The Battle of Wadi al-Laban, also Battle of Oued el Leben,معركة وادي اللبن occurred in March–April 1558 between

Saadians 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 ...

and Turkish-Algerian forces under Hasan Pasha, the son of

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ot ...

and occurred north of

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 ...

, at Wadi al-Laban ("The riverbed of milk" or "The riverbed of yoghurt"), an affluent of the

Sebou River Sebou (Berber language, Berber: Asif en Sbu, ar, سبو) is a river in northern Morocco. At its source in the Middle Atlas mountains it is known as the Guigou River (Berber: Asif n Gigu). The river is 496 kilometers long and has an average wat ...

, one day north of Fes.

Background

This conflict took place in a context of tensions between Algeria and Morocco. until the return of the Saadian Mohammed ash-Sheikh to power. Following the return of the Saadians, numerous conflicts broke out between Algeria and Morocco, which tried to annex the Algerian city of Tlemcen. The conflict was initiated when the Moroccan ruler

Mohammed ash-Sheikh ''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 Morocco ...

refused to give allegiance to the Ottomans and the alliance he concluded with the Spaniards. Hasan Pasha, the 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 Uni ...

, was named by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit=bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks ...

'' 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 bodyguards.

Battle

The Ottoman turks who were backing the Wattasid sent an invasion force into Morocco led by the ruler of Algiers Hasan Pasha, the son of khizr barbarossa, then he conquered Fes in September 1554. An indecisive battle between the two sides took place in Wadi al-Laban to the north of

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

,''A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period'' by Jamil M. Abun-Nasr p.157''ff''
/ref> after which, Hasan Pasha decided to retreat upon hearing of Spanish preparations for an offensive from

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 Western Algeria. He embarked with his troops at the port of Qassasa in northern Morocco, just west of

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

, and from there sailed to

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 ...

to prepare a defense against the Spaniards, who soon attacked in the Mostaganem expedition. Other sources attribute a victory to either Hassan or Abdallah.

Aftermath

Abdallah al-Ghalib later sent an expedition against Tlemcen in 1560 but it was defeated.The Last Crusaders: East, West and the Battle for the Centre of the World
Barnaby Rogerson. Hachette UK.History of Islam: Classical period, 1206-1900 C.E.
Masudul Hasan. Adam Publishers & Distributers. Despite his initial opposition against the Ottomans, later during his reign

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 ...

was forced to pay an annual tribute of vassalage to the Ottomans therefore establishing Ottoman influence on the entire Maghreb. ‎مجلة التاريخية المغربية Issues 37-40 Imprimerie de l'UGTT.

Notes

{{coord, 34, 18, 0, N, 4, 54, 0, W, type:event_region:MA, display=title Wadi al-Laban Wadi al-Laban Wadi al-Laban Suleiman the Magnificent 1558 in the Ottoman Empire 16th century in Morocco 16th century in Algeria 1558 in Africa

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

Notes