The siege of Ceuta (1790–1791) was an armed confrontation between the

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the Sultanate of Morocco during the Spanish-Moroccan War of 1790–1791. The siege of this city was the central episode of this conflict.

Siege

On September 25, the Moroccan army began to bombard the city. Since a sea attack was impossible, the bombardment's objective was to open a breach somewhere in the walls of the city and penetrate through it. The besiegers established their headquarters in the city's seraglio and installed 14 batteries. However, from the start the bombardment was not continuous since there were ongoing peace negotiations between the two countries. During the siege, Spanish forces relocated towards Ceuta to reinforce the situation there. Most of these regiments arrived in 1791 between a ceasefire and return to hostilities. The naval forces were also present in Ceuta, providing continuous communication between Ceuta and

Peninsular Spain Peninsular Spain is the part of the territory of Spain located within the Iberian Peninsula, thus excluding other parts of Spain: the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and several islets and crags off the coast of Morocco kno ...

; the gunboats invented by

Antonio Barceló Antonio Barceló y Pont de la Terra (1 January 1717 – 30 January 1797) was a Spanish privateer and general admiral of the Spanish Navy. Of humble origins, Barceló rose to admiral on military merits alone, an unusual event at his time. He ...

were particularly effective. The meetings between Spanish and Moroccan representatives alternated with military confrontations until October 14, 1790, when a ceasefire was established. Sultan al-Yazid of Morocco proposed the suspension of hostilities to negotiate with the Spanish government in Madrid. The ceasefire would last from October 1790 to August 15, 1791. During these negotiations, the two countries took advantage of the ceasefire to resupply their troops and increase their forces. The Moroccan sultan tried to achieve the surrender of Ceuta and some minor garrisons, or a monetary payment in exchange for peace. King Charles IV refused these terms and formally declared war on Morocco, restarting the conflict on August 15, 1791. The besieged noticed that the batteries were not guarded by a large garrison while the city was not being bombarded and organized a breakout on August 25. The offensive was carried out in conjunction with the navy, which escorted land forces that left the city to cause massive damage to the Moroccan batteries. In response, the Moroccans launched a major offensive against the city's walls on August 30, when 8,000 men accompanied by the siege batteries attempted unsuccessfully to enter the city.

Aftermath

On September 14, following the directives of the Sultan, Sharif Ali asked to negotiate with the governor of Ceuta as he faced low morale within his ranks. In addition to demoralization, he faced a massive economic cost associated with the siege, and an uprising by the Sultan's brothers who disputed the throne. The Moroccan troops began to retreat in the next days and the city was no longer under bombardment. However, a large part of the artillery in position was not withdrawn. Facing this refusal to withdraw them, the Spanish left twice during September and October, causing skirmishes and casualties on both sides. The skirmishes around the areas used by the besiegers would continue until the signing of a peace treaty. The passionate theme of ''

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

'' lost its mobilizing effect when the siege was abandoned at the end of 1791.

References

Bibliography

* * * Ceuta 1790–1791 Sieges involving Spain 18th century in Morocco History of Ceuta 1791 in Spain 1790 in Spain

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

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