Battle of Wadi al-Laban
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Wadi al-Laban, also Battle of Oued el Leben, occurred in March–April 1558 between Morocco
and Ottoman
forces under Hasan Pasha
, the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa. The battle was rather inconclusive, and occurred north of Fes
, at Wadi al-Laban ("The river of milk"), an afluent of the Sebou River
, one day north of Fes.
The conflict was initiated when the Moroccan ruler Mohammed ash-Sheikh
refused to give allegiance to the Ottomans. The Moroccan ruler had formed an alliance with the Spanish
against the Ottomans.
Hasan Pasha
, the son of Barbarossa, was named by the Ottoman Empire
beylerbey
of the Regency of Algiers in June 1557, in order to continue the fight against the Moroccan ruler. He had Mohammed ash-Sheikh assassinated in October 1557 by one of his body guards.
Hasan Pasha then invaded Morroco in early 1558, but he was stopped by the Morroccans north of Fez
at the battle of Wadi al-Laban. The battle was rather indecisive, and Hasan Pasha had to retreat upon hearing of Spanish preparations for an offensive from Oran
. He re-embarked from the port of Qassasa in northern Morocco, just west of Melilla
, and from there returned to Algiers to prepare a defense against the Spaniards, who soon attacked in the Mostaganem expedition
.
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 Ottoman
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...
forces under 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...
, the son of Hayreddin Barbarossa. The battle was rather inconclusive, and occurred north of Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, at Wadi al-Laban ("The river of milk"), an afluent of the Sebou River
Sebou River
Sebou is a river in northern Morocco. The river is 458 kilometres long and has an average water flow of 137 m3/s, which makes it the largest North African river by volume. The source is in the Middle Atlas mountains. It passes near the city of Fes and discharges to the Atlantic Ocean in Mehdia...
, one day north of Fes.
The conflict was initiated when the Moroccan ruler Mohammed ash-Sheikh
Mohammed 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...
refused to give allegiance to the Ottomans. The Moroccan ruler had formed an alliance with the Spanish
Habsburg Spain
Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the Habsburg dynasty...
against the Ottomans.
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...
, the son of Barbarossa, was named by the Ottoman Empire
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...
beylerbey
Beylerbey
Beylerbey is the Ottoman and Safavid title used for the highest rank in the hierarchy of provincial administrators It is in western terms a Governor-general, with authority...
of the Regency of Algiers in June 1557, in order to continue the fight against the Moroccan ruler. He had Mohammed ash-Sheikh assassinated in October 1557 by one of his body guards.
Hasan Pasha then invaded Morroco in early 1558, but he was stopped by the Morroccans north of Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
at the battle of Wadi al-Laban. The battle was rather indecisive, and Hasan Pasha had to retreat upon hearing of Spanish preparations for an offensive from 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...
. He re-embarked from the port of Qassasa in northern Morocco, just west of Melilla
Melilla
Melilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
, and from there returned to Algiers to prepare a defense against the Spaniards, who soon attacked in the Mostaganem expedition
Expedition of Mostaganem (1558)
The Expedition of Mostaganem occurred in 1558, when Spanish forces attempted to capture the city of Mostaganem, in modern Algeria, from the Ottomans. The expedition ended in failure, and has been called a "disaster"...
.