Rulers of Morocco - The Alaouite Dynasty Quiz

Answer: Tafilalt

Al-Rashid Ben Ali Al-Charif was more commonly known as Mulay Al-Rashid and he became the first ruler of Morocco from the Alaouite Dynasty. He came from Tafilalt, an oasis in the eastern part of Morocco. His father, Sharif ibn Ali, was the Sultan of Tafilalt and was the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty. The sultan stepped down in 1636 in favour of his eldest son, Mohammed ibn Sharif, who became the Sultan of Tafilalt and began expanding their holdings. When their father passed away, internal conflicts broke out between the half-brothers and Al-Rashid killed Mohammed in battle in 1664.

Al-Rashid stepped in as the sultan and kept expanding the territory held by the Alaouites. By 1669, Mulay Al-Rashid had captured Marrakech and this completely subjugated Morocco to Alaouite rule. He passed away in 1672 after falling from his horse.

Answer: The Warrior King

Mulay Ismail ibn Sharif was the second ruler of Morocco under the Alaouite Dynasty. He took over from his elder half-brother Mulay Al-Rashid in 1672 and ruled over Morocco for 55 years. He established the country as a powerful and influential nation over the region through a strong army and successful armed conflicts earning him the nickname "the Warrior King." The Europeans called him "the bloody king" for the cruel punishment that he would inflict over his Christian slaves.

Mulay Ismail ibn Sharif had four official wives, but about 500 concubines. With them, it is estimated that Ismail had somewhere between 1024 and 1171 children. This is the Guinness Book of World Records record for most children and it is certain that it's a lot of kids. However, with many children come many problems. After his death, seven of Mulay Ismail's sons took the throne after his death and a period of civil unrest occurred.

Answer: Recognize the United States as an independent nation

Mohammed ibn Abdallah al-Khatib was the son of Mulay Abdallah IV who was the Sultan of Morocco for six separate reigns as he battled his brothers for control over the country. When he passed away, he appointed Mohammed as his successor and this allowed the peaceful transition of power and no fratricide. In 1755, a couple of years before he ascended to the leadership, Morocco experienced a devastating earthquake. One of the first things that Mulay Mohammed did was to rebuild the country earning him the nickname "the architect of modern Morocco."

A very progressive leader, Mulay Mohammed established diplomatic relations with many European nations and even aided them by stopping some of the activities of the Barbary pirates. In December of 1777 he also established good relations with the newly-formed United States by being the first nation to recognize their independence. Mulay Mohammed also removed European strongholds from the coast of Morocco, mostly through the use of force.

Answer: Tangier

Mulay Slimane was one of five sons of Mulay Mohammed III that fought for control over Morocco. He continued his father's policy of close relations with the United States and gifted them a building in Tangier that would soon become their embassy. It was the first acquired property by the United States worldwide.

Another policy of Mulay Slimane's was to rid the coast of the Barbary pirate strongholds that they kept, and this pleased the European nations greatly even though he angered them by cutting off all trade relations. Mulay Slimane was also a scholar and wrote several essays and epistles.

Answer: France

Mulay Abd al-Rahman ibn Hisham was the nephew of Mulay Slimane and the next Sultan of Morocco. He took over in 1822 and inherited a troubled country. His first priority was to replenish the bankrupt treasury which was not receiving taxation income as it should have been. Abd al-Rahman revived foreign trade with Europe and through tariffs and customs tried to get some capital. He also began supporting the Barbary piracy, but this plan backfired when European nations would retaliate by bombarding coastal Moroccan cities in retribution.

The main threat to Morocco, however, was from conquering European nations who saw Africa as a land grab. France invaded neighbouring Algeria in 1830 and Abd al-Rahman supported Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri who was the leader of the resistance. Realizing that French attention was not in his best interests, and seeing how successful the French incursions into Moroccan territory were, Mulay Abd al-Rahman signed peace treaties with them and established borders. This was seen as an act of weakness in Morocco and revolts popped up often. However, in retrospect, this probably allowed for Moroccan independence for longer than otherwise might have happened had France decided to invade.

Answer: Spain

When Mulay Mohammed ibn Abd al-Rahman was still the military chief under his father, he was defeated in battle by the French at Isly. When he took the throne upon his father's death, he had to take on the Spanish. The northern tribal chiefs had incessantly raided the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and this angered the Spanish.

Despite having improved military training and setting up more European-style units, the Moroccan army was defeated and Mohammed was forced into signing a treaty, the Treaty of Wad Ras, that gave a lot of reparations to Spain.

This impoverished the government and the country began to feel more like a feudalism.

Answer: Abdelhafid

When Mulay Hassan I died, his son Mulay Abdelaziz ascended to the throne. His internal policies and the increasing external European pressure weakened his position as Sultan and he was eventually deposed in favour of his brother, Abdelhafid. The Moroccan royals were increasingly unhappy with Abdelaziz and declared Abdelhafid as the Sultan in the south, which led to him being accepted as Sultan all over the country.

Mulay Abdelhafid inherited an impoverished country and was eventually forced to sign the 1912 Treaty of Fez which granted France powers over the country and left the Sultan a title but not a lot of power. While Abdelhafid signed the treaty under duress, many people saw this as a sign of weakness and his support waned drastically. As a result of growing unrest all over the country, Abdelhafid abdicated a few short months later. His younger brother Yusef was then chosen as the successor.

Interesting fact I uncovered: did you know that the first Mercedes production car was bought by Mulay Hassan I? He got it delivered in August 1892.

Answer: Rabat

Mulay Yusef ibn Hassan was thrust upon the throne when his brother, Abdelhafid, abdicated after the signing of the 1912 Treaty of Fez. He was the third of Mulay Hassan's children to sit on the throne of Morocco. When he ascended the throne, the country was in turmoil due to the recently-signed Treaty of Fez which basically made Morocco a puppet state of France and ceded many powers and monies to them.

There were many revolts and protests. In order to protect himself and his government, Mulay Yusef moved the seat of government from Fez to Rabat where he had a stronger support base, and that is where the capital has been since.

Answer: Corsica

Mulay Mohammed Al-Khamis ibn Youssef ibn Mohammed Al-Alaoui was the last Sultan of Morocco. He served in this position from 1927 to 1953 when he was exiled by the French forces due to growing nationalistic movements in the region. At the time Morocco was a French protectorate and was not independent and there were many cries for freedom from the French oppressors. On the eve of the festival of Eid al-Adha, Mulay Mohammed V and his family were spirited away to Corsica. A few months later they were taken to Madagascar, but Mohammed V made his triumphant return in 1955. He retook the throne and negotiated for Morocco's independence. In 1957, he took the title of "King" and became the first King of Morocco.

An interesting aside, Mulay Mohammed V was strong enough in World War II to resist the Vichy government enough to not deport the Moroccan Jews to concentration camps, thus saving the lives of the quarter-of-a-million Jews living in the country.

Answer: Years of Lead

King Hassan II was the eldest son of the first king, Mohammed V, and his second wife, Lalla Abla bint Tahar. He took the throne upon his father's death in 1961 and ruled up to his death in 1999. He was known for his autocratic style of leadership and his lack of tolerance for dissidence or even democratic activism. Known as the Years of Lead, King Hassan II would order his loyal troops to put down these activists with hails of lead from their guns, or arrest people and detain them indefinitely. Many people disappeared during this time and Morocco was heavily criticized in the global community for their poor human rights record in these years.

When he passed away in 1999, his eldest son Mohammed VI took the throne.