Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi
Encyclopedia
Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I , often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, was the Saadi
Sultan of Morocco
from 1576 until his death right after the Battle of Ksar El Kebir against Portugal
in 1578.
, who was assassinated by the Ottomans in 1557 by order of Hasan Pasha
, son of Barbarossa, as he was preparing for an alliance with Spain against the Ottomans.
One of his brothers Abdallah al-Ghalib
(1557–1574) took the power and rose to the throne, but planned to eliminate his other brothers in the process. Abd al-Malik had to escape from Morocco
and stay abroad until 1576, together with his elder brother Abdelmoumen and his younger brother Ahmed.
, benefiting from Ottoman training and contacts with Ottoman culture. Abdelmoumen was named governor of the city of Tlemcen
by the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, Hasan Pasha
, but he would die assassinated in 1571.
Abd al-Malik visited Constantinople on several occasions. He went to the Ottoman capital in July 1571, and then participated together with his brother al-Mansur to the Battle of Lepanto
on the Ottoman side on 7 October 1571. He was captured, and brought to Spain to encounter the Spanish king Philip II
. The Spanish king decided, upon the advice of Andrea Gasparo Corso
, to hold him captive in the Spanish possession of Oran
, in order to use him when the opportunity arose. Abd al-Malik however managed to escape from Oran in 1573 and rejoined the Ottoman Empire.
In January 1574, while in Constantinople
, he was saved from an epidemic by French physician Guillaume Bérard
. They later became friends due to this event. When Abd al-Malik became Sultan, he asked Henry III of France
that Guillaume Bérard be appointed Consul of France in Morocco.
In 1574, Abd al-Malik participated to the Conquest of Tunis (1574) on the side of the Ottomans. Following this success, he again visited Constantinople, and obtained from the new Ottoman ruler Murad III
an agreement to help him militarily to regain the Moroccan throne.
Abd al-Malik took service with the Ottomans and was able to invade Morocco with the help of a Ottoman Empire
force of 10,000 soldiers dispatched from Algiers
in 1576, and achieve the Capture of Fez
.
Abd al-Malek recognized the Ottoman sultan Murad III
as his Caliph
, and reorganized his army on Ottoman lines and adopted Ottoman customs, but negotiated for the Ottoman troops to leave his country, in exchange for a large payment in gold.
In the following period he tried to revive trade with Europe and especially England
, starting an Anglo-Moroccan alliance
with Elizabeth I
. According to Richard Hakluyt
, quoting Edmund Hogan
, ruler "Abdelmelech" bears "a greater affection to our Nation than to others because of our religion, which forbids the worship of Idols". He wrote a letter in Spanish to Elizabeth in 1577.
had been able to flee to Portugal
and to convince King Sebastian
to field a military campaign against Morocco. The campaign turned out to be a complete failure at the Battle of Ksar El Kebir in 1578. During the battle Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik, already very ill, died.
Upon his death, he was succeeded by his brother Ahmad al-Mansur (1578–1603).
Saadi Dynasty
The Saadi dynasty of Morocco , began with the reign of Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh in 1554, when he vanquished the last Wattasids at the Battle of Tadla....
Sultan of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
from 1576 until his death right after the Battle of Ksar El Kebir against Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1578.
Saadi Prince
Abd al-Malik was one of the sons of the Saadi Sultan Mohammed ash-SheikhMohammed ash-Sheikh
Mawlay Mohammed ash-Sheikh ash Sharif al-Hassani al-Drawi at-Tagmadert was the first sultan of the Saadi dynasty ruling over Morocco . "Al-Drawi at-Tagmadert" means: the man from the Draa river valley, from Tagmadert. He was particularly successful in expelling the Portuguese from most of their...
, who was assassinated by the Ottomans in 1557 by order of Hasan Pasha
Hasan Pasha (son of Barbarossa)
Hasan Pasha was the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa and three-times Beylerbey of Algiers, Algeria. His mother was a Morisco. He succeeded his father as ruler of Algiers, and replaced Barbarossa's deputy Hasan Agha who had been effectively holding the position of ruler of Algiers since 1533.-Ruler of...
, son of Barbarossa, as he was preparing for an alliance with Spain against the Ottomans.
One of his brothers Abdallah al-Ghalib
Abdallah al-Ghalib
Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah was the second Saadian sultan of Morocco.He came to power to the throne as the legal heir of Mohammed ash-Sheikh. From his first wife this first Saadian sultan, Mohammed ash-Sheikh had had three sons, but the two oldest had died...
(1557–1574) took the power and rose to the throne, but planned to eliminate his other brothers in the process. Abd al-Malik had to escape from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and stay abroad until 1576, together with his elder brother Abdelmoumen and his younger brother Ahmed.
Exile to the Ottoman Empire (1557-75)
Abd al-Malik spent 17 years among the Ottomans with his brothers, most of the time in AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, benefiting from Ottoman training and contacts with Ottoman culture. Abdelmoumen was named governor of the city of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
by the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, Hasan Pasha
Hasan Pasha (son of Barbarossa)
Hasan Pasha was the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa and three-times Beylerbey of Algiers, Algeria. His mother was a Morisco. He succeeded his father as ruler of Algiers, and replaced Barbarossa's deputy Hasan Agha who had been effectively holding the position of ruler of Algiers since 1533.-Ruler of...
, but he would die assassinated in 1571.
Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto normally refers to the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman fleet. There were also three earlier battles fought in the vicinity of Lepanto:*Battle of Naupactus in 429 BC, an Athenian victory during the Peleoponnesian War...
on the Ottoman side on 7 October 1571. He was captured, and brought to Spain to encounter the Spanish king Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. The Spanish king decided, upon the advice of Andrea Gasparo Corso
Andrea Gasparo Corso
Andrea Gasparo Corso was a Corsican trader and secret agent who worked for the court of the Spanish king Philip II during the 16th century, and was active in the Ottoman Empire Regency of Algiers. He often worked with his brother Francisco Gasparo Corso. They were both known by Cervantes, who...
, to hold him captive in the Spanish possession of Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, in order to use him when the opportunity arose. Abd al-Malik however managed to escape from Oran in 1573 and rejoined the Ottoman Empire.
In January 1574, while in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, he was saved from an epidemic by French physician Guillaume Bérard
Guillaume Bérard
Guillaume Bérard was a French Consul established in Fez, Morocco, in 1577 by Henry III of France. He was the first European to be named Consul in Morocco. His nomination followed the mission of Louis Cabrette, a French captain who had been used as an envoy to France by Sultan Al-Malek in 1576...
. They later became friends due to this event. When Abd al-Malik became Sultan, he asked Henry III of France
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
that Guillaume Bérard be appointed Consul of France in Morocco.
In 1574, Abd al-Malik participated to the Conquest of Tunis (1574) on the side of the Ottomans. Following this success, he again visited Constantinople, and obtained from the new Ottoman ruler Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
an agreement to help him militarily to regain the Moroccan throne.
Reconquest of Morocco with the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
force of 10,000 soldiers dispatched from Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
in 1576, and achieve the Capture of Fez
Capture of Fez
The Capture of Fez occurred in 1576 at the Moroccan city of Fez, when an Ottoman Empire force from Algiers supported Abd al-Malek in gaining the throne of Morocco against his nephew and rival claimant Mulay Muhammed. About 10,000 Ottoman soldiers participated to the campaign...
.
Abd al-Malek recognized the Ottoman sultan Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
as his Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
, and reorganized his army on Ottoman lines and adopted Ottoman customs, but negotiated for the Ottoman troops to leave his country, in exchange for a large payment in gold.
In the following period he tried to revive trade with Europe and especially England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, starting an Anglo-Moroccan alliance
Anglo-Moroccan alliance
The Anglo-Moroccan alliance was established at the end of the 16th century and the early 17th century between the kingdoms of England and Morocco. Commercial agreements had been reached by Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Moroccan leader Ahmad al-Mansur on the basis of a mutual enmity to the...
with Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. According to Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and...
, quoting Edmund Hogan
Edmund Hogan
Edmund Hogan S.J. was a Jesuit scholar.Edmund Ignatius Hogan was born in Cork on 25 January 1831. He joined Society of Jesus and was educated at Jesuit college, Rome...
, ruler "Abdelmelech" bears "a greater affection to our Nation than to others because of our religion, which forbids the worship of Idols". He wrote a letter in Spanish to Elizabeth in 1577.
Battle of Ksar El Kebir (1578)
After losing the throne to Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I in 1576, the ousted Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed IIAbu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi
Abu Abdallah Mohammed II, Al-Mutawakkil, often simply Abdallah Mohammed was the oldest son of Abdallah al-Ghalib and became the sultan of Morocco after his father's death....
had been able to flee to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and to convince King Sebastian
Sebastian of Portugal
Sebastian "the Desired" was the 16th king of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Spain...
to field a military campaign against Morocco. The campaign turned out to be a complete failure at the Battle of Ksar El Kebir in 1578. During the battle Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik, already very ill, died.
Upon his death, he was succeeded by his brother Ahmad al-Mansur (1578–1603).
See also
- List of rulers of Morocco
- History of MoroccoHistory of MoroccoThe History of Morocco spans over 12 centuries, without considering the Classical antiquity. The country was first unified by the Idrisid dynasty in 780, representing the first Islamic state in Africa autonomous from the Arab Empire. Under the Almoravid dynasty and the Almohad dynasty, Morocco...
- Saadi DynastySaadi DynastyThe Saadi dynasty of Morocco , began with the reign of Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh in 1554, when he vanquished the last Wattasids at the Battle of Tadla....