Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I ( ar, أبو مروان عبد الملك الغازي), often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, (b. 1541 – d. 4 August 1578) was the
Saadian Sultan of Morocco from 1576 until his death right after the
Battle of al-Kasr al-Kabir against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in 1578.
Biography
Saadian Prince (1541–1557)
Abd al-Malik was one of the sons of the Saadian Sultan
Mohammed al-Shaykh
''Mawlay'' Mohammed al-Shaykh al-Sharif al-Hassani ( ar, محمد الشيخ الشريف الحسني) known as Mohammed al-Shaykh ( ar, محمد الشيخ) (b. 1490 – d. 23 October 1557) was the first sultan of the Saadian dynasty of Morocc ...
, who was assassinated by the Ottomans in 1557 by order of
Hasan Pasha, son of
Barbarossa
Barbarossa, a name meaning "red beard" in Italian, primarily refers to:
* Frederick Barbarossa (1122–1190), Holy Roman Emperor
* Hayreddin Barbarossa (c. 1478–1546), Ottoman admiral
* Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Un ...
, as he was preparing for an alliance with Spain against the Ottomans.
One of his brothers
Abdallah al-Ghalib
Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah (; b. 1517 – d. 22 January 1574, 1557–1574) was the second Saadian sultan of Morocco. He succeeded his father Mohammed al-Shaykh as Sultan of Morocco.
Biography
Early life
With his first wife Sayyida Rabia, Mo ...
(1557–1574) then took power and ascended to the throne. He planned to eliminate his other brothers in the process. Abd al-Malik had to escape from
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
and stay abroad with his mother Sahâba al-Rehmânia, his elder brother Abd al-Mu'min al-Saadi and his younger brother
Ahmad
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
until 1576.
[''The last great Muslim empires: history of the Muslim world'' by Frank Ronald Charles Bagley, Hans Joachim Kissling p.103''ff''](_blank)
/ref>
Exile to the Ottoman Empire (1557–1576)
Abd al-Malik spent 17 years among the Ottomans with his brothers, most of the time in the Regency of Algiers
The Regency of Algiers ( ar, دولة الجزائر, translit=Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) was a state in North Africa lasting from 1516 to 1830, until it was conquered by the French. Situated between the regency of Tunis in the east, the Sultanate o ...
, benefiting from Ottoman training and contacts with Ottoman culture. Abd al-Mu'min was named governor of the city of Tlemcen
Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...
by the ruler of the Regency of Algiers
The Regency of Algiers ( ar, دولة الجزائر, translit=Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) was a state in North Africa lasting from 1516 to 1830, until it was conquered by the French. Situated between the regency of Tunis in the east, the Sultanate o ...
, Hasan Pasha, but Abd al-Mu'min was assassinated there in 1571.
Abd al-Malik visited Istanbul on several occasions. He went to the Ottoman capital in July 1571, and then was involved with his brother al-Mansur in the Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...
on the Ottoman side on 7 October 1571.[''Europe through Arab eyes, 1578-1727'' by Nabil I. Matar p.75](_blank)
/ref> He was captured during the battle and transported to Spain and then brought before the Spanish king Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
. The Spanish king decided, upon the advice of 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 ...
, to hold him captive in the Spanish possession of Oran
Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
, in order to use him when the opportunity arose. However, Abd al-Malik managed to escape from Oran in 1573 and travelled back to the Ottoman Empire.
In January 1574, while in Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, French physician 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 a ...
saved Abd al-Malik's life during an epidemic. As a result, they later became friends. When Abd al-Malik became Sultan, he asked Henry III of France
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
that Guillaume Bérard be appointed Consul of France in Morocco.
In 1574, Abd al-Malik participated in the conquest of Tunis by the Ottomans. Following this success, he again visited Constantinople, and obtained from the new Ottoman ruler Murad III
Murad III ( ota, مراد ثالث, Murād-i sālis; tr, III. Murad; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Saf ...
an agreement to help him militarily regain the Moroccan throne.
Abd al-Malik joined the Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
and was able to invade Morocco with the help of an Ottoman force of 10,000 soldiers dispatched from Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
in 1576. The Ottoman force captured Fez during that year.
Reign (1576–1578)
Abd al-Malek recognized the Ottoman sultan Murad III
Murad III ( ota, مراد ثالث, Murād-i sālis; tr, III. Murad; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Saf ...
as his Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
, 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.[''The Cambridge History of Africa'' by J. D. Fage p.408-](_blank)
/ref>
In the following period he tried to revive trade with Europe and especially England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, starting an Anglo-Moroccan alliance
The Anglo-Moroccan alliance''Britain and Morocco during the embassy of John Drummond Hay, 1845-1886'' Khalid Ben Srhir, Malcolm Williams, Gavin Waterson p.13-1/ref> was established at the end of the 16th century and the early 17th century between t ...
with Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
. According to Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America'' (1582) and ''The Pri ...
, as quoted by Edmund Hogan, ruler "Abdelmelech" bears ''"a greater affection to our Nation than to others because of our religion, which forbids the worship of Idols"''.''Shakespeare: The critical complex'' by Stephen Orgel p. 293
/ref> He wrote a letter in Spanish to Elizabeth in 1577.
Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin (1578)
After losing the throne to Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I in 1576, the ousted Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed II
Abu Abdallah Mohammed II, Al-Mutawakkil, often simply Abdallah Mohammed () (died 4 August 1578) was a Sultan of Morocco from 1574 to 1576. He was the oldest son of Abdallah al-Ghalib and became Sultan after his father's death.
Life
Immedia ...
had been able to flee to Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and then convince King Sebastian to launch a military campaign against Morocco. The campaign turned out to be a complete failure after they were defeated at the Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin in 1578. The battle ended after nearly four hours of heavy fighting and resulted in the total defeat of the Portuguese and Abu Abdallah's army leaving 8,000 dead, including the slaughter of almost the whole country’s nobility, with 15,000 taken as prisoners. Perhaps 100 survivors had managed to escape to the coast. The body of King Sebastian, who led a charge into the midst of the enemy and was then cut off, was never found. The death of Sebastian, Abu Abdallah, and Abd al-Malik has earned the battle the name of "Battle of the Three Kings".
Death (1578)
Abd al-Malik is known to have been seriously ill in the days leading up to the battle. During the battle itself, he died under unclear circumstances, possibly in combat or from natural causes from his illness. Other accounts, mainly by Moroccan historians, claim that he had been poisoned by some of his officers of Turkish background as part of an Ottoman conspiracy, similar to what had happened to Muhammad al-Shaykh in 1557. While plausible, this account may also have reflected anti-Ottoman attitudes that were present in the court of Ahmad al-Mansur, who succeeded his brother to the throne and ruled from 1578 to 1603.
See also
*Anglo-Moroccan alliance
The Anglo-Moroccan alliance''Britain and Morocco during the embassy of John Drummond Hay, 1845-1886'' Khalid Ben Srhir, Malcolm Williams, Gavin Waterson p.13-1/ref> was established at the end of the 16th century and the early 17th century between t ...
*List of rulers of Morocco
This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used.
The present King of Moroc ...
*History of Morocco
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
*Saadian dynasty
The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...
*Ahmad al-Mansur
Ahmad al-Mansur ( ar, أبو العباس أحمد المنصور, Ahmad Abu al-Abbas al-Mansur, also al-Mansur al-Dahabbi (the Golden), ar, أحمد المنصور الذهبي; and Ahmed al-Mansour; 1549 in Fes – 25 August 1603, Fes) was the ...
Notes
Bibliography
*Stephan and Nandy Ronart: ''Lexikon der Arabischen Welt.'' Artemis Verlag, 1972
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Marwan Abd Al-Malik I Saadi
Year of birth unknown
1578 deaths
16th-century Arabs
Sultans of Morocco
Saadi dynasty
16th-century Moroccan people
16th-century monarchs in Africa
Moroccan exiles