Jump to content

Abd al-Rahman of Morocco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AvaBrandon2000 (talk | contribs) at 09:41, 14 November 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Not to be confused with Abd al-Rahman I.
'Abd al-Rahman bin Hisham
عبد الرحمن بن هشام
Amir al-Mu'minin
The Sultan of Morocco
Mawlay 'Abd al-Rahman in 1845
Sultan of Morocco
Reign1822–1859
PredecessorMawlay Sulayman
SuccessorMawlay Muhammad IV
Born(1778-02-19)February 19, 1778
Fes, Morocco
Died (aged 81)
Meknes, Morocco
Burial
Mausoleum of Mawlay Ismail, Meknes, Morocco
Spouseamong others:[1]
Lalla Mubaraka el-Chawiya[2]
Lalla Halima bint Sulayman[3]
Lalla Fatima Zahra bint Sulayman[4]
Lalla Safiya al-Alja[5]
Issue54 children, including:
Mawlay Muhammad IV
Dynasty'Alawi
Father Mawlay Hisham bin Muhammad
ReligionMaliki Sunni Islam

Mawlay Abd al-Rahman bin Hisham (Template:Lang-ar), born on 19 February 1778 in Fes and died on 28 August 1859 in Meknes, was a sultan of Morocco from 30 November 1822 to 28 August 1859, as a ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty.[6][7] He was a son of Mawlay Hisham. He was proclaimed sultan in Fes after the death of Mawlay Sulayman.

During his long reign he proved himself competent in an age where Africa was being colonized by stronger European nations, such as neighbouring Ottoman Algeria which was invaded by France. 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. He also signed the necessary treaties to enforce his beliefs, and fought numerous conflicts with European nations, especially France.[6]

Biography

Abd al-Rahman bin Hisham was born in Fes on 19 February 1778.[8] Following the death of his uncle Sulayman, Abd al-Rahman was proclaimed sultan of Morocco in Fes on 30 November 1822. 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, and spent much of the early part of his reign crushing revolts.

Abd al-Rahman was tall and tanned, he was firm in his stance despite his advanced age, and wore simple clothes. Every day, he rode a horse to his garden in Agdal, situated near the gates of Fes.[9]

The will of Mawlay Sulayman to entrust the throne to Abd al-Rahman:

I do not think that the children of Mawlana, the grandfather Abdallah, nor the children of Mawlay, my father, may God have mercy on him, nor the children of his children, are better than my master Abd al-Rahman ibn Hisham, and I am not better for this matter than him, because - God willing – may God protect him, he does not drink alcohol, does not commit adultery, does not lie, and does not betray. He does not take blood and money unnecessarily. And if the king of the two Easts reigns... and he fasts the obligatory and the supererogatory, and he prays the obligatory and the supererogatory. But I brought him from Essaouira for people to see and know him. And I took it out of Tafilalet to show it to them, because religion is advice. If the people of truth follow him, their affairs will be made right, as did Mawlay Muhammad, his grandfather, and his father is alive. They never need me, and the people of Morocco will envy him and follow him, God willing. And whoever followed him followed guidance and light. And whoever follows others, he follows sedition and misguidance.

— Moulay Sulayman, [10]

Reign

Early reign

Upon ascension, the sultan's finances were in shambles. With the country in disarray, the central government (the Makhzen) was unable to collect much customary taxation. Abd al-Rahman turned to foreign trade, which had been cut off by the prior sultan, as way to reap in customs revenue, and began to negotiate a series of trade treaties with various European powers.

Sultan Mawlay Abd al-Rahman of Morocco and his courtiers

Abd al-Rahman also decided to revive the institution of Barbary piracy, hoping to replenish his treasury, but this created confrontations with the European powers as British blockaded Tangier in 1828, and the Austrians bombarded Larache, Asilah and Tetouan[6] in 1829. The final bombardment of a Moroccan city in retribution for piracy occurred in 1851 at Salé.[6]

He was an adept leader and administrator and was able to build public works and infrastructure. He did however have to deal with internal conflicts and had to quell revolts many times: 1824–1825, 1828, 1831–1832, 1843, 1849, 1852, 1853, and 1857–1858.[11] He was always successful at placating the nobles and malcontents though.[6]

Conflict with the French

Invasion of Algiers (1830)

Main article: Invasion of Algiers in 1830

The most serious foreign threat to Morocco, however, was France, which had launched its invasion of neighboring Ottoman Algeria in 1830. The French landing at Sidi Feruj near Algiers and subsequent French victory in the battle of Staouéli caused panic in Morocco, while Moroccans expressed solidarity with the Algerians.[12] In the summer of 1830, Abd al-Rahman accepted boatloads of Algerian refugees arriving in the ports of Tangier and Tetuan, ordering his governors to find them housing and settle them into work.[13]

Tlemcen (1875)

Occupation of Tlemcen (1830–1831)

After consulting the ulama of Fes, Abd al-Rahman sent Moroccan troops to defend Tlemcen in 1830, consisting of 5,000 cavalry and two pieces of artillery from Fes, under the son of the sultan, Ali. The troops established their headquarters at Tlemcen, in the province of Oran. The Moroccan troops were warmly welcomed, even in the provinces of Tittery and Constantine, however upon discovering that Turkish and Kouloughli remnants were still fighting among themselves, angered by the stalemate, undisciplined Moroccan soldiers rampaged through the streets of Tlemcen in March 1831, leading to the sultan ordering them to withdraw from the city.[14] Another embassy was sent to Fes, Abd al-Rahman complied with their request and sent an agent to Mascara, the agent was eventually withdrawn. Tlemcen was captured by the French in 1836 after the Battle of Mascara in 1835.[15][16]

Support for Emir Abd al-Qadir (1832–1844)

Main article: Emirate of Abdelkader

Abd al-Rahman supported the continued guerrilla resistance in Algeria led by Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri who was in theory, a vassal of the Moroccan sultan,[17] albeit only tentatively, not wishing to incur French retaliation. But the border tribes of Morocco continued supporting Abd al-Qadir more actively, prompting the French launch their own strikes over the border and establishing forward outposts in Moroccan territory, which only inflamed the reaction in Morocco and increased the irregular border war. The Moroccan army attacked a French military group which France considered a declaration of war.[18] After learning that the Sultan had sent huge forces to the eastern front, Peugeot gave Morocco a deadline of eight days to withdraw its armies from the east, but the Sultan was not convinced.[6][18]

Battle of Isly (1844)

Franco-Moroccan War (1844)

Main articles: Franco-Moroccan War and Battle of Isly

The French then demanded that Morocco cease its support of Abd al-Qadir and cede its eastern frontier lands to French control and, in 1844, launched the First Franco-Moroccan War.[6][19] The war did not go well for the sultan. The French navy bombarded Mogador (Essaouira) and Tangier, while the Moroccan army, under Abd al-Rahman's son Mawlay Muhammad, was defeated by the French at the Battle of Isly in August 1844. Abd al-Rahman consented to the Treaty of Tangier in October 1844, withdrawing support for al-Qadir, and reducing border garrisons.[6]

The treaties aggravated the internal situation in Morocco. Abd al-Rahman in fact rejected the Treaty of Lalla Maghnia at first, blaming it on his negotiators, but was eventually forced to ratify it. Army units and rural tribes across the north and east, already basically ungovernable, started raising rebellions which were only crushed with difficulty. The aftermath saw the break between Abd al-Rahman and Abd al-Qadir.

Bombardment of Salé (1851)

Main article: Bombardment of Salé
Bombardment of Salé (1851)

On 25 November 1851, French ships anchored off Rabat and Salé. Moroccan soldiers in those cities prepared to repel the French attack and armed themselves with artillery. At 10:00 a.m, the French fleet opened fire on the forts of Salé, while the Moroccans retaliated instantly with forty batteries of artillery weapons.[20] An hour later, the batteries in Salé were destroyed, while the artillery in Rabat were damaged to the point where they became almost useless, however Moroccan reinforcements arrived.[21] The damaged batteries were removed from the cities by Moroccan forces who continued to resist.[22] By the end of the bombardment, the Moroccans had 18 to 22 men killed and 47 of them wounded, with many fortifications damaged. On the other hand, the French had losses of 4 killed and 18 wounded, as well as two of their battleships damaged. Both sides claimed victory, as the bombardment ended in a French military victory but also in a Moroccan political victory.[23]

Sultan Mawlay Abd al-Rahman with the 'Abid al-Bukhari.

Wadaya revolt (1831–1834)

As a result of the sultan's withdrawal from Tlemcen in March 1831, the Wadaya rebelled in the countryside of Morocco and recognised a relative of the sultan, Mohammed bin al-Tayyib, as sultan. The revolt began in the north and spread throughout Morocco, including the capital Fes, the sultan decided to leave Fes for Meknes which was safer and was protected by the 'Abid al-Bukhari infantry, but on the way to Meknes he was stopped by rebel troops who sent him back to Fes. After the sultan learned about the unpopularity of the chief minister, he dismissed him, took away his wealth, and gave it to the Wadaya as a generous bribe, but this did not stop the rebellion. A few months later, the sultan managed to escape Fes and settle in Meknes, where he slowly built the army there by recruiting more troops. With this army, he marched on Fes and besieged it for 40 days before the Wadaya surrendered in 1834. The sultan ordered the execution of the two most important leaders of the Wadaya revolt, and dispersed them from Fes to Marrakesh, Larache, and Rabat, ending their rebellion.[24]

Anglo-Moroccan Treaty (1856)

Main article: Anglo-Moroccan Treaty of 1856

In 1856, Britain persuaded the sultan to sign a treaty in Tangier on 9 December 1856, after long negotiations between John Hay Drummond Hay, a representative of Queen Victoria, and Muhammad al-Khatib, a representative of the sultan Abd al-Rahman. Moroccan trade was freed from almost all its monopolies, custom duties were reduced to ten percent of value, Morocco's door was opened to a larger volume of overseas trade, and British subjects could own property in Morocco.[25][26]

Royal ceremony taking place in front of Bab Mansour in 1920, with Mawlay Abd al-Rahman's 19th-century loggia visible in the back.

Construction

Main article: Moroccan architecture

In 1856, Mawlay Abd al-Rahman established the souk of Zraqten on the north side of the High Atlas, adding to territory in southern Morocco controlled by the Glaouis, who were Caids ruling various southern areas from the 18th century until Moroccan independence in 1956, after originally settling in Telouet to establish a souk. They would tax caravans travelling from the Sahara and Tafilalt regions as well as taxing goods sold locally.

The Agdal Gardens of Marrakesh, an irrigated garden, originally established by the Almoravids in the 12th century and enlarged in the days of the Saadians was revamped, reforested and encircled by ramparts during the reign of Mawlay Abd al-Rahman.

Armed Forces

Main articles: Guich and Black Guard
Mawlay Abd al-Rahman's son and successor, Sidi Muhammad IV (1868).

When Mawlay Abd al-Rahman bin Hicham ascended the throne on 30 November 1822, Morocco was an undefeated power with a modern army made up of four main armed forces:[27]

Death

Main articles: Muhammad IV of Morocco and Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860)

Abd al-Rahman died in Meknes on August 28, 1859, and was buried in the Mausoleum of Mawlay Ismail.[6] He was succeeded by his son Muhammad, who took the title of sultan Muhammad IV.[28] Immediately upon Sidi Muhammad's ascension to throne in August 1859, Spain declared war on Morocco, culminating into the Hispano-Moroccan War in which Spain sent troops to Ceuta in order to capture Tetuan.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "AbdulRahman (Abu Zaid) Al Hassan". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  2. ^ "Mbaraka Echawyia". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  3. ^ "Halima Al Hassan". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  4. ^ "Fatimah Zohra Al Hassan". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  5. ^ "Safia Al Alja". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "'Abd ar-Rasham". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-Ak - Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2010. pp. 17. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
  7. ^ Julien, Charles-André (1994). Histoire de l'afrique du nord: Des origines à 1830 (in French). France: Payot. ISBN 9782228887892.
  8. ^ FP89796.
  9. ^ Arlach, H. de T. d' Auteur du texte (1856). Le Maroc en 1856 (in French). Paris: Ledoyen. pp. 59–60.
  10. ^ "المولى سليمان أراد التخلي عن عرش المغرب". 2016-11-16. Archived from the original on 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  11. ^ Historical Dictionary of Morocco
  12. ^ Miller 2013, p. 12.
  13. ^ Miller 2013, p. 13.
  14. ^ Miller 2013, p. 14.
  15. ^ Churchill, Charles Henry (1867). The Life of Abdel Kader, Ex-sultan of the Arabs of Algeria: Written from His Own Dictation, and Comp. from Other Authentic Sources. Chapman and Hall. pp. 20–21.
  16. ^ The Cambridge History of Africa: From c. 1790 to c. 1870. Cambridge University Press. 1975. p. 109.
  17. ^ Miller 2013, p. 15: "'Abd al-Qadir was careful, however, not to appear to challenge 'Abd al-Rahman's own claims of suzerainty, and made it known that he was acting merely as the Moroccan sultan's khalifa, or deputy. Still in theory a vassal of the Moroccan sultan"
  18. ^ a b Sessions, Jennifer E. (2017-03-15). By Sword and Plow: France and the Conquest of Algeria. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-5446-2.
  19. ^ "TelQuel : Le Maroc tel qu'il est". 2014-12-10. Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  20. ^ "L'illustration". L'Illustration. (in French): 369–370. 1843. OCLC 13246743.
  21. ^ Dukkālī, Muḥammad bin 'Alī (1986). al-Itḥāf al-wajīz : tārīkh al-ʻAdwatayn (in Arabic). Salā, al-Maghrib: al-Khizānah al-ʻIlmīyah al-Ṣabīḥīyah. OCLC 427353826.
  22. ^ Dubourdieu, Louis (1851). Expédition du Maroc. Bombardement de Salé et de Rabat (in French). Saint-Louis: Impr. de A. Jacqueline. p. 3. OCLC 759696511.
  23. ^ Brown, Kenneth L. (1976). People of Salé: Tradition and Change in a Moroccan City, 1830-1930. Harvard University Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-674-66155-4.
  24. ^ Miller 2013, p. 15-17.
  25. ^ The Cambridge History of Africa: From c. 1790 to c. 1870. Cambridge University Press. 1975. p. 122.
  26. ^ Miller 2013, p. 23.
  27. ^ "L'armée marocaine à travers l'histoire". fr.le360.ma (in French). 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  28. ^ "FP89796". web.archive.org. 2019-12-16. Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  29. ^ Ceuta y la guerra de Africa de 1859-1860 (in Spanish). Instituto de Estudios Ceutíes. 2011. p. 470. ISBN 978-84-92627-30-1.

Biography

Preceded by Sultan of Morocco
1822–1859 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abd_al-Rahman_of_Morocco&oldid=1121825111"