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Modern Morocco
From 1517, the Saadians, originating from the Hijaz and established in the Sahara
since long, conquered Southern Morocco and took Marrakech as their capital. Then
they freed coastal towns formerly occupied by the Portuguese except Tangier, Mazagan
and Sebta; next they took Fez in 1549 and stopped the Turks from advancing towards
Western Morocco.
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They failed to recover Tlemcen from the Turks, but nevertheless Abd Al Malik led
his armies to inflict a crushing defeat on Portugal king Don Sebastien and on
former Saadian king Mohamed in the Battle of the Three Kings or the Oued Al Makhazine
Battle in 1578. Morocco under its present borders (see map) became therefore prevented
from foreign attacks wherever they came from the north (Spaniards and Portuguese)
or the east (Turks). Abd Al Malik's brother and heir, Al Mansour Ad-Dhahbi, conquered
Sudan and monopolized its gold and its salt mines and made this way Morocco very
prestigious.
Tombeaux saadiens à Marrakech |
However, during the 17th c, the Saadian government weakened increasingly
through lack of resources and the Dynasty kept only its capital, Fez. From 1635,
the Alaouites that are cousins of the Saadians conquered and finally reunified
present Morocco in 1671. Sultan Ismaïl (1672-1727) established its capital in
Meknes and formed powerful and organized armies with Sudanese slaves and their
descendants.
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Afterwards, Mohamed III (1757-1790) modernized the country (government,
administration, decentralization, diplomacy, foreign affairs, foreign trade) and
recognized first the nascent United States of America.
Though he freed Mazagan, he failed to recover Mellilia from the Spaniards as his
heir failed with Sebta and the Portuguese. During the 19th c, Morocco sustained
much outside pressure, especially that exerted by France after occupying Algeria;
sultan Abderrahman then strongly supported emir Abdelkader in its resistance movement.
Taking refuge frequently in Morocco from 1843, the emir provoked French military
interventions; what made the sultan sign, in 1845, the Lalla Maghnia convention
that stated imprecise boundaries indeed between Algeria and Morocco.
In the second half of the century, France and then the United Kingdom and Spain
exerted military and economic influence that allowed them to interfere in the
Dynasty's trade and next in its politics, notably because of the Madrid conference
in 1880.
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