Sharifian Empire
Morocco, 1510–1912. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Alawi Sultanate, officially known as the Sharifian Sultanate and as the Sultanate of Morocco, was the state ruled by the Alawi dynasty over Morocco, from their rise to power in the 1660s to the 1912 Treaty of Fes. The dynasty originated from the Tafilalt region and rose to power following the collapse of the Saadi Sultanate in the 17th century. The sultanate reached an apogee of political power during the reign of his successor, Moulay Isma'il, who exercised strong central rule. Morocco remained independent under 'Alawi rule until 1912, when it was placed under the control of a French protectorate.
Seat of power: Fez
Rulers
Abu Abd Allah al-Burtuqali Muhammad ibn Muhammad
sultan of Morocco, 1504–1526
He succeeded his father to become the second Wattasid Sultan in 1504. He was the sultan who sent Leo Africanus and his uncle on a mission to Timbuktu.
- Abu Abd Allah al-Burtuqali Muhammad ibn Muhammad (Wikipedia)
- Abu Abd Allah al-Burtuqali Muhammad ibn Muhammad (Wikidata)
Portrait of Abu Abd Allah al-Burtuqali Muhammad ibn Muhammad: 9af9af, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Ahmad al-Araj
sultan of Morocco, 1517–1544
He became ruler of Marrakesh after conquering the city in 1525.
Portrait of Ahmad al-Araj: Cristofano dell'Altissimo, Public domain, file
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Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad
sultan of Morocco, 1526–1545
In 1533, he welcomed French overtures and granted freedom of shipping and protection of French traders. His foreign policy was designed to counter the fast-growing powers of Spain and Portugal who held fortress enclaves on Moroccan soil.
Abdallah al-Ghalib
sultan of Morocco, 1557–1574
He fought the invading Turks in 1558 at the Battle of Wadi al-Laban. During his reign, he resided in Marrakesh.
Portrait of Abdallah al-Ghalib: Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
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Ahmad al-Mansur
sultan of Morocco, 1578–1603
He was the Saadi sultan of Morocco from 1578 to his death in 1603, the sixth and most famous of all the Saadi rulers. His powerful army and strategic location made him an important power player in the late Renaissance period.
Portrait of Ahmad al-Mansur: André Thevet, Public domain, file
Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun
sultan of Morocco, 1603–1627
He ruled parts of present-day Morocco during the succession conflicts within the dynasty between 1603 and 1627.
Mohammed esh-Sheikh es-Seghir
sultan of Morocco, 1636–1655
He was the Saadi sultan from 1636 to 1655. He tried to concentrate the entire Moroccan foreign trade in Safi at the hands of the English.
Portrait of Mohammed esh-Sheikh es-Seghir: Adriaen Matham, CC0, file
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Ismail Ibn Sharif
sultan of Morocco, 1672–1727
He was Sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727, as the second ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. His 55-year reign is the longest of any sultan of Morocco. His reign marked a high watermark for Moroccan power.
Portrait of Ismail Ibn Sharif: Germain Moüette, Public domain, file
Abdallah of Morocco
sultan of Morocco, 1740–1757
He was the Sultan of Morocco six times between 1729 and 1757. He ascended the throne numerous times, fighting his half-brothers.
Portrait of Abdallah of Morocco: Tabyrd6, Public domain, file
Mohammed ben Abdallah
sultan of Morocco, 1757–1790
He was the Sultan of Morocco from 1757 to 1790 as a member of the 'Alawi dynasty. He rebuilt many cities after the earthquake of 1755, including Mogador, Casablanca, and Rabat. He defeated the French in the Larache expedition in 1765 and expelled the Portuguese from Mazagan in 1769.
Slimane of Morocco
sultan of Morocco, 1792–1822
He continued his father's centralization and expansion of the kingdom, and most notably ended the piracy that had long operated from Morocco's coast. As part of Morocco's long running conflict with Spain and Portugal, he halted all trade with Europe.
Portrait of Slimane of Morocco: Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli, Public domain, file
Abd al-Rahman of Morocco
sultan of Morocco, 1822–1859
He was able to preserve Moroccan independence and maintain Moroccan borders without ceding any land, while also supporting Emir Abd al-Qadir's resistance in Algeria against France. His reign began during a tumultuous time, when many noble families and rural tribal confederations in Morocco were trying to extract greater power away from the center.
Portrait of Abd al-Rahman of Morocco: Eugène Delacroix, Public domain, file
Muhammad IV of Morocco
sultan of Morocco, 1859–1873
His reign saw a series of reforms to modern military equipment and organization and also the introduction of new technology, like the steam engine and the expansion of printing. After the defeat against Spain in the 1860 Battle of Tetuan, the resulting Treaty of Wad Ras imposed an indemnity payment twenty times the government's budget.
Portrait of Muhammad IV of Morocco: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Hassan I of Morocco
sultan of Morocco, 1873–1894
He increased the power of the makhzen in Morocco and, at a time when the rest of Africa was falling under foreign control, brought in military and administrative reforms to strengthen his government within its complete territory. His first action was to crush an urban revolt in the capital Fez in 1874, which he had to besiege for a few months.
Portrait of Hassan I of Morocco: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Abdelaziz of Morocco
sultan of Morocco, 1894–1908
After the death of his father Hassan I, he was proclaimed sultan at the age of sixteen. Abdelaziz tried to strengthen the central government by implementing a new tax on agriculture and livestock, a measure which was strongly opposed by sections of the society. This in turn led Abdelaziz to mortgage the customs revenues and to borrow heavily from the French, which was met with widespread revolt and a revolution that deposed him in 1908 in favor of his brother Abd al-Hafid.
Portrait of Abdelaziz of Morocco: Le Petit Journal, Public domain, file
Culture
- Sultan al-Rashid was the first to establish his authority over the entire country.
- The Alawis rose from the settlement of Sijilmassa in the eastern oasis of Tafilalt.
- The Alawi dynasty claims descent from Muhammad via Hasan, the son of Ali.
- Meknes remained the capital and the scene of most of these political changes, but Fez was also a key player.
Picture
Bab Mansour, a monumental gate in Meknes, was begun in the later years of Moulay Isma'il's reign and finished in 1732 by his son Moulay Abdallah.
Image: Robert Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.