| Battle of Larache (1631) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Larache fortress in 17th century | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Spain |  Republic of Salé | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Diego Ruiz de Colmenares † | Sidi M'Hamed al-Ayachi | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 600 men | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 436 or 600 killed | Unknown | ||||||
The battle of Larache occurred on February 7, 1631, when the forces of Sidi M'hamed el-Ayachi ambushed a detachment of the Spanish garrison of Larache.
On January 27, 1605, during a civil war in Morocco, the Moroccan sultan, Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun, was defeated by his brother, Zidan Abu Maali. Mohammed took refuge in Spain afterward. There he signed a treaty with Philip III of Spain, whereby he obtained military support in return for ceding the northern Moroccan port of Larache. [1] At the time of the expulsion of Morsicos from Spain, Sidi al-Ayachi rose in fame, devouring himself to launch a holy war against the Christians. [2] In April 1627, Sidi al-Ayachi revolted against the sultan and attacked the harbor of Salé, which he captured and transformed into his principality, the Republic of Salé, becoming its independent governor. [3] al-Ayachi began attacking the Spanish areas in Morocco. In Larache, he managed to capture a spy named Ibn Aboud. Al-Ayachi ordered his execution, but Ibn Aboud begged for support in exchange for his life. [4]
al-Ayachi then dispatched Ibn Aboud to Larache to lure the Spanish out of town. Ibn Aboud reported that a group of Arab tribes were camping on a hill close to the town, and a potential attack would result in a large amount of loot. The Spanish immediately left the town. [5] Diego Ruiz de Colmenares [6] led the Spanish troops of around 600 men. [7] The troops of al-Ayachi surrounded the Spanish troops and massacred them. [8] Diego was wounded in the battle and died later on. The Spanish troops suffered 436 casualties, [9] or the entire force was killed. [10] The ambush took place on February 7, 1631. [11]
Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif, born around 1645 in Sijilmassa and died on 22 March 1727 at Meknes, was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727, as the second ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was the seventh son of Moulay Sharif and was governor of the province of Fez and the north of Morocco from 1667 until the death of his half-brother, Sultan Moulay Rashid in 1672. He was proclaimed sultan at Fez, but spent several years in conflict with his nephew Moulay Ahmed ben Mehrez, who also claimed the throne, until the latter's death in 1687. Moulay Ismail's 55-year reign is the longest of any sultan of Morocco. During his lifetime, Isma’il amassed a harem of over 500 women with more than 800 confirmed biological children, making him one of the most prodigious fathers in recorded history.
MoulayAbd al-Rahman bin Hisham, born on 19 February 1778 in Fes and died on 28 August 1859 in Meknes, was a sultan of Morocco from 30 November 1822 to 28 August 1859, as a ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was a son of Moulay Hisham. He was proclaimed sultan in Fes after the death of Moulay Sulayman.
Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallahal-Khatib, known as Mohammed III, born in 1710 in Fes and died on 9 April 1790 in Meknes, was the Sultan of Morocco from 1757 to 1790 as a member of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was the governor of Marrakesh around 1750. He was also briefly sultan in 1748. He rebuilt many cities after the earthquake of 1755, including Mogador, Casablanca, and Rabat, and Abdallah Laroui described him as "the architect of modern Morocco." He also defeated the French in the Larache expedition in 1765 and expelled the Portuguese from Mazagan (al-Jadīda) in 1769. He is notable for having been the leader of one of the first nations to recognize American independence in his alliance with Luis de Unzaga 'le Conciliateur' through correspondence and Unzaga's secret intelligence service and led by his brothers-in-law Antonio and Matías de Gálvez from the Canary Islands. He was the son of Mawlay Abdallah bin Ismail and his wife a lady of the Chéraga guich tribe.
Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I, often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, was the Saadian Sultan of Morocco from 1576 until his death right after the Battle of al-Kasr al-Kabir against Portugal in 1578.
Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun also spelled Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Ma'mun, among other transliterations; also known as Abu Abdallah Mohammed III, Arabic: أبو العبدالله محمد سعدي الثالث) was a member of the Saadian dynasty who ruled parts of Morocco during the succession conflicts within the dynasty between 1603 and 1627. He was the son of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur by one of his harem slave concubines named Elkheizourân. He was the full-brother of Abu Faris Abdallah and the half-brother of Zidan Abu Maali.
Ahmad al-Mansur was the Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1578 to his death in 1603, the sixth and most famous of all rulers of the Saadis. Ahmad al-Mansur was an important figure in both Europe and Africa in the sixteenth century. His powerful army and strategic location made him an important power player in the late Renaissance period. He has been described as "a man of profound Islamic learning, a lover of books, calligraphy and mathematics, as well as a connoisseur of mystical texts and a lover of scholarly discussions."
Moulay Al-Rashid ibn Sharif, known as Moulay Al-Rashid or Moulay Rachid, sometimes called Tafiletta by the English, was Sultan of Morocco from 1666 to 1672. He was the son of the founder of the 'Alawi dynasty, Moulay Sharif, who took power in the Tafilalt region in 1631.
Abul Amlak Moulay Sharif ibn 'Ali was an Arab Emir of Tafilalt from 1631 to 1636. He was a sharif whose family claimed to be descended from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandson Hasan. Moulay Sharif is considered to be the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco for being the father of Sidi Muhammad, Al-Rashid of Morocco, and Ismail Ibn Sharif.
Zidan Abu Maali was the embattled Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1603 to 1627. He was the son and heir of Ahmad al-Mansur by his wife Lalla Aisha bint Abu Bakkar, a lady of the Chebanate tribe.
Sultan Sidi Muhammad ibn Sharif ibn Ali ibn Muhammad was an Arab ruler of Tafilalt, Morocco between 1636 and 1664. He was the eldest son of Moulay Sharif ibn Ali and came to power when his father stepped down. He was killed on 2 August 1664 in a battle on the plain of Angad by troops of his half-brother Moulay Rachid.
Mehdya, also Mehdia or Mehedya, is a town in Kénitra Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, in north-western Morocco. Previously called al-Ma'mura, it was known as São João da Mamora under 16th century Portuguese occupation, or as La Mamora under 17th century Spanish occupation.
Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik II ibn Zidan, also known as Abd el-Malik II was the Sultan of Morocco from 1627 to 1631.
Al Walid ben Zidan, also known as Mulay al-Walid was the Sultan of Morocco from 1631 to 1636.
Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad, also Sultan Ahmad, or Ahmad al-Wattasi, was a Sultan of the Moroccan Wattasid dynasty. He ruled from 1526 to 1545, and again between 1547 and 1549.
The Expedition of Larache occurred in June 1765 when French Navy Marines attempted to invade the Moroccan city of Larache following a bombardment of Salé and Rabat. It is an example of the sporadic failure of Western arms against local forces in colonial campaigns.
Sidi M'Hamed al-Ayachi, also el-Ayachi or al-Ayashi, was a Moroccan marabout, warlord, and jihadist. The Sultan of Morocco, Mulay Zidan al-Nasir, had made him governor (qā′id) of Azmūr, but in 1627 he decided to secede and created his own state.
Ahmed ibn Abi Mahalli, born in Sijilmasa, was a Moroccan Imam and the Sufi leader of a revolt (1610–13) against the reigning Saadi Sultan Zidan Abu Maali in the south of Morocco in which Ibn Abi Mahalli proclaimed himself Mahdi. He occupied the Saadi's southern capital Marrakesh in 1612 until his death.
The siege of Larache, in 1689, was undertaken by an army of Morocco under 'Alawid Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif against the Spanish forces of Charles II, which had ruled the city for almost 80 years since its cession in 1610. After three months of siege, the defenders were forced to capitulate.
Mohammed al-Hajj ibn Mohammed ibn Abu Bakr al-Dila'i was the head of the Zaouia of Dila and conquered Meknes and Fez in 1641. He was proclaimed Sultan of Morocco in 1659, after the murder of the last Saadi Sultan Ahmad al-Abbas.
In 1640, the Moroccans, led by Sidi al-Ayachi ambushed a Portuguese force from Mazagan, successfully killing most of them, including their commander.