, they rebelled many times after this initial conquest but Isma'il established direct control there from 1676 onwards.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|232}} In 1678–79 he organized a major military expedition to the south, forcing the Emirates of Trarza and Brakna to become his vassals and extending his overlordship up to the ].<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|227}} In 1694 he appointed a '']'' to control in ] (present-day northern ]) on behalf of Morocco.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|232}} Later, in 1724, he sent an army to support the amir of Trarza (present-day ]) against the ] presence in ] and also used the opportunity to appoint his own governor in ].<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|232}} Despite this reassertion of control, trans-Saharan trade did not resume in the long-term on the same levels it existed before the 17th century.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":20" /> | |||
⚫ | Upon Al-Rashid's death, his younger half-brother Mawlay Isma'il became sultan. As sultan, Isma'il's 55-year reign was one of longest in Moroccan history.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":20" /> He distinguished himself as a ruler who wished to establish a unified Moroccan state as the absolute authority in the land, independent of any particular group within Morocco – in contrast to previous dynasties which relied on certain tribes or regions as the base of their power.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|230}} He succeeded in part by creating a new army composed of ] slaves (the '']'') from ] (or descendants of previously imported slaves), many of them Muslims, whose loyalty was to him alone. Mawlay Isma'il himself was half Black, his mother having been a Black slave concubine of ].<ref name=":21">{{Cite book|last=El Hamel|first=Chouki|title=Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013}}</ref><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|231}} This standing army also made effective use of modern artillery.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
] in Meknes, which contains his tomb and that of his son ]]]He continuously led military campaigns against rebels, rivals, and European positions along the Moroccan coast. In practice, he still had to rely on various groups to control outlying areas, but he nonetheless succeeded in retaking many coastal cities occupied by England and Spain and managed to enforce direct order and heavy ]ation throughout his territories. He put a definitive end to Ottoman attempts to gain influence in Morocco and established Morocco on more equal diplomatic footing with European powers in part by forcing them to ] ] captives at his court. These Christians were mostly captured by Moroccan ] fleets which he heavily sponsored as a means of both revenue and warfare. While in captivity, prisoners were often ] on his construction projects. All of these activities and policies gave him a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty among European writers and a mixed reputation among Moroccan historians as well, though he is credited with unifying Morocco under strong (but brutal) leadership.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|230–237}}<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|225–230}}<ref name=":2" /> He also moved the capital from Fez to ], where he built a vast ], a fortified palace-city whose construction continued throughout his reign.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Arnold|first=Felix|title=Islamic Palace Architecture in the Western Mediterranean: A History|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2017|pages=309–312}}</ref> | |||
==== After Mawlay Isma'il ==== | |||
In 1662 Portuguese-controlled Tangier was transferred to ] control as part of ]'s dowry to ]. Mawlay Isma'il besieged the city unsuccessfully in 1679, but this pressure, along with attacks from local Muslim '']'' (also known as the "]"<ref name=":0523">{{Cite book|last=Mansour|first=Mohamed El|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition|publisher=Brill|year=2012|isbn=|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|location=|pages=|chapter=Ṭand̲j̲a|editor2-last=Bianquis|editor2-first=Th.|editor3-last=Bosworth|editor3-first=C.E.|editor4-last=van Donzel|editor4-first=E.|editor5-last=Heinrichs|editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref>), persuaded the English to evacuate Tangier in 1684. Mawlay Isma'il immediately claimed the city and sponsored its Muslim resettlement, but granted local authority to 'Ali ar-Rifi, the governor of Tetouan who had played an active part in besieging the city and became the chieftain of northern Morocco around this time.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Miller|first=Susan Gilson|date=2005|title=Finding Order in the Moroccan City: The Ḥubus of the Great Mosque of Tangier as an Agent of Urban Change|journal=Muqarnas|volume=22|pages=265–283|doi=10.1163/22118993_02201012|via=JSTOR}}</ref><ref name=":0523" /><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|239}} Isma'il also conquered Spanish-controlled ] in 1681, ] in 1689, and ] in 1691.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":20" />{{Rp|226}} Moreover, he sponsored Moroccan pirates which preyed on European merchant ships. Despite this, he also allowed Europeans merchants to trade inside Morocco, but he strictly regulated their activities and forced them to negotiate with his government for permission, allowing him to efficiently collect taxes on trade. Isma'il also allowed European countries, often through the proxy of Spanish ] friars, to negotiate ransoms for the release of Christians captured by pirates or in battle. He also pursued relations with ] of ] starting in 1682, hoping to secure an alliance against Spain, but France was less interested in this idea and relations eventually collapsed after 1718.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|232-233}} | |||
⚫ | After Mawlay Isma'il's death, Morocco was plunged into one of its greatest periods of turmoil between 1727 and 1757, with Isma'il's sons fighting for control of the sultanate and never holding onto power for long.<ref name=":2" /> Isma'il had left hundreds of sons who were theoretically eligible for the throne.<ref name=":15" /> Conflict between his sons was compounded by rebellions against the heavily taxing and autocratic government which Isma'il had previously imposed.<ref name=":0" /> Furthermore, the ''{{'}}Abid'' of Isma'il's reign came to wield enormous power and were able to install or depose sultans according to their interests throughout this period, though they also had to compete with the '']'' tribes and some of the Amazigh (Berber) tribes.<ref name=":052" /><ref name=":15" />] today, founded in 1764 by Sultan ] as a port for European merchants]] | ||
] in Meknes, which contains his tomb and that of his son ]]] | |||
⚫ | Order and control was firmly re-established only under Abdallah's son, ] (Mohammed III), who became ] in 1757 after a decade as viceroy in Marrakesh.<ref name=":22">{{Cite book|last=Deverdun|first=Gaston|title=Marrakech: Des origines à 1912|publisher=Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines|year=1959|isbn=|location=Rabat|pages=}}</ref> Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdallah maintained the peace in part through a relatively more decentralized regime and lighter taxes, relying instead on greater trade with Europe to make up the revenues.<ref name=":0" /> In line with this policy, in 1764 he founded ], a new port city through which he funnelled European trade with Marrakesh.<ref name=":0522" /><ref name=":0524">{{Cite book|last1=Cenival|first1=P. de|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition|last2=Troin|first2=J.-F.|publisher=Brill|year=2012|isbn=|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|location=|pages=|chapter=al- Suwayra|editor2-last=Bianquis|editor2-first=Th.|editor3-last=Bosworth|editor3-first=C.E.|editor4-last=van Donzel|editor4-first=E.|editor5-last=Heinrichs|editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref> The last Portuguese outpost on the Moroccan coast, Mazagan (al-Jadida today), was taken by Morocco in 1729, leaving only the Spanish enclaves of ] and ] as the remaining European outposts in North West Africa.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":052" /> Muhammad also signed a ] with the United States in 1787 after becoming the first head of state to recognize the new country.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=Priscilla H.|last2=Tull|first2=James N.|date=June 1999|title=Moroccan Sultan Sidi Muhammad Ibn Abdallah's Diplomatic Initiatives toward the United States, 1777–1786|journal=Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society|volume=143|issue=2|pages=233–265|jstor=3181936}}</ref> He was interested in scholarly pursuits and also cultivated a productive relationship with the '']'', or Muslim religious scholars, who supported some of his initiatives and reforms.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|241}} | ||
⚫ | Sidi Mohammed's opening of Morocco to international trade was not welcomed by some, however. After his death in 1790, his son and successor Mawlay Yazid ruled with more xenophobia and violence, punished Jewish communities, and launched an ill-fated attack against the Spanish city of Ceuta in 1792, in which he was mortally wounded.<ref name=":0522" /> After his death, he was succeeded by his brother Suleyman (or Mawlay Slimane), though the latter had to defeat two more brothers who contested the throne: Maslama in the north and Hisham in Marrakesh to the south.<ref name=":0522" /> Suleyman brought trade with Europe nearly to a halt.<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|260}} Although less violent and bigoted than Yazid, was still portrayed by European sources as xenophobic.<ref name=":0522" /> After 1811, Suleyman also pushed a fundamentalist ] ideology at home and attempted to suppress local ] orders and brotherhoods, in spite of their popularity and despite his own membership in the ].<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|260}} | ||
=== Disorder and civil war under Isma'il's sons === | |||
⚫ | After Mawlay Isma'il's death, Morocco was plunged into one of its greatest periods of turmoil between 1727 and 1757, with Isma'il's sons fighting for control of the sultanate and never holding onto power for long.<ref name=":2" /> Isma'il had left hundreds of sons who were theoretically eligible for the throne.<ref name=":15" /> Conflict between his sons was compounded by rebellions against the heavily taxing and autocratic government which Isma'il had previously imposed.<ref name=":0" /> Furthermore, the ''{{'}}Abid'' of Isma'il's reign came to wield enormous power and were able to install or depose sultans according to their interests throughout this period, though they also had to compete with the ''guich'' tribes and some of the Amazigh (Berber) tribes.<ref name=":052" /><ref name=":15" /> |
||
==== European encroachment ==== | |||
In this period, the north of Morocco also became virtually independent of the central government, being ruled instead by Ahmad ibn 'Ali ar-Rifi, the son of 'Ali al-Hamami ar-Rifi whom Mawlay Isma'il had granted local authority in the region of ].<ref name=":0523" /><ref name=":15" />{{Rp|239}} Ahmad al-Hamami ar-Rifi used Tangier as the capital of his territory and profited from an arms trade with the English at Gibraltar, with whom he also established diplomatic relations. Sultan ] had tried to appoint his own governor in Tetouan to undermine Ar-Rifi's power in 1727, but without success. Ahmad ar-Rifi was initially uninterested in the politics playing out in Meknes, but became embroiled due to an alliance he formed with al-Mustadi', one of the ephemeral sultans installed by the 'Abid installed in May 1738. When Al-Mustadi' was in turn deposed in January 1740 to accommodate ]'s return to power, Ar-Rifi opposed the latter and invaded Fez in 1741. Mawlay Abdallah's alliance of factions was able to finally defeat and kill him on the battlefield in 1743, and soon after the sultan's authority was re-established along the coastal cities of Morocco.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|239}} In 1647, Sultan ] strategically established his two sons ''Khalifa'' (]) in politically important cities. His eldest Mawlay Ahmed was appointed ''Khalifa'' of ]<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=trans. from Arabic by Eugène Fumet|first=Ahmed ben Khâled Ennâsiri|title=Kitâb Elistiqsâ li-Akhbâri doual Elmâgrib Elaqsâ , vol. IX : Chronique de la dynastie alaouie au Maroc|date=|publisher=Ernest Leroux|pages=265|language=fr}}</ref> and his youngest Sidi Mohammed, ''Khalifa'' of Marrakesh.<ref name=":6" /> His eldest son would die before him in 1750.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=trans. from Arabic by Eugène Fumet|first=Ahmed ben Khâled Ennâsiri|title=Kitâb Elistiqsâ li-Akhbâri doual Elmâgrib Elaqsâ , vol. IX : Chronique de la dynastie alaouie au Maroc|date=|publisher=Ernest Leroux|pages=251|language=fr}}</ref> After 9 years of uninterrupted reign, ] died at ] November 10, 1757.<ref name=":7" /> His only surviving son, Sidi Mohammed, succeeded him. | |||
⚫ | Suleyman's successor, ] (or Abderrahmane; ruled 1822–1859), tried to reinforce national unity by recruiting local elites of the country and orchestrating military campaigns designed to bolster his image as a defender of Islam against encroaching European powers. The ] in 1830, however, destabilized the region and put the sultan in a very difficult position. Wide popular support for the Algerians against the French led Morocco to allow the flow of aid and arms to the resistance movement led by ], while the Moroccan ''ulama'' delivered a fatwa for a supporting jihad in 1837. On the other hand, Abd al-Rahman was reluctant to provide the French with a clear reason to attack Morocco if he ever intervened. He managed to maintain the appearance of neutrality until 1844, when he was compelled to provide refuge to Abd al-Qadir in Morocco. The French, led by the marshall ], pursued him and thoroughly routed the Moroccan army at the ], near Oujda, on August 14. At the same time, the French navy ] on August 6 and ] on August 16. In the aftermath, Morocco signed the Convention of ] on March 18, 1845. The treaty made the superior power of France clear and forced the sultan to recognize French authority over Algeria. Abd al-Qadir turned rebel against the sultan and took refuge in the Rif region until his surrender to the French in 1848.<ref name=":20" />{{Rp|264–265}}<ref name=":0522" />] in 1873]]The next confrontation, the ], took place from 1859 to 1860, and the subsequent ] led the Moroccan government to take a massive British loan larger than its national reserves to pay off its ] to Spain.<ref name=":4" /> | ||
⚫ | In the latter part of the 19th century Morocco's instability resulted in European countries intervening to protect investments and to demand economic concessions. Sultan ] called for the ] of 1880 in response to France and Spain's abuse of the ], but the result was an increased European presence in Morocco—in the form of advisors, doctors, businessmen, adventurers, and even missionaries.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=47}} | ||
=== Restoration of authority under Muhammad ibn Abdallah === | |||
Order and control was firmly re-established only under Abdallah's son, ] (Mohammed III), who became ] in 1757 after a decade as viceroy in Marrakesh.<ref name=":22">{{Cite book|last=Deverdun|first=Gaston|title=Marrakech: Des origines à 1912|publisher=Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines|year=1959|isbn=|location=Rabat|pages=}}</ref> Many of the 'Abid had by then deserted their contingents and joined the common population of the country, and Sidi Mohammed III was able to reorganize those who remained into his own elite military corps.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|239-240}} The Oudaya, who had supported his father but had been a burden on the population of Fez where they lived, became the main challenge to the new sultan's power. In 1760 he was forced to march with an army to Fez where he arrested their leaders and destroyed their contingents, killing many of their soldiers. In the aftermath the sultan created a new, much smaller, Oudaya regiment which was given new commanders and garrisoned in Meknes instead.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|240}} Later, in 1775, he tried to distance the ''{{'}}Abid'' from power by ordering their transfer from Meknes to Tangier in the north. The ''{{'}}Abid'' resisted him and attempted to proclaim his son Yazid (the later ]) as sultan, but the latter soon changed his mind and was reconciled with his father. After this, Sidi Mohammed III dispersed the ''{{'}}Abid'' contingents to garrisons in Tangier, Larache, Rabat, Marrakesh and the Sous, where they continued to cause trouble until 1782. These disturbances were compounded by ] and severe famine between 1776 and 1782 and an outbreak of plague in 1779–1780, which killed many Moroccans and forced the sultan to import wheat, reduce taxes, and distribute food and funds to locals and tribal leaders in order to alleviate the suffering. By now, however, the improved authority of the sultan allowed the central government to weather these difficulties and crises.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|240}} | |||
] today, founded in 1764 by Sultan ] as a port for European merchants]] | |||
⚫ | Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdallah maintained the peace in part through a relatively more decentralized regime and lighter taxes, relying instead on greater trade with Europe to make up the revenues.<ref name=":0" /> In line with this policy, in 1764 he founded ], a new port city through which he funnelled European trade with Marrakesh.<ref name=":0522" /><ref name=":0524">{{Cite book|last1=Cenival|first1=P. de|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition|last2=Troin|first2=J.-F.|publisher=Brill|year=2012|isbn=|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|location=|pages=|chapter=al- Suwayra|editor2-last=Bianquis|editor2-first=Th.|editor3-last=Bosworth|editor3-first=C.E.|editor4-last=van Donzel|editor4-first=E.|editor5-last=Heinrichs|editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref> The last Portuguese outpost on the Moroccan coast, Mazagan (al-Jadida today), was taken by Morocco in 1729, leaving only the Spanish enclaves of ] and ] as the remaining European outposts in |
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⚫ | After Sultan ] appointed his brother ] as viceroy of Marrakesh, the latter sought to have him overthrown by fomenting distrust over Abdelaziz's European ties.<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2010|title=Abd al-Hafid|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/14|edition=15th|volume=I: A-Ak – Bayes|pages=|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|url-access=registration}}</ref> Abdelhafid was aided by ], older brother of ], one of the ] of the Atlas. He was assisted in the training of his troops by ], a British officer and veteran of the ].<ref>{{cite news|url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/11/04/104766505.pdf |work =]|date = November 4, 1908|title = An Empire of Peace}}</ref> For a brief period, Abdelaziz reigned from Rabat while Abdelhafid reigned in Marrakesh and Fez and a conflict known as the ] (1907–1908) ensued. In 1908 Abdelaziz was defeated in battle. In 1909, Abdelhafid became the recognized leader of ].<ref name="EB" /> | ||
⚫ | Sidi Mohammed's opening of Morocco to international trade was not welcomed by some, however. After his death in 1790, his son and successor Mawlay Yazid ruled with more xenophobia and violence, punished Jewish communities, and launched an ill-fated attack against Spanish |
||
=== European influence and confrontation in the 19th century === | |||
] in 1873]] | |||
⚫ | Suleyman's successor, ] (or Abderrahmane; ruled 1822–1859), tried to reinforce national unity by recruiting local elites of the country and orchestrating military campaigns designed to bolster his image as a defender of Islam against encroaching European powers. The ] in 1830, however, destabilized the region and put the sultan in a very difficult position. Wide popular support for the Algerians against the French led Morocco to allow the flow of aid and arms to the resistance movement led by ], while the Moroccan ''ulama'' delivered a fatwa for a supporting jihad in 1837. On the other hand, Abd al-Rahman was reluctant to provide the French with a clear reason to attack Morocco if he ever intervened. He managed to maintain the appearance of neutrality until 1844, when he was compelled to provide refuge to Abd al-Qadir in Morocco. The French, led by the marshall ], pursued him and thoroughly routed the Moroccan army at the ], near Oujda, on August 14. At the same time, the French navy ] on August 6 and ] on August 16. In the aftermath, Morocco signed the Convention of ] on March 18, 1845. The treaty made the superior power of France clear and forced the sultan to recognize French authority over Algeria. Abd al-Qadir turned rebel against the sultan and took refuge in the Rif region until his surrender to the French in 1848.<ref name=":20" />{{Rp| |
||
The next confrontation, the ], took place from 1859 to 1860, and the subsequent ] led the Moroccan government to take a massive British loan larger than its national reserves to pay off its ] to Spain.<ref name=":32">{{Cite book|last=Miller, Susan Gilson.|title=A history of modern Morocco|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-62469-5|location=New York|oclc=855022840}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | In the latter part of the 19th century Morocco's instability resulted in European countries intervening to protect investments and to demand economic concessions. Sultan ] called for the ] of 1880 in response to France and Spain's abuse of the ], but the result was an increased European presence in Morocco—in the form of advisors, doctors, businessmen, adventurers, and even missionaries.<ref name=": |
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=== Crisis and installation of French and Spanish Protectorates === | |||
⚫ | After Sultan ] appointed his brother ] as viceroy of Marrakesh, the latter sought to have him overthrown by fomenting distrust over Abdelaziz's European ties.<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2010|title=Abd al-Hafid|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/14|edition=15th|volume=I: A-Ak – Bayes|pages=|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|url-access=registration}}</ref> Abdelhafid was aided by ], older brother of ], one of the ] of the Atlas. He was assisted in the training of his troops by ], a British officer and veteran of the ].<ref>{{cite news|url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/11/04/104766505.pdf |work =New York Times|date = November 4, 1908|title = An Empire of Peace}}</ref> For a brief period, Abdelaziz reigned from Rabat while Abdelhafid reigned in Marrakesh and Fez and a conflict known as the ] (1907–1908) ensued. In 1908 Abdelaziz was defeated in battle. In 1909, Abdelhafid became the recognized leader of ].<ref name="EB" /> | ||
], Sultan of Morocco in 1912, after signing the ] which initiated ]]] | ], Sultan of Morocco in 1912, after signing the ] which initiated ]]] | ||
Line 84: | Line 67: | ||
=== Colonial rule, Mohammed V, and independence === | === Colonial rule, Mohammed V, and independence === | ||
{{Main|French protectorate in Morocco|Spanish protectorate in Morocco}} | {{Main|French protectorate in Morocco|Spanish protectorate in Morocco}} | ||
Under colonial rule the institution of the sultan was formally preserved as part of a French policy of indirect rule, or at least the appearance of indirect rule. Under the French Protectorate, the 'Alawi sultans still had some prerogatives such as the power to sign or veto ''dahirs'' (decrees). In the Spanish zone, a ] ("deputy") was appointed who acted as a representative of the sultan. In practice, however, the sultan was a puppet of the new regime and many parts of the population saw the dynasty as collaborators with the French. The French colonial administration was headed by the French ], the first of whom was ], who enacted many of the policies that set the tone for France's colonial regime in Morocco.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Gilson Miller|first=Susan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vochAwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=A History of Modern Morocco|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013|isbn=9781139619110}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Wyrtzen|first=Jonathan|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VC1UCwAAQBAJ&q=wyrzten+morocco&pg=PP1|title=Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2015|isbn=9781501704246|pages=248–272|chapter=The Sultan-cum-King and the |
Under colonial rule the institution of the sultan was formally preserved as part of a French policy of indirect rule, or at least the appearance of indirect rule. Under the French Protectorate, the 'Alawi sultans still had some prerogatives such as the power to sign or veto ''dahirs'' (decrees). In the Spanish zone, a ] ("deputy") was appointed who acted as a representative of the sultan. In practice, however, the sultan was a puppet of the new regime and many parts of the population saw the dynasty as collaborators with the French. The French colonial administration was headed by the French ], the first of whom was ], who enacted many of the policies that set the tone for France's colonial regime in Morocco.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Gilson Miller|first=Susan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vochAwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=A History of Modern Morocco|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013|isbn=9781139619110}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Wyrtzen|first=Jonathan|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VC1UCwAAQBAJ&q=wyrzten+morocco&pg=PP1|title=Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2015|isbn=9781501704246|pages=248–272|chapter=The Sultan-cum-King and the Field's Symbolic Forces}}</ref> | ||
Mawlay Youssef died unexpectedly in 1927 and his youngest son, ] (Mohammed ben Youssef or Mohammed V), was acclaimed as the new sultan, at the age of 18. By the guidance of the French regime, he had spent most of his life growing up in relative isolation inside the royal palace in Meknes and Rabat. These restrictions on his interactions with the outside world continued in large part even after he ascended to the throne. However, over the course of his reign he became increasingly associated with the Moroccan nationalist movement, eventually becoming a strong symbol in the cause for independence. The nationalists, for their part, and in contrast with other anti-colonial movements like the ], saw the sultan as a potentially useful tool in the struggle against French rule.<ref name=":5" /> | Mawlay Youssef died unexpectedly in 1927 and his youngest son, ] (Mohammed ben Youssef or Mohammed V), was acclaimed as the new sultan, at the age of 18. By the guidance of the French regime, he had spent most of his life growing up in relative isolation inside the royal palace in Meknes and Rabat. These restrictions on his interactions with the outside world continued in large part even after he ascended to the throne. However, over the course of his reign he became increasingly associated with the Moroccan nationalist movement, eventually becoming a strong symbol in the cause for independence. The nationalists, for their part, and in contrast with other anti-colonial movements like the ], saw the sultan as a potentially useful tool in the struggle against French rule.<ref name=":5" /> | ||
] in 1934]] | ] in 1934]] | ||
Some of Mohammed V's initial interactions with nationalists came during the crisis caused by the so-called "]". Among other things at this time, the sultan received a delegation from Fez which presented a list of grievances about the new French policy, and had discussions with ] where he apparently expressed that he had been misled by the French residency when signing it and vowed to cede no further rights of his country.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|250}} The sultan refrained from openly associating with the nationalist movement in the 1930s, but nonetheless resisted French attempts to shift the terms of the Protectorate during the ] years. He reaffirmed Morocco's loyalty to France in 1939, at the beginning of the ]. After the ] to the Germans and the advent of the ], however, the sultan increasingly charted his own course, successfully pushing some reform initiatives related to education, even as the Vichy regime encouraged him to make several well-publicized trips abroad to bolster his legitimacy and that of the colonial system. In 1942 the ] as part of their invasion of North Africa against ] occupation. This momentous change also allowed the sultan more political manoeuvring room, and during the ] in 1943, which Allied leaders attended, Mohammed V was left alone at one time with ], who expressed support for Moroccan independence after the war. The encounter was the sultan's first face-to-face interaction with another head of state without the mediating presence of the French officials. In the fall of the same year, the sultan encouraged the formation of the official ] and the drafting of the ] that called for a ] with ] institutions.<ref name=":5" /> | Some of Mohammed V's initial interactions with nationalists came during the crisis caused by the so-called "]". Among other things at this time, the sultan received a delegation from Fez which presented a list of grievances about the new French policy, and had discussions with ] where he apparently expressed that he had been misled by the French residency when signing it and vowed to cede no further rights of his country.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|250}} The sultan refrained from openly associating with the nationalist movement in the 1930s, but nonetheless resisted French attempts to shift the terms of the Protectorate during the ] years. He reaffirmed Morocco's loyalty to France in 1939, at the beginning of the ]. After the ] to the Germans and the advent of the ], however, the sultan increasingly charted his own course, successfully pushing some reform initiatives related to education, even as the Vichy regime encouraged him to make several well-publicized trips abroad to bolster his legitimacy and that of the colonial system. In 1942 the ] as part of their invasion of North Africa against ] occupation. This momentous change also allowed the sultan more political manoeuvring room, and during the ] in 1943, which Allied leaders attended, Mohammed V was left alone at one time with ], who expressed support for Moroccan independence after the war. The encounter was the sultan's first face-to-face interaction with another head of state without the mediating presence of the French officials. In the fall of the same year, the sultan encouraged the formation of the official ] and the drafting of the ] that called for a ] with ] institutions.<ref name=":5" /> | ||
These moves were strongly opposed by the French, but the sultan continued to steadily defy them. Another watershed event was the ] of 1947, delivered in the ] of Tangier during the first visit of a Moroccan sultan to the city since Mawlay Hassan I in 1889.<ref name=":5" /> The speech made a number of significant points including support for ], a generally anti-colonial ideology, and an expression of gratitude for American support of Moroccan aspirations while omitting the usual statements of support for the French Protectorate. In the following years the tensions increased, with French officials slowly acknowledging the need for Moroccan independence but stressing for slower reforms rather than rapid sovereignty. The French enlisted many powerful collaborators such ] to organize a campaign of public opposition to the sultan and demands for his abdication – also known as the "'']'' Affair" – in the spring of 1953. The political confrontation came to a head in August of that year. On August 13 the ] was surrounded and closed off by Protectorate military forces and police, and on August 16 Thami and allied Moroccan leaders formally declared ], a little-known member of the 'Alawi family, as sultan. On August 20 the French resident-general, Auguste Guillaume, presented demands to the sultan for his abdication and his agreement to go into exile. The sultan refused to abdicate, and that afternoon he and his sons were escorted at gunpoint from the palace and onto a plane. He and his family were eventually exiled to ].<ref name=":5" /> | These moves were strongly opposed by the French, but the sultan continued to steadily defy them. Another watershed event was the ] of 1947, delivered in the ] of Tangier during the first visit of a Moroccan sultan to the city since Mawlay Hassan I in 1889.<ref name=":5" /> The speech made a number of significant points including support for ], a generally anti-colonial ideology, and an expression of gratitude for American support of Moroccan aspirations while omitting the usual statements of support for the French Protectorate. In the following years the tensions increased, with French officials slowly acknowledging the need for Moroccan independence but stressing for slower reforms rather than rapid sovereignty. The French enlisted many powerful collaborators such ] to organize a campaign of public opposition to the sultan and demands for his abdication – also known as the "'']'' Affair" – in the spring of 1953. The political confrontation came to a head in August of that year. On August 13 the ] was surrounded and closed off by Protectorate military forces and police, and on August 16 Thami and allied Moroccan leaders formally declared ], a little-known member of the 'Alawi family, as sultan. On August 20 the French resident-general, Auguste Guillaume, presented demands to the sultan for his abdication and his agreement to go into exile. The sultan refused to abdicate, and that afternoon he and his sons were escorted at gunpoint from the palace and onto a plane. He and his family were eventually exiled to ].<ref name=":5" /> | ||
⚫ | ] with future ] |
||
The exile of the sultan did not alleviate French difficulties in Morocco, and an insurgency broke out which targeted both the regime and its collaborators with boycott campaigns as well as acts of violence. Several assassination attempts were made against the new puppet sultan, Mohammed Ben 'Arafa, and one of the boycott campaigns was aimed at the country's mosques due to prayers being said in the new sultan's name. Eventually, with the ] under way in ] and the ], the French agreed to negotiate Morocco's independence at a conference on August 23, 1955. By October 1 Mohammed Ben 'Arafa had abdicated and later that month even Thami el-Glaoui supported Mohammed V's return. The sultan landed at Rabat-Salé Airport at 11:42 am on November 16, greeted by cheering crowds.<ref name=":5" /> The French-Moroccan Declaration of Independence was formally signed on March 2, 1956, and Tangier was reintegrated to Morocco later that year. In 1957 Mohammed V adopted the official title of "King", which has since been used by his successors, ] and ].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> | The exile of the sultan did not alleviate French difficulties in Morocco, and an insurgency broke out which targeted both the regime and its collaborators with boycott campaigns as well as acts of violence. Several assassination attempts were made against the new puppet sultan, Mohammed Ben 'Arafa, and one of the boycott campaigns was aimed at the country's mosques due to prayers being said in the new sultan's name. Eventually, with the ] under way in ] and the ], the French agreed to negotiate Morocco's independence at a conference on August 23, 1955. By October 1 Mohammed Ben 'Arafa had abdicated and later that month even Thami el-Glaoui supported Mohammed V's return. The sultan landed at Rabat-Salé Airport at 11:42 am on November 16, greeted by cheering crowds.<ref name=":5" /> The French-Moroccan Declaration of Independence was formally signed on March 2, 1956, and Tangier was reintegrated to Morocco later that year. In 1957 Mohammed V adopted the official title of "King", which has since been used by his successors, ] and ].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> | ||
=== From 1957 to present day === | |||
⚫ | {{Further|History of Morocco#Independent Morocco (since 1956)}}] with future King ] and Princesses ] and ] (left to right)]] | ||
At independence, the Moroccan '']'' (royal government) remained underdeveloped and urgent reforms were needed to resolve problems arising from decades of colonial rule.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=154}} Political friction existed between the nationalist Istiqlal Party, which pushed for more democratic institutions, and the king, Mohammed V, who now hesitated on endorsing radical political changes. By the end of the decade in 1960, the Istiqlal Party was weakened by splinter factions and the growing number of political parties were unable to act together as an effective counterbalance to the king. A formal constitution also remained lacking. As a result, the monarch emerged as the main pillar of political stability in the state and there was a revival of ] under royal rule.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=155–161}} Mohammed V died in 1961 and was succeeded by his son, Hassan II. | |||
Hassan was soon compelled to promulgate a ], which was approved by popular ]. The constitution had been written by officials appointed by the king and in practice it cemented the monarchy's rule by granting it far-reaching executive powers.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=163–164}} Hassan II worked to improve relations with France and position Morocco as an ally of the West, but relations with neighboring Algeria deteriorated over border issues and resulted in the ] in 1963.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=165–166}} Tensions also rose internally during the 1960s and 1970s, with leftist opposition mounting against the conservative monarchy. This in turn was met with increased political repression and Hassan II largely relied on the army and police as instruments of power. The period from roughly 1975 to 1990 is known as the "]", as state violence was regularly deployed against dissenters and political opponents were jailed or ].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=166–170}} Two attempted '']'' against the king failed in ] and ].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=175–178}} | |||
Upon the withdrawal of the Spanish from ] in 1975 and the declaration of independence of the ], Hassan II used the opportunity to publicly galvanize nationalist sentiment by pressing Morocco's ] claims to the territory, over the objections of the local ] and of the Algerian and ]n governments. He organized the ], which saw around 350,000 Moroccans crossing the southern border to settle inside the territory, triggering ] with the ], the armed front of the Sahrawi people.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=180–184}} A ceasefire was negotiated in 1989,<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=|page=184}} but ] remains unresolved today,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-06 |title=Why is the Western Sahara conflict heating up? |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211106-why-is-the-western-sahara-conflict-heating-up |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ukraine War Puts New Focus on Conflict in Western Sahara |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/04/ukraine-war-puts-new-focus-conflict-western-sahara |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en}}</ref> with most of the territory under ''de facto'' Moroccan control while the ] controls the ].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=180–184}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-07 |title=Morocco's autonomy plan for the Western Sahara |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220407-morocco-s-autonomy-plan-for-the-western-sahara |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> During the 1990s Hassan II changed course in domestic politics and publicly promoted an agenda of reform. A new constitutional reform, approved by ], was enacted in 1993. Another amendment to the constitution was passed in 1996 to create a ], with the lower house elected directly by voters and an upper house chosen indirectly by regional assemblies and professional organizations.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=|page=205}} | |||
Hassan II died in 1999 and was succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI, the current reigning king. The new monarch's reign began with promises of further liberalization and reform; however, the extent of political reforms has been limited and popular engagement with electoral politics has been inconsistent.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=221, 228–230|page=}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abouzzohour |first=Yasmina |date=2020-07-29 |title=Progress and missed opportunities: Morocco enters its third decade under King Mohammed VI |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/progress-and-missed-opportunities-morocco-enters-its-third-decade-under-king-mohammed-vi/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=Brookings |language=en-US}}</ref> Another constitutional reform was passed by a ] in response to ] inside the country, in the wider context of the ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-07-02 |title=Morocco approves King Mohammed's constitutional reforms |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13976480 |access-date=2022-09-20}}</ref><ref name=":4" />{{Rp|pages=234–236}} Today, the 'Alawis remain the only monarchy in North Africa.<ref name=":03"/> They officially rule in a parliamentary ],<ref name=":03"/><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":1" /> but ] and absolutist characteristics are still noted by scholars and observers, with effective power largely remaining in the hands of the king,<ref name=":46" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":12" /> a situation that has been compared to the pattern of ] monarchy in ].<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yom |first=Sean |date=2017 |title=Jordan and Morocco: The Palace Gambit |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/653382 |journal=Journal of Democracy |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=132–146 |doi=10.1353/jod.2017.0030 |s2cid=151865682 |issn=1086-3214}}</ref> | |||
==List of 'Alawi rulers== | ==List of 'Alawi rulers== | ||
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2021 |
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2021}} | ||
] in Rabat]] | |||
], pictured behind a family tree of the dynasty at the ] in 2022]] | |||
{{see also|List of rulers of Morocco}} | |||
Sultans of the Tafilalt and early expansion: | Sultans of the Tafilalt and early expansion: | ||
*] (1631–1635) | * ] (1631–1635) | ||
*] (1635–1664) | * ] (1635–1664) | ||
*] (1664–1668) | * ] (1664–1668) | ||
After capture of Marrakesh in 1668, Sultans of Morocco: | After capture of Marrakesh in 1668, Sultans of Morocco: | ||
*] (1668–1672) | * ] (1668–1672) | ||
*] (1672–1727) | * ] (1672–1727) | ||
*] (1727–1728) (''first time'') | * ] (1727–1728) (''first time'') | ||
*] (1728) | * ] (1728) | ||
*] (1728–1729) (''second time'') | * ] (1728–1729) (''second time'') | ||
*] (1729–1734) (''first time'') | * ] (1729–1734) (''first time'') | ||
*] (1734–1736) | * ] (1734–1736) | ||
*] (1736) (''second time'') | * ] (1736) (''second time'') | ||
*] (1736–1738) | * ] (1736–1738) | ||
*] (1738–1740) (''first time'') | * ] (1738–1740) (''first time'') | ||
*] (1740–1741) (''third time'') | * ] (1740–1741) (''third time'') | ||
*] (1741) | * ] (1741) | ||
*] (1741–1742) (''fourth time'') | * ] (1741–1742) (''fourth time'') | ||
*] (1742–1743) (''second time'') | * ] (1742–1743) (''second time'') | ||
*] (1743–1747) (''fifth time'') | * ] (1743–1747) (''fifth time'') | ||
*] (1747–1748) (''third time'') | * ] (1747–1748) (''third time'') | ||
*] (1748–1757) (''sixth time'') | * ] (1748–1757) (''sixth time'') | ||
*] (1757–1790) | * ] (1757–1790) | ||
*] (1790–1792) | * ] (1790–1792) | ||
*] (1792–1822) | * ] (1792–1822) | ||
*] (1822–1859) | * ] (1822–1859) | ||
*] (1859–1873) | * ] (1859–1873) | ||
*] (1873–1894) | * ] (1873–1894) | ||
*] (1894–1908) | * ] (1894–1908) | ||
*] (1908–1912) | * ] (1908–1912) | ||
Under the ] (1912–1956): | Under the ] (1912–1956): | ||
*] (1912–1927) | * ] (1912–1927) | ||
*King ] (1927–1961), changed title of ruler from ] to ] in 1957. Deposed and exiled to ] and ] (1953–1955). | * King ] (1927–1961), changed title of ruler from ] to ] in 1957. Deposed and exiled to ] and ] (1953–1955). | ||
*], installed by France (1953–1955) | * ], installed by France (1953–1955) | ||
From ] (1955 onwards): | From ] (1955 onwards): | ||
*King ] (1955–1961) | * King ] (1955–1961) | ||
*King ] (1961–1999) | * King ] (1961–1999) | ||
*King ] (1999–present) | * King ] (1999–present) | ||
=== Timeline === | === Timeline === | ||
{{#tag:timeline| | |||
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PlotArea = top:10 bottom:30 right:130 left:20 | PlotArea = top:10 bottom:30 right:130 left:20 | ||
AlignBars = justify | AlignBars = justify | ||
DateFormat = yyyy | DateFormat = yyyy | ||
Period = from: |
Period = from:1630 till:2025 | ||
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal | TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal | ||
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment: |
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:20 start:1630 | ||
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment: |
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id:n value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) | id:n value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) | ||
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id:l value:rgb(0.6,0.4,1) | id:l value:rgb(0.6,0.4,1) | ||
id:y value:rgb(0.6,0.5,1) | id:y value:rgb(0.6,0.5,1) | ||
id:t value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5) | id:t value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5) | ||
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Line 174: | Line 172: | ||
align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:none width:20 shift:(0,-5) | align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:none width:20 shift:(0,-5) | ||
bar:eon color:eon | bar:eon color:eon | ||
from: 1631 |
from: 1631 till: 1664 color: a text:Sultans of Tafilalt | ||
from: 1664 |
from: 1664 till: 1957 color: w text:Sultans of Morocco | ||
from: 1957 |
from: 1957 till: end color: s text:Kings of Morocco | ||
width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till | width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till | ||
barset:Rulers | barset:Rulers | ||
from:1631 till: 1635 color:a text:"]" | from:1631 till: 1635 color:a text:"]" | ||
from:1635 till: 1664 color:a text:"]" | from:1635 till: 1664 color:a text:"]" | ||
from:1664 till: 1672 color:w text:"]" | from:1664 till: 1672 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1672 till: 1727 color:w text:"]" | from:1672 till: 1727 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1727 till: 1757 color:n text:" |
from:1727 till: 1757 color:n text:"Succession crisis" | ||
from:1727 till: 1728 color:w text:"]" | from:1727 till: 1728 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1728 till: 1728 color:w text:"]" | from:1728 till: 1728 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1728 till: 1729 color:w text:"]" | from:1728 till: 1729 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1729 till: 1734 color:w text:"]" | from:1729 till: 1734 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1734 till: 1736 color:w text:"]" | from:1734 till: 1736 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1736 till: 1736 color:w text:"]" | from:1736 till: 1736 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1736 till: 1738 color:w text:"]" | from:1736 till: 1738 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1738 till: 1740 color:w text:"]" | from:1738 till: 1740 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1740 till: 1741 color:w text:"]" | from:1740 till: 1741 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1741 till: 1741 color:w text:"]" | from:1741 till: 1741 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1741 till: 1742 color:w text:"]" | from:1741 till: 1742 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1742 till: 1743 color:w text:"]" | from:1742 till: 1743 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1743 till: 1747 color:w text:"]" | from:1743 till: 1747 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1747 till: 1748 color:w text:"]" | from:1747 till: 1748 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1748 till: 1757 color:w text:"]" | from:1748 till: 1757 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1757 till: 1790 color:w text:"]" | from:1757 till: 1790 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1790 till: 1792 color:w text:"]" | from:1790 till: 1792 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1792 till: 1822 color:w text:"]" | from:1792 till: 1822 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1822 till: 1859 color:w text:"]" | from:1822 till: 1859 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1859 till: 1873 color:w text:"]" | from:1859 till: 1873 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1873 till: 1894 color:w text:"]" | from:1873 till: 1894 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1894 till: 1908 color:w text:"]" | from:1894 till: 1908 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1908 till: 1912 color:w text:"]" | from:1908 till: 1912 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1912 till: 1956 color:eon text:" |
from:1912 till: 1956 color:eon text:"Franco–Spanish Protectorate" | ||
from:1912 till: 1927 color:w text:"]" | from:1912 till: 1927 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1927 till: 1953 color:w text:"]" | from:1927 till: 1953 color:w text:"]" | ||
from:1953 till: 1955 color:n text:"]" | from:1953 till: 1955 color:n text:"] (French puppet)" | ||
from:1955 till: 1961 color:s text:"]" | from:1955 till: 1961 color:s text:"]" | ||
from:1961 till: 1999 color:s text:"]" | from:1961 till: 1999 color:s text:"]" | ||
from:1999 till: end color:s text:"]" | from:1999 till: end color:s text:"]" | ||
barset:skip | barset:skip | ||
</timeline> | |||
}} | |||
=== Family tree === | === Family tree === | ||
{{Tree chart/start|style=margin: 1em auto;}} | {{Tree chart/start|style=margin: 1em auto;}} | ||
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | 001 | {{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | 001 | ||
|001=] ]}} | |001=] ]}} | ||
{{Tree chart | | | | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.}} | {{Tree chart | | | | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.}} | ||
{{Tree chart | | | | | 003 | | 004 | | 005 | {{Tree chart | | | | | 003 | | 004 | | 005 | ||
Line 230: | Line 229: | ||
|004=] ] | |004=] ] | ||
|005=] ]}} | |005=] ]}} | ||
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | | | |
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | | |}} | ||
{{Tree chart | 006 | | 007 | | 008 | | 009 | | 010 | | 011 | | 012 | {{Tree chart | 006 | | 007 | | 008 | | 009 | | 010 | | 011 | | 012 | ||
|006=] ] | |006=] ] | ||
Line 268: | Line 267: | ||
|024=] ] <br /><small>3° spouse</small> <br />] | |024=] ] <br /><small>3° spouse</small> <br />] | ||
|025=<small>2° spouse</small> <br />]}} | |025=<small>2° spouse</small> <br />]}} | ||
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | | |
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |}} | ||
{{Tree chart | 026 | | 027 | | 028 | | 029 | | 030 | | 031 | | 032 | {{Tree chart | 026 | | 027 | | 028 | | 029 | | 030 | | 031 | | 032 | ||
|026=] | |026=] | ||
Line 277: | Line 276: | ||
|031=] | |031=] | ||
|032=]}} | |032=]}} | ||
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | | |
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | |}} | ||
{{Tree chart | 033 | | 034 | | 035 | | 036 | | 037 | | 038 | | 039 | {{Tree chart | 033 | | 034 | | 035 | | 036 | | 037 | | 038 | | 039 | ||
|033=] | |033=] | ||
Line 297: | Line 296: | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ], ] |
* ], ]'s ruling family that also claims descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
Line 312: | Line 311: | ||
{{S-start}} | {{S-start}} | ||
{{s-royalhouse|House of Alaoui}} | {{s-royalhouse|House of Alaoui}} | ||
{{s-bef|before=]}} | {{s-bef|before=]}} | ||
{{s-ttl|title=Ruling house of ]|years= |
{{s-ttl|title=Ruling house of ]|years=1631–present}} | ||
{{s-inc}} | {{s-inc}} | ||
{{S-end}} | {{S-end}} | ||
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{{Morocco topics|state=collapsed}} | {{Morocco topics|state=collapsed}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 13:16, 28 November 2024
Ruling dynasty of Morocco since 1631 This article is about the Moroccan royal family. For the pre-colonial history of Morocco under Alawi rule, see Alawi Sultanate. For the sect of Shia Islam, see Alawites.'Alawi dynasty سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين | |
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Parent house | Banu Hassan, of Banu Hashim, of Quraysh |
Country | Morocco |
Founded | 1631; 394 years ago (1631) |
Founder | Sharif bin Ali (died 1659) |
Current head | Mohammed VI |
Titles | Sultan (1631–1957) King of Morocco (1957–present) |
Style(s) | Amir al-Mu'minin |
Royal family of Morocco |
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The 'Alawi dynasty (Arabic: سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, romanized: sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, 'Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning dynasty. They are an Arab Sharifian dynasty and claim descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandson, Hasan ibn Ali. Their ancestors originally migrated to the Tafilalt region, in present-day Morocco, from Yanbu on the coast of the Hejaz in the 12th or 13th century.
The dynasty rose to power in the 17th century, beginning with Mawlay al-Sharif who was declared sultan of the Tafilalt in 1631. His son Al-Rashid, ruling from 1664 to 1672, was able to unite and pacify the country after a long period of regional divisions caused by the weakening of the Saadi Sultanate, establishing the Alawi Sultanate that succeeded it. His brother Isma'il presided over a period of strong central rule between 1672 and 1727, one of the longest reigns of any Moroccan sultan. After Isma'il's death, the country was plunged into disarray as his sons fought over his succession, but order was re-established under the long reign of Muhammad ibn Abdallah in the second half of the 18th century. The 19th century was marked by the growing influence of European powers.
The 'Alawis ruled as sovereign sultans up until 1912, when the French protectorate and Spanish protectorate were imposed on Morocco. They were retained as symbolic sultans under colonial rule. When the country regained its independence in 1956, Mohammed V, who had supported the nationalist cause, resumed the 'Alawi role as independent head of state. Shortly afterwards, in 1957, he adopted the title of "King" instead of "Sultan". His successors, Hassan II and Mohammed VI (the current reigning monarch), have continued the dynasty's rule under the same title. Today, the Moroccan government is officially a constitutional monarchy, but the king retains strong authoritarian power over the state and public affairs, despite some political reforms in recent decades.
Name and etymology
The dynasty claims descent from Muhammad via Hasan, the son of Ali. The name 'Alawi (Arabic: علوي) stems either from the name of Ali (the father of Hasan), from which the dynasty ultimately traces its descent, or from the name of the dynasty's early founder Ali al-Sharif of the Tafilalt. Historians sometimes also refer to the dynasty as the "Filali Sharifs", in reference to their origin from the Tafilalt.
The honorific title mawlay (also transliterated as mulay or moulay), meaning "my lord", was also commonly used in conjunction with the names of sultans.
Origins
The 'Alawis were a family of sharifian religious notables (or shurafa) who claimed descent from Muhammad via his grandson Hasan, the son of Ali and of Muhammad's daughter Fatimah. Like the Sa'di dynasty before them, the 'Alawis originally came from the village of Yanbu al-Nakhil in the Hejaz region of Arabia. According to the dynasty's official historians, the family migrated from the Hijaz to the Tafilalt during the 12th or 13th century at the request of the locals who hoped that the presence of a sharifian family would benefit the region. It is possible that the 'Alawis were merely one of many Arab families who moved westwards to Morocco during this period. The Tafilalt was an oasis region in the Ziz Valley in eastern Morocco and the site of Sijilmasa, historically an important terminus of the trans-Saharan trade routes.
Little is known of 'Alawi history prior to the 17th century. In the early 15th century they appear to have had a reputation as holy warriors, but did not yet have a political status. This was the example of one family member, Ali al-Sharif (not to be confused with the later 'Alawi by the same name below), who participated in battles against the Portuguese and Spanish in Ceuta and Tangier and who was also invited by the Nasrids of Granada to fight against Castile on the Iberian Peninsula. By the 17th century, however, they had evidently become the main leaders of the Tafilalt.
Their status as shurafa (descendants of Muhammad) was part of the reason for their success, as in this era many communities in Morocco increasingly saw sharifian status as the best claim to political legitimacy. The Saadian dynasty, which ruled Morocco in the 16th century and early 17th century prior to the rise of the 'Alawis, was also a sharifian dynasty and played an important role in establishing this model of political-religious legitimacy.
Political history
Rise to power
The family's rise to power took place in the context of early-to-mid-17th century Morocco, when the power of the Saadian sultans of Marrakesh was in serious decline and multiple regional factions fought for control of the country. Among the most powerful of these factions were the Dala'iyya (also spelled Dila'iyya or Dilaites), a federation of Amazigh (Berbers) in the Middle Atlas who increasingly dominated central Morocco at this time, reaching the peak of their power in the 1640s. Another, was 'Ali Abu Hassun al-Semlali (or Abu Hassun), who had become leader of the Sous valley since 1614. When Abu Hassun extended his control to the Tafilalt region in 1631, the Dala'iyya in turn sent forces to enforce their own influence in the area. The local inhabitants chose as their leader the 'Alawi family head, Muhammad al-Sharif – known as Mawlay Ali al-Sharif, Mawlay al-Sharif, or Muhammad I – recognizing him as Sultan. Mawlay al-Sharif led an attack against Abu Hassun's garrison at Tabu'samt in 1635 or 1636 (1045 AH) but failed to expel them. Abu Hassun forced him to go into exile to the Sous valley, but also treated him well; among other things, Abu Hassun gifted him a slave concubine who later gave birth to one of his sons, Mawlay Isma'il.
While their father remained in exile, al-Sharif's sons took up the struggle. His son Sidi Mohammed (or Muhammad II), became the leader after 1635 and successfully led another rebellion which expelled Abu Hassun's forces in 1640 or 1641 (1050 AH). With this success, he was proclaimed sultan in place of his father who relinquished the throne to him. The Dala'iyya invaded the region again in 1646 and following their victory at Al Qa'a forced him to acknowledge their control over all the territory west and south of Sijilmasa. Unable to oppose them, Sidi Mohammed instead decided to attempt expansion in other directions.
Mawlay Sharif died in 1659, and Sidi Mohammed was once again proclaimed sovereign. This provoked a succession clash between Sidi Mohammed and one of his younger half-brothers, Al-Rashid. Details of this conflict are lengthy, but ultimately Al-Rashid appears to have fled Sijilmasa in fear of his brother. He eventually managed to secure an alliance with the Banu Ma'qil Arab tribes who had previously supported his brother and also with the Ait Yaznasin (Beni Snassen), a Zenata Amazigh tribe. These groups recognized him as sultan in 1664, while around the same time Sidi Mohammed made a new base for himself as far west as Azrou. The power of the Dala'iyya was in decline, and both brothers sought to take advantage of this, but both stood in each other's way. When Sidi Mohammed attacked Angad to force his rebellious brother's submission on August 2, 1664, he was instead unexpectedly killed and his armies defeated.
Al-Rashid was left in control of the 'Alawi forces and in less than a decade he managed to extend 'Alawi control over almost all of Morocco, reuniting the country under a new sharifian dynasty. After much campaigning in northern Morocco, Al-Rashid secured the surrender of Fez in June 1666. He made it his capital. He defeated the remnants of the Dala'iyya and destroyed their capital in the Middle Atlas in June 1668. In July, he captured Marrakesh. His forces took the Sous valley and the Anti-Atlas in the south, forced Salé and its pirate republic to acknowledge his authority, while in the north he controlled most territory except for the European coastal enclaves. Al-Rashid had thus succeeded in reuniting the country under one rule. He subsequently died young in 1672.
Rule of the Alawi sultans
Main article: Alawi SultanateThe reign of Mawlay Isma'il
Upon Al-Rashid's death, his younger half-brother Mawlay Isma'il became sultan. As sultan, Isma'il's 55-year reign was one of longest in Moroccan history. He distinguished himself as a ruler who wished to establish a unified Moroccan state as the absolute authority in the land, independent of any particular group within Morocco – in contrast to previous dynasties which relied on certain tribes or regions as the base of their power. He succeeded in part by creating a new army composed of Black slaves (the 'Abid al-Bukhari) from Sub-Saharan Africa (or descendants of previously imported slaves), many of them Muslims, whose loyalty was to him alone. Mawlay Isma'il himself was half Black, his mother having been a Black slave concubine of Mawlay Sharif. This standing army also made effective use of modern artillery.
He continuously led military campaigns against rebels, rivals, and European positions along the Moroccan coast. In practice, he still had to rely on various groups to control outlying areas, but he nonetheless succeeded in retaking many coastal cities occupied by England and Spain and managed to enforce direct order and heavy taxation throughout his territories. He put a definitive end to Ottoman attempts to gain influence in Morocco and established Morocco on more equal diplomatic footing with European powers in part by forcing them to ransom Christian captives at his court. These Christians were mostly captured by Moroccan pirate fleets which he heavily sponsored as a means of both revenue and warfare. While in captivity, prisoners were often forced into labour on his construction projects. All of these activities and policies gave him a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty among European writers and a mixed reputation among Moroccan historians as well, though he is credited with unifying Morocco under strong (but brutal) leadership. He also moved the capital from Fez to Meknes, where he built a vast imperial kasbah, a fortified palace-city whose construction continued throughout his reign.
After Mawlay Isma'il
After Mawlay Isma'il's death, Morocco was plunged into one of its greatest periods of turmoil between 1727 and 1757, with Isma'il's sons fighting for control of the sultanate and never holding onto power for long. Isma'il had left hundreds of sons who were theoretically eligible for the throne. Conflict between his sons was compounded by rebellions against the heavily taxing and autocratic government which Isma'il had previously imposed. Furthermore, the 'Abid of Isma'il's reign came to wield enormous power and were able to install or depose sultans according to their interests throughout this period, though they also had to compete with the guich tribes and some of the Amazigh (Berber) tribes.
Order and control was firmly re-established only under Abdallah's son, Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdallah (Mohammed III), who became Sultan in 1757 after a decade as viceroy in Marrakesh. Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdallah maintained the peace in part through a relatively more decentralized regime and lighter taxes, relying instead on greater trade with Europe to make up the revenues. In line with this policy, in 1764 he founded Essaouira, a new port city through which he funnelled European trade with Marrakesh. The last Portuguese outpost on the Moroccan coast, Mazagan (al-Jadida today), was taken by Morocco in 1729, leaving only the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla as the remaining European outposts in North West Africa. Muhammad also signed a Treaty of Friendship with the United States in 1787 after becoming the first head of state to recognize the new country. He was interested in scholarly pursuits and also cultivated a productive relationship with the ulama, or Muslim religious scholars, who supported some of his initiatives and reforms.
Sidi Mohammed's opening of Morocco to international trade was not welcomed by some, however. After his death in 1790, his son and successor Mawlay Yazid ruled with more xenophobia and violence, punished Jewish communities, and launched an ill-fated attack against the Spanish city of Ceuta in 1792, in which he was mortally wounded. After his death, he was succeeded by his brother Suleyman (or Mawlay Slimane), though the latter had to defeat two more brothers who contested the throne: Maslama in the north and Hisham in Marrakesh to the south. Suleyman brought trade with Europe nearly to a halt. Although less violent and bigoted than Yazid, was still portrayed by European sources as xenophobic. After 1811, Suleyman also pushed a fundamentalist Wahhabist ideology at home and attempted to suppress local Sufi orders and brotherhoods, in spite of their popularity and despite his own membership in the Tijaniyya order.
European encroachment
Suleyman's successor, Abd al-Rahman (or Abderrahmane; ruled 1822–1859), tried to reinforce national unity by recruiting local elites of the country and orchestrating military campaigns designed to bolster his image as a defender of Islam against encroaching European powers. The French conquest of Algeria in 1830, however, destabilized the region and put the sultan in a very difficult position. Wide popular support for the Algerians against the French led Morocco to allow the flow of aid and arms to the resistance movement led by Emir Abd al-Qadir, while the Moroccan ulama delivered a fatwa for a supporting jihad in 1837. On the other hand, Abd al-Rahman was reluctant to provide the French with a clear reason to attack Morocco if he ever intervened. He managed to maintain the appearance of neutrality until 1844, when he was compelled to provide refuge to Abd al-Qadir in Morocco. The French, led by the marshall Bugeaud, pursued him and thoroughly routed the Moroccan army at the Battle of Isly, near Oujda, on August 14. At the same time, the French navy bombarded Tangiers on August 6 and bombarded Essaouira on August 16. In the aftermath, Morocco signed the Convention of Lalla Maghnia on March 18, 1845. The treaty made the superior power of France clear and forced the sultan to recognize French authority over Algeria. Abd al-Qadir turned rebel against the sultan and took refuge in the Rif region until his surrender to the French in 1848.
The next confrontation, the Hispano-Moroccan War, took place from 1859 to 1860, and the subsequent Treaty of Wad Ras led the Moroccan government to take a massive British loan larger than its national reserves to pay off its war debt to Spain.
In the latter part of the 19th century Morocco's instability resulted in European countries intervening to protect investments and to demand economic concessions. Sultan Hassan I called for the Madrid Conference of 1880 in response to France and Spain's abuse of the protégé system, but the result was an increased European presence in Morocco—in the form of advisors, doctors, businessmen, adventurers, and even missionaries.
After Sultan Abdelaziz appointed his brother Abdelhafid as viceroy of Marrakesh, the latter sought to have him overthrown by fomenting distrust over Abdelaziz's European ties. Abdelhafid was aided by Madani el-Glaoui, older brother of T'hami, one of the Caids of the Atlas. He was assisted in the training of his troops by Andrew Belton, a British officer and veteran of the Second Boer War. For a brief period, Abdelaziz reigned from Rabat while Abdelhafid reigned in Marrakesh and Fez and a conflict known as the Hafidiya (1907–1908) ensued. In 1908 Abdelaziz was defeated in battle. In 1909, Abdelhafid became the recognized leader of Morocco.
In 1911, rebellion broke out against the sultan. This led to the Agadir Crisis, also known as the Second Moroccan Crisis. These events led Abdelhafid to abdicate after signing the Treaty of Fes on 30 March 1912, which made Morocco a French protectorate. He signed his abdication only when on the quay in Rabat, with the ship that would take him to France already waiting. When news of the treaty finally leaked to the Moroccan populace, it was met with immediate and violent backlash in the Intifada of Fez. His brother Youssef was proclaimed Sultan by the French administration several months later (13 August 1912). At the same time a large part of northern Morocco was placed under Spanish control.
Colonial rule, Mohammed V, and independence
Main articles: French protectorate in Morocco and Spanish protectorate in MoroccoUnder colonial rule the institution of the sultan was formally preserved as part of a French policy of indirect rule, or at least the appearance of indirect rule. Under the French Protectorate, the 'Alawi sultans still had some prerogatives such as the power to sign or veto dahirs (decrees). In the Spanish zone, a Khalifa ("deputy") was appointed who acted as a representative of the sultan. In practice, however, the sultan was a puppet of the new regime and many parts of the population saw the dynasty as collaborators with the French. The French colonial administration was headed by the French resident-general, the first of whom was Hubert Lyautey, who enacted many of the policies that set the tone for France's colonial regime in Morocco.
Mawlay Youssef died unexpectedly in 1927 and his youngest son, Muhammad (Mohammed ben Youssef or Mohammed V), was acclaimed as the new sultan, at the age of 18. By the guidance of the French regime, he had spent most of his life growing up in relative isolation inside the royal palace in Meknes and Rabat. These restrictions on his interactions with the outside world continued in large part even after he ascended to the throne. However, over the course of his reign he became increasingly associated with the Moroccan nationalist movement, eventually becoming a strong symbol in the cause for independence. The nationalists, for their part, and in contrast with other anti-colonial movements like the Salafis, saw the sultan as a potentially useful tool in the struggle against French rule.
Some of Mohammed V's initial interactions with nationalists came during the crisis caused by the so-called "Berber Dahir". Among other things at this time, the sultan received a delegation from Fez which presented a list of grievances about the new French policy, and had discussions with Allal al-Fassi where he apparently expressed that he had been misled by the French residency when signing it and vowed to cede no further rights of his country. The sultan refrained from openly associating with the nationalist movement in the 1930s, but nonetheless resisted French attempts to shift the terms of the Protectorate during the interwar years. He reaffirmed Morocco's loyalty to France in 1939, at the beginning of the World War II. After the fall of France to the Germans and the advent of the Vichy regime, however, the sultan increasingly charted his own course, successfully pushing some reform initiatives related to education, even as the Vichy regime encouraged him to make several well-publicized trips abroad to bolster his legitimacy and that of the colonial system. In 1942 the Allies landed on the Moroccan Atlantic coast as part of their invasion of North Africa against Axis occupation. This momentous change also allowed the sultan more political manoeuvring room, and during the Anfa Conference in 1943, which Allied leaders attended, Mohammed V was left alone at one time with President Roosevelt, who expressed support for Moroccan independence after the war. The encounter was the sultan's first face-to-face interaction with another head of state without the mediating presence of the French officials. In the fall of the same year, the sultan encouraged the formation of the official Istiqlal ("Independence") Party and the drafting of the Manifesto of Independence that called for a constitutional monarchy with democratic institutions.
These moves were strongly opposed by the French, but the sultan continued to steadily defy them. Another watershed event was the Tangier Speech of 1947, delivered in the Mendoubia Gardens of Tangier during the first visit of a Moroccan sultan to the city since Mawlay Hassan I in 1889. The speech made a number of significant points including support for Arab nationalism, a generally anti-colonial ideology, and an expression of gratitude for American support of Moroccan aspirations while omitting the usual statements of support for the French Protectorate. In the following years the tensions increased, with French officials slowly acknowledging the need for Moroccan independence but stressing for slower reforms rather than rapid sovereignty. The French enlisted many powerful collaborators such Thami el-Glaoui to organize a campaign of public opposition to the sultan and demands for his abdication – also known as the "Qa'id Affair" – in the spring of 1953. The political confrontation came to a head in August of that year. On August 13 the royal palace in Rabat was surrounded and closed off by Protectorate military forces and police, and on August 16 Thami and allied Moroccan leaders formally declared Mohammed Ben 'Arafa, a little-known member of the 'Alawi family, as sultan. On August 20 the French resident-general, Auguste Guillaume, presented demands to the sultan for his abdication and his agreement to go into exile. The sultan refused to abdicate, and that afternoon he and his sons were escorted at gunpoint from the palace and onto a plane. He and his family were eventually exiled to Madagascar.
The exile of the sultan did not alleviate French difficulties in Morocco, and an insurgency broke out which targeted both the regime and its collaborators with boycott campaigns as well as acts of violence. Several assassination attempts were made against the new puppet sultan, Mohammed Ben 'Arafa, and one of the boycott campaigns was aimed at the country's mosques due to prayers being said in the new sultan's name. Eventually, with the decolonialization process under way in Tunisia and the independence war in Algeria, the French agreed to negotiate Morocco's independence at a conference on August 23, 1955. By October 1 Mohammed Ben 'Arafa had abdicated and later that month even Thami el-Glaoui supported Mohammed V's return. The sultan landed at Rabat-Salé Airport at 11:42 am on November 16, greeted by cheering crowds. The French-Moroccan Declaration of Independence was formally signed on March 2, 1956, and Tangier was reintegrated to Morocco later that year. In 1957 Mohammed V adopted the official title of "King", which has since been used by his successors, Hassan II and Mohammed VI.
From 1957 to present day
Further information: History of Morocco § Independent Morocco (since 1956)At independence, the Moroccan makhzen (royal government) remained underdeveloped and urgent reforms were needed to resolve problems arising from decades of colonial rule. Political friction existed between the nationalist Istiqlal Party, which pushed for more democratic institutions, and the king, Mohammed V, who now hesitated on endorsing radical political changes. By the end of the decade in 1960, the Istiqlal Party was weakened by splinter factions and the growing number of political parties were unable to act together as an effective counterbalance to the king. A formal constitution also remained lacking. As a result, the monarch emerged as the main pillar of political stability in the state and there was a revival of absolutism under royal rule. Mohammed V died in 1961 and was succeeded by his son, Hassan II.
Hassan was soon compelled to promulgate a constitution, which was approved by popular referendum in 1962. The constitution had been written by officials appointed by the king and in practice it cemented the monarchy's rule by granting it far-reaching executive powers. Hassan II worked to improve relations with France and position Morocco as an ally of the West, but relations with neighboring Algeria deteriorated over border issues and resulted in the Sand War in 1963. Tensions also rose internally during the 1960s and 1970s, with leftist opposition mounting against the conservative monarchy. This in turn was met with increased political repression and Hassan II largely relied on the army and police as instruments of power. The period from roughly 1975 to 1990 is known as the "Years of Lead", as state violence was regularly deployed against dissenters and political opponents were jailed or disappeared. Two attempted coups d'état against the king failed in 1971 and 1972.
Upon the withdrawal of the Spanish from Spanish Sahara in 1975 and the declaration of independence of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Hassan II used the opportunity to publicly galvanize nationalist sentiment by pressing Morocco's irredentist claims to the territory, over the objections of the local Sahrawi people and of the Algerian and Mauritanian governments. He organized the Green March, which saw around 350,000 Moroccans crossing the southern border to settle inside the territory, triggering a war with the Polisario, the armed front of the Sahrawi people. A ceasefire was negotiated in 1989, but the conflict remains unresolved today, with most of the territory under de facto Moroccan control while the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic controls the easternmost zones. During the 1990s Hassan II changed course in domestic politics and publicly promoted an agenda of reform. A new constitutional reform, approved by referendum, was enacted in 1993. Another amendment to the constitution was passed in 1996 to create a bi-cameral legislature, with the lower house elected directly by voters and an upper house chosen indirectly by regional assemblies and professional organizations.
Hassan II died in 1999 and was succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI, the current reigning king. The new monarch's reign began with promises of further liberalization and reform; however, the extent of political reforms has been limited and popular engagement with electoral politics has been inconsistent. Another constitutional reform was passed by a referendum in 2011 in response to protests inside the country, in the wider context of the Arab Spring. Today, the 'Alawis remain the only monarchy in North Africa. They officially rule in a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, but authoritarian and absolutist characteristics are still noted by scholars and observers, with effective power largely remaining in the hands of the king, a situation that has been compared to the pattern of Hashemite monarchy in Jordan.
List of 'Alawi rulers
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Sultans of the Tafilalt and early expansion:
- Sharif ibn Ali (1631–1635)
- Muhammad ibn Sharif (1635–1664)
- Al-Rashid (1664–1668)
After capture of Marrakesh in 1668, Sultans of Morocco:
- Al-Rashid (1668–1672)
- Mawlay Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727)
- Abu'l Abbas Ahmad II (1727–1728) (first time)
- Abdalmalik (1728)
- Abu'l Abbas Ahmad II (1728–1729) (second time)
- Abdallah (1729–1734) (first time)
- Ali (1734–1736)
- Abdallah (1736) (second time)
- Mohammed II (1736–1738)
- Al-Mustadi (1738–1740) (first time)
- Abdallah (1740–1741) (third time)
- Zin al-Abidin (1741)
- Abdallah (1741–1742) (fourth time)
- Al-Mustadi (1742–1743) (second time)
- Abdallah (1743–1747) (fifth time)
- Al-Mustadi (1747–1748) (third time)
- Abdallah (1748–1757) (sixth time)
- Mohammed III (1757–1790)
- Yazid (1790–1792)
- Mulay Suleiman (1792–1822)
- Abd al-Rahman (1822–1859)
- Mohammed IV (1859–1873)
- Hassan I (1873–1894)
- Abdelaziz (1894–1908)
- Abd al-Hafid (1908–1912)
Under the French protectorate (1912–1956):
- Yusef (1912–1927)
- King Mohammed V (1927–1961), changed title of ruler from Sultan to King in 1957. Deposed and exiled to Corsica and Madagascar (1953–1955).
- Mohammed Ben Aarafa, installed by France (1953–1955)
From Independence (1955 onwards):
- King Mohammed V (1955–1961)
- King Hassan II (1961–1999)
- King Mohammed VI (1999–present)
Timeline
Family tree
Moulay Sharif | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mohammed I | Ismail | Rachid | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ahmad | Abdul Malek | Abdallah II | Mohammed II | Ali | Al-Mustadi' | Zin al-Abidin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mohammed III | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Yazid | Hisham | Sulayman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abd al-Rahman ibn Hicham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mohammed IV | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hassan I | Aarafa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abd al-Aziz | Abd al-Hafid | Youssef | Tahar | Mohammed Ben Aarafa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mohammed V 3° spouse Lalla Bahia | 2° spouse Lalla Abla bint Tahar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lalla Fatima Zohra | Lalla Amina | Hassan II 2° spouse Lalla Latifa Hammou | Lalla Malika | Lalla Nuzha | Lalla Aicha | Abdellah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lalla Meryem | Lalla Asma | Mohammed VI spouse Lalla Salma | Lalla Hasna | Rachid | Hicham | Ismail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Crown Prince Hassan | Lalla Khadija | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- Conflicts between the Regency of Algiers and Morocco
- History of Morocco
- Order of Ouissam Alaouite
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
- Hashemites, Jordan's ruling family that also claims descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad
- Succession to the Moroccan throne
- List of rulers of Morocco
References
- ^ Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (2004). "The 'Alawid or Filali Sharifs". The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748621378.
- ^ Wilfrid, J. Rollman (2009). "ʿAlawid Dynasty". In Esposito, John L. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195305135.
- ^ Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521337674.
- "العلويون/الفيلاليون في المغرب". www.hukam.net. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- ^ Messier, Ronald A.; Miller, James A. (2015). The Last Civilized Place: Sijilmasa and Its Saharan Destiny. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-76667-9.
- ^ Morrow, John Andrew (2020). Shi'ism in the Maghrib and al-Andalus, Volume One: History. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-5275-6284-4.
- "ينـبع النـخـل .. لا نـبع ولا نـخل - أخبار السعودية | صحيفة عكاظ". 2019-11-04. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- Jones, Barry (2017). Dictionary of World Biography: Fourth edition. ANU Press. p. 591. ISBN 978-1-76046-126-3.
- ^ "Morocco | History, Map, Flag, Capital, People, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
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- ^ Daadaoui, M. (2011). Moroccan Monarchy and the Islamist Challenge: Maintaining Makhzen Power. Springer. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-230-12006-8.
The dominance of the monarchy in the sociopolitical arena is further institutionalized in the Moroccan constitution, which effectively diffuses makhzenite authority into three separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. While this separation of powers is informed by western style government, it does effectively place all powers under the iron grip of the monarch. Article 1 of the constitution promulgating a constitutional monarchy in Morocco is misleading, insofar as the king is not a figurehead acting as a symbol of unity for Moroccans. In fact the constitution, amended five times since the independence, has largely served to the traditional prerogatives of the monarchy.
- ^ Gilson Miller, Susan (2013). A History of Modern Morocco. Cambridge University Press. pp. 235–236. ISBN 9781139619110.
The most important innovations, however, were the limitations on the king's ability to intervene in day-to-day politics. While the king's role as "supreme arbiter" of political life remained unquestioned, the new constitution enhanced the legislative powers of the parliament and increased the independence of the judiciary, moving at least in spirit toward a separation of powers. What it did not do was to unequivocally limit the king's preponderant influence over public affairs, or move Morocco closer to becoming a parliamentary monarchy; in other words, it stopped short of remaking Muhammad VI into "a king who reigns but does not rule."
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Recent reforms, including constitutional reform and the appointment of the PJD government in 2011, have only perpetuated the lack of meaningful political participation and supported authoritarianism. Ironically, reforms have multiplied the resources available to Morocco's monarchical institution to control the political sphere, creating the image of the Janus yet also an impasse.
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Moulay Rachid who really founded the dynasty in 1664, was born in Tafilalet of a family that had come from Arabia
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Further reading
- Waterbury, John. Commander of the Faithful
External links
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