The Hispano-Moroccan War, also known as the Spanish–Moroccan War, the First Moroccan War, the Tetuán War, or, in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, as the War of Africa, was fought from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
's declaration of war on
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 22 October 1859 until the
Treaty of Wad-Ras on 26 April 1860. It began with a conflict over the borders of the Spanish city of
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
and was fought in northern Morocco. Morocco sued for peace after the Spanish victory at the
Battle of Tetuán
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
Background
Throughout the 19th century, Morocco suffered military defeats at the hands of Europeans powers, notably in the
Franco-Moroccan War
The Franco-Moroccan War was fought between France and Morocco in 1844. The principal cause of war was the retreat of Algerian resistance leader Abd al-Qadir into Morocco following French victories over many of his tribal supporters during th ...
in 1844. In 1856 the Moroccan government signed the
Anglo-Moroccan Treaty with the British which set the Moroccan customs duty at 10% and brought an end to royal monopolies.
Since 1840, the Spanish cities of
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
and
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 ...
often experienced attacks by
Riffian tribesmen, especially in 1844, 1845, and 1848.
War
The ''
casus belli
A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'' for Spain were the unrelenting attacks of
Riffian tribesmen on Spanish settlements in North Africa; following unfruitful negotiations with Sultan
Abd al-Rahman
Abd al-Rahman ( ar, عبد الرحمن, translit=ʿAbd al-Raḥmān or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman''; also Abdul Rahman) is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', '' ...
vis-à-vis the
reparations
Reparation(s) may refer to:
Christianity
* Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for reparation
* Acts of reparation, prayers for repairing the damages of sin
History
*War reparations
**World War I reparations, made from G ...
(the latter, unable to control the ''
cabilas'', actually died in the midst of negotiations and was replaced by his brother
Muhammad IV), a declaration of war propelled by
Leopoldo O'Donnell
Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris, 1st Duke of Tetuán, Grandee, GE (12 January 1809 – 5 November 1867), was a Spanish general and Grandee who was Prime Minister of Spain on several occasions.
Early life
He was born at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in t ...
was unanimously passed by the
Congress of Deputies
The Congress of Deputies ( es, link=no, Congreso de los Diputados, italic=unset) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Ma ...
on 22 October 1859.
The expeditionary army that left
Algeciras
Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
was made up of about 45,000 men, 3,000 mules and horses, and 78 pieces of artillery, supported by a war squad made up of a ship of the line; two
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
and one
sail
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...
frigates
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
, two
corvettes
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop ...
, four
schooners
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
, eleven
wheeled steamers and three
feluccas, in addition to nine
steamers and three
Feluccas that acted as
troop transports
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
.
The objectives set were the taking of
Tetouan and the occupation of the port of
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
. On December 17, hostilities were unleashed by the column commanded by Zabala that occupied the Sierra de Bullones. Two days later, Echagüe conquered the Serrallo Palace and O'Donnell led the force that landed in
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
on the 21st. On the 25th, the three army corps had consolidated their positions and were awaiting the order to advance towards
Tetouan. On January 1, 1860, General Prim stormed to the mouth of Uad el-Jelúwith the flank support of General Zabala and that of the fleet that kept the enemy forces away from the coast. The skirmishes continued until January 31, when a Moroccan offensive action was contained, and O'Donnell began the march towards Tetouan, with the support of the Catalan volunteers. It was covered by General Ros de Olano and Prim on the flanks. The pressure of the Spanish artillery destroyed the Moroccan ranks to the point that the remains of this army took refuge in Tetouan, which fell on February 6.
The Spaniards entered
Tetouan on February 3, 1860. They bombarded the city for the following two days which allowed chaos to reign free.
Riffian tribesmen poured into the city and pillaged it (mainly the Jewish quarters). The Moroccan historian
Ahmad ibn Khalid al-Nasiri
Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Khalid an-Nasiri as-Slawi, (; 1834/5-1897) was born in Sla, Morocco and is considered to be the greatest Moroccan historian of the 19th century. He was a prominent scholar and a member of the family that founded the Nas ...
described the looting during the bombardment:
On February 5 the Spanish entered the city, ending both the battle and the war.
Aftermath
Following an armistice of 32 days,
the Treaty of Wad-Ras or Peace of Tétouan was signed on 26 April 1860. The treaty contemplated the extension on perpetuity of the Spanish presence in
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
and
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 ...
, the end of tribal raids on those cities, the recognition by Morocco of Spanish sovereignty over the
Chafarinas Islands
The Chafarinas Islands ( es, Islas Chafarinas , ber, Igumamen Iceffaren, script=Latn or , ar, جزر الشفارين or ), also spelled Zafarin, Djaferin or Zafarani, are a group of three small Spanish islets located in the Alboran Sea off th ...
, the retrocession of the territory of
Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña (literally ''Holy Cross of the Little Sea'') was a Spanish XV century settlement close to Akhfennir, in the Tarfaya Province, in Morocco.
History
Founded by the Canary Islands lord Diego de Herrera in 1478 as a tradi ...
(a territory of uncertain location by that time, ultimately
Sidi Ifni
Sidi Ifni ( Berber: ''Ifni'', ⵉⴼⵏⵉ, ar, سيدي إفني) is a city located on the west coast of Morocco, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of 20,051 people. The economic base of the city is fishing. It is located in ...
) to Spain in order to establish a fishing post, the permission to missionaries for establishing a Christian church in Tétouan, and the Spanish administration over the later city until reparations of
duros were paid.
Once Morocco paid the compensation (partially through money lent by the British), O'Donnell retired his troops from Tétouan.
References
Sources
*
*
(World History at KMLA)* "A History of Modern Morocco" pages 24–25 Susan Gilson Miller, Cambridge University Press 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hispano-Moroccan War (1859-60)
Wars involving Spain
Wars involving Morocco
Invasions by Spain
Conflicts in 1859
Conflicts in 1860
Morocco–Spain military relations
19th century in Morocco
1860 in Morocco
1859 in Morocco
History of Tétouan