The Battle of Marrakesh was a central battle in the

Hafidiya The Hafidiya () was a coup d'état in Morocco between 1907 and 1908 in which Abd al-Hafid seized power from his brother Abdelaziz. Abd al-Hafid started his movement in Marrakesh in the aftermath of the Algeciras Conference, the French occupation ...

, in which Abd al-Hafid seized power from his brother Abd al-Aziz, fought outside

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

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 ...

on August 19, 1908. A battalion led by Abd al-Aziz departed from

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

and was ambushed and defeated on its approach to

by forces loyal to Abd al-Hafid.

Background

In May 1907 the southern aristocrats, led by the head of the Glaoua tribe Si Elmadani El Glaoui, invited Abd al-Hafid, an elder brother of Abd al-Aziz, and viceroy at

, to become sultan, and the following August Abd al-Hafid was proclaimed sultan there with all the usual formalities. In 5 August 1907, France bombarded and occupied Casablanca after the death of Europeans in a riot incited by the implementation of measures of the

Treaty of Algeciras The Algeciras Conference of 1906 took place in Algeciras, Spain, and lasted from 16 January to 7 April. The purpose of the conference was to find a solution to the First Moroccan Crisis of 1905 between France and Germany, which arose as Germany ...

. In September, Abd al-Aziz arrived at

from the capital,

Fes Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...

, and endeavored to secure the support of the European powers against his brother. From

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

he accepted the grand cordon of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

, and was later enabled to negotiate a loan. This was seen as leaning to

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

support and aroused further opposition to his rule, and in January 1908 he was declared deposed by the ''

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

'' of

, who offered the throne to Abd al-Hafid.

Battle

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

1900s in Morocco History of Marrakesh 1908 in Africa After months of inactivity Abd al-Aziz made an effort to restore his authority, and quitting

in July he marched on

. His force, largely owing to treachery, was completely overthrown on August 19 when nearing that city,{{cite encyclopedia, last=, first=, authorlink=, editor-first=, editor-last=, editor-link=, encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica, title=Abd al-Aziz, edition=15th, year=2010, publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., volume=I: A-Ak - Bayes, location=Chicago, IL, isbn=978-1-59339-837-8, page
14
url-access=registration, url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/14

Background

Battle

References