The Kingdom of Morocco has been a meeting place for Arab-Islamic culture and civilization for ages and a place of tolerance, discussion, and openness. It is located at the intersection of the African and European continents.
The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantines were among the waves of invaders that swept over Morocco throughout the Classical Antiquity period. However, after the advent of Islam, Morocco created independent nations that defeated strong invaders.
The Idrissid Dynasty
The first Muslim dynasty with Middle Eastern roots was founded in the year 788.
The Moroccan State was established in 791.
Idriss I, a descendant of Ali and the Prophet’s son-in-law, fled Arabia when his family was killed and resided in Volubilis. He later founded the city of “Fez,” which was named the kingdom’s capital by his son, Idriss II, after passing away in 792.
Idriss II oversaw the city’s construction in 803 and passed away in 828. His sons, then his brothers, were given responsibility for running the Kingdom while Fez’s economy grew.
The city made enormous advancements between 857 and 859, with the construction of Quaraouiyine and Andalusian mosques.
Before the divisions in Muslim Spain precipitated their deterioration and their demise in 1055, the Idrissids’ aura had already reached Cordoba at the beginning of the 11th century.
The Almoravid Dynasty
Around 1070, Youssef Ibn Tachfine, Sultan of the Almoravid dynasty, completed the construction of Marrakech, which would later serve as the capital of the Kingdom. He also established the political union of Morocco and Muslim Spain.
Before capturing Spain, it allowed the Andalusian civilization to spread throughout the Maghreb.
His son Ali Ben Youssef succeeded him in 1106 and governed for 37 years.
The Almohad Dynasty
A Berber dynasty from the High Atlas, the Almohads are known by the Arabic term “Al Mouwahidoune,” which means “unifiers” (those who claim the uniqueness of God.)
El Mehdi Ibn Toumart was its original originator.
His successor Abdel-Moumen chose Marrakech as the location of his capital, from whence the Koutoubia was built. He later founded the Almohad Empire and was successful in unifying North Africa, although he passed away in Rabat in 1163 before incorporating Andalusia into his Empire.
Yacoub El-Mansour, who succeeded him and defeated the Portuguese and Spaniards in the battle of Alarcos in 1195, received this distinction.
The Merinid Dynasty
Dynasty of Berbers (nomadic Zenetes from the Upper Moulouya Basin).
This Dynasty decided to make Fez its capital and went on to build Fes El-Jedid and a number of medersas, including Medersa El-Attarine, Medersa Abou Inane, and Medersa Mérinide in Salé.
The decline of the Almohad Empire provided the Merinid with an opportunity to seize control of Fez, Rabat, Sale, and the productive plains of Saiss and Gharb.
The city of Marrakech was subsequently taken by the Merinid Sultan Abu Youssef Yacoub in 1269.
As the supreme leader of the Marinid dynasty, Abu El-Hassan then tried to reconstitute the Empire around 1331, and conquered Tlemcen in Algeria and Tunis in 1347, but without managing to keep Spain and Algeciras in 1340.
The Black Death and the uprisings in Tlemcen and Tunis in 1348 signaled the demise of the Marinids, who were overthrown to repress the Portuguese and Spanish, allowing them to settle on the coast through their successors, the Wattassides.
The brotherhoods and marabouts, from which the Saadian dynasty emerged, served as the foundation for the resistance.
The Saadian Dynasty
Sharifian dynasty (“Chorfa” descendants of the prophet Mohamed) from the Draa Valley, Marrakech was their capital. From 1578, Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour Eddahbi sit his reign on important military victories, including the victory of the “Battle of the Three Kings” in Oued El-Makhazine; “The conquest of Timbuktu”, where he brought back gold and slaves, as well as “the construction of the palace El Badiî”, the development of the sugar industry and weapons … The reign of Ahmed Al Mansour Eddahbi ended in 1602.
The Alaouite Dynasty
The Chorfa of Tafilalet, who are descended from Imam Ali and established themselves in the area before taking control of the entire nation in 1666, are the ancestors of the Alawite Dynasty.
A political and military plan was put in place to reunite Morocco by the Dynasty’s founder and spiritual leader, Moulay Ali Cherif, as well as his successors (including Mohamed Ben Ali Cherif, who was declared the first king in 1640).
King Moulay Ismael continued the effort started by his forefathers while exercising absolute control in 1672.
Meknes, which the Sultan eventually named the capital of the Kingdom, was the first city he founded.
Moulay Ismail founded the Cherifian Empire by removing the local governmental and religious authorities after conquering Larache and Tangier. Senegal will come under his control, and he gave the order to build a network of fortifications around the country.
a system from which an army could function.
Then he committed himself to develop successful diplomatic ties.
especially during the reigns of James II of England and Louis XIV of France, with other nations.
Moulay Isma’l’s successor, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah (Mohammed III), died in 1727.
He was a devout Muslim who primarily worried about establishing safety and security in the nation.
As a result, he was hailed as a providential figure, and his declaration took on the form of a real plebiscite.
As soon as he received his investment, he lowered taxes, issued a sound currency, and rebuilt a new army with Guich tribe recruits.
He also worked to regain Mazagan from the Portuguese while fortifying the Moroccan ports (1769).
In order to make up for the loss of the Triq-Sultan (strategic crossing), Morocco arranged trade deals with Denmark, Sweden, England, and the United States. He also reached peace with the Spaniards and an arrangement with Louis XV over prisoners.
On this occasion, George Washington sent him a really lovely letter asking that their two countries sign a treaty of friendship.
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah was behind the foundation of Mogador, whose construction he entrusted to the French architect Gernot. No doubt he would have done much more if he had not been hampered by insufficiency of funds. When he passed away in 1790, Morocco was better off than it was before his reign.
Moulay Slimane Became the successor of Moulay Yazid Ben Abdallah, who would have reigned only for a period of two years (1790-1792). He drove out the Turks of Oujda, built several mosques and madrassas, and did not fail to come to the aid of Algerians during the Battle of Isly.
Following the support of the Sherifian Empire to the Emir Abd el-Kader of Algeria, Morocco then experienced a most difficult political crisis, leading to the military interventions of France in 1844 and Spain in 1859-1860. Clashes continued until 1873 during the reign of Sultan Mohamed IV.
Sultan Moulay Hassan I, who succeeded Mohamed IV, preserved his throne, consolidated his power by uniting the High Atlas tribes, and modernized the nation while preserving its independence.
After Moulay Hassan I passed away in 1894, Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz took over and ruled until Moulay Hafid took control in 1907.
The French invaded Casablanca after a number of European citizens were killed, even though France and Spain had previously been named mandataries of Morocco’s new national bank during the Algeciras convention in 1906.
After General Lyautey’s departure in 1925, France restricted the powers of the Chérifien central power by shifting its approach to more direct management.
The organized resistance was mostly made up of young urban elites.
The nationalist opposition and France entered into a truce during the second world war.
King Mohamed Ben Youssef (Mohamed V), who was named Sultan of the Cherifian Kingdom in 1927 and was thus the guardian of all his subjects, vehemently fought for the rights of Moroccan Jews against the Vichy government throughout the war.
The Manifesto of Independence was declared in 1944, and His Majesty King Mohammed V delivered a momentous address in Tangier three years later.
The negotiations with France broke down over the course of the following five years, and in 1952, a conflict between the protectorate’s leaders and nationalists sparked insurrectionary movements. In 1953, the Sultan and the whole royal family were deported to Madagascar.
However, the setbacks in Indochina and the Algerian war, in 1954, prompted the French government to seek a political solution. The return of exile of the Sovereign was in November 1955, to open the path of independence, recognized in 1956 by France, then by Spain.
From the 1990s, the regime evolved towards more democracy and political reforms. With the death of His Majesty King Hassan II, on July 23, 1999, it will be a Sovereign born after independence who will now lead the destinies of the Kingdom, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, whose enthronement took place on July 30, 1999.
