Moroccan expedition

Last updated
Moroccan expedition
Alger et Maroc - btv1b8490669m.jpg
Map of Morocco and Algeria, 1844
Date1843–1845
Location
Result Coalition victory; Treaty of Larache
Belligerents
Supported by:
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Flag of Morocco (1666-1915).svg Morocco

Commanders and leaders
Flag of Denmark.svg Christian VIII
Flag of Denmark.svg Captain Paludan
Flag of Denmark.svg Captain Mourier
Union Jack of Sweden and Norway (1844-1905).svg Oscar I
Union Jack of Sweden and Norway (1844-1905).svg C. H. Ulner  [ SV ]
Union Jack of Sweden and Norway (1844-1905).svg Mathias Ehrenoff  [ SV ]
Flag of Morocco (1666-1915).svg Abd al-Rahman
Flag of Morocco (1666-1915).svg Buselham Ben-Ali
Strength
Denmark:
2 Frigates
1 Brig
1 Auxiliary vessel
1 Cutter brig
1 Corvette
Sweden:
1 Frigate
1 Corvette
1 Schooner
Norway:
1 Corvette
Unknown

The Moroccan expedition was a maritime expedition conducted by the nations of Sweden-Norway and Denmark to militarily pressure the barbary state of Morocco into agreeing to the new stipulations as proposed by Danish and Swedish diplomats. One of the motives of the expedition was the reversal of several of the old and unfair treaties which stated that Sweden and Denmark would be required to pay an annual tribute to the Moroccan sultanate in order to be granted safe passage from the Barbary pirates.

Contents

In 1843 the Danish king Christian VIII proposed that the Danish and Swedish fleets should join forces to militarily pressure Morocco to relinquish their attacks on Swedish and Danish merchants without the payment of tribute. The following year, the fleets of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway jointly embarked on a military expedition to Morocco, and after a year of negotiations, the Moroccan Sultan Abd al-Rahman agreed to the new stipulations proposed by the Danish and Swedish negotiators.

Background

Throughout the 1700s, the nations of Sweden and Denmark-Norway were forced to sign numerous unfair treaties with the Barbary pirates to ensure that their merchants would be able to travel through the Mediterranean without becoming the victim of a pirate attack. [1] The Scandinavian nations were forced to pay hefty annual tributes to the numerous sultanates with the failure to pay this sum often being met by declarations of war or an increase in attacks against the merchants of that nation. [2] [3] [1] Partly due to the distance between them, countries such as Denmark and Sweden did however often not have any other choice than to concede to the Barbary pirates' demands and would continue to pay and give luxury presents to the pirates. [3] However, the start of the 19th century would see a great decline in the power and influence of said pirates. The Ottomans strengthening their control over Tripoli and the French invasion of Algiers in 1830 were all events that greatly weakened the pirates and the annual payment of tributes to the barbary states was, for the most part, a thing of the past by 1830. [2] [1] [4] However, Sweden-Norway and Denmark were notable exceptions as they were still being extorted for money by Morocco and merchants from said countries would have to regularly be escorted by their respective navies. [3] [1] However, Morocco was in a very weak state at this time, being the only remaining Barbary state and not having been able to keep up with the technological advancements of the European navies. The weakened state of Morocco was enough for Christian VIII to, in 1843, deploy the Danish navy to travel down to Morocco to pressure Abd al-Rahman of Morocco to end their collection of Danish tributes in a show of force. [1] Sweden-Norway would join the Danish expedition a year later, in 1844. [3]

Departure to Morocco

The Danish flotilla

In 1843, the Danish corvette Flora, under Captain Paludan, received a secret order to travel down to Morocco with a small fleet in an attempt to end the annual tribute to the sultan. [5] The flotilla was later joined by the brig Set Croix from the Caribbean the same year and also by the frigates Geifon, under HGF Garde, and Thelis under H. Aschehoug in 1844. [5] Also present was the cutter brig Merkurius. [3]

However, even with such a force, negotiations with Abd al-Rahman of Morocco remained at a standstill. This forced Christian VIII to ask the Swedes for their aid in their expedition in 1843. [2] Sweden-Norway was also being extorted for money by the Barbary pirates at this and was therefore willing to contribute to the military pressure put upon Morocco to end their own annual payment of tributes. [6] In the of spring 1844, after his accession to the Swedish and Norwegian thrones, King Oscar I agreed to dispatch the Swedish Navy to aid Denmark in their expedition. [3] [1]

The Swedish frigate HSwMS Josephine Fo41927A JOSEPHINE.jpg
The Swedish frigate HSwMS Josephine

The Swedish-Norwegian flottila

On 2 September 1844, the corvette Carlskrona, the schooner l'Aigle, and the frigate Josephine set sail from Sweden under C.H Ulner to the Mediterranean. [2] [4] [3] [1] Josephine was the flottilla's flagship, being the largest of the deployed warships, with a 700-strong crew and around 70 cannons. [3] The corvette Carlskrona under Gustaf Ruuth had a crew of 130 and was the second largest ship dispatched, with the l'Aigle being the smallest. [6] [3] The corvette Nordstiernan would be deployed from the Norwegian Navy, though it was under the command of C.H Ulner onboard the Josephine. [3]

Journey to Gibraltar

On 3 September, the Swedish flotilla arrived in Copenhagen where they received Danish pilots from the local Swedish consulate before continuing up through Kattegat on the 5th along with the Danish steamship Hekla under Captain Mourier after a short stay. [5] [3] After traveling up the Swedish west coast, they again anchored at Elfsborgs fortress where they would take the giraffe Hadgi onboard to take him home to Egypt. [3] Hadgi had been a present from the Egyptian pasha to Oscar I after his accession to the throne in March, however, the giraffe would die before making it to Egypt. [3]

On the 15th, the flotilla left Elfsborg to resume its journey leaving Kattegat, along with the Danish pilots, behind. The next day, the fleet entered the North Sea during a hefty storm and would spend the night in Ramsgate, England. [3] [7]

On the 27th, the Swedes entered the Bay of Biscay. While passing by the southern tip of Portugal, a tired dove landed on the Carlskrona's rudder which would inspire the corvette's doctor, Herman Sätherberg, to write a short poem named "Den lilla tuturduvan i spanskasjön" (The little singing dove in the bay of Biscay), and he would become quite popular back at home as a poet and a writer upon returning. [3] [8]

The flotilla would enter the Mediterranean the next day on the 28th, they would sail by Tanger where they would be met by raised flags by the local Portuguese and British consulates before anchoring. [3] The Swedes were welcomed by the British garrison and invited onboard HMS Albion after a salute from the Swedes. [3]

Stay at Gibraltar

Upon arrival, the Swedes met up with the Danish navy and the Norwegian corvette Nordenstiernan, and the situation regarding Morocco was discussed on the Danish Merkurius where the Danes informed the Swedes of the diplomatic standstill with the Moroccan sultan. [3] C. H. Ulner, Gustaf Ruuth, and the Swedish-Norwegian general consul Ehrenoff would represent Sweden-Norway in the negotiations with Abd al-Rahman. The General consul Carstensen was the representative for Denmark, and Fredrick Crusenstolpe would be the translator between the Scandinavians and Abd al-Rahman. [9] [2] [5] The negotiations took place on the frigate Josephine which had anchored outside Tanger. [3] The French and the British had provided their diplomatic support to the Scandinavians, and the French had recently started a war with Morocco which strengthened the positions of the Scandinavian powers diplomatically. [2] [5]

While the negotiations would drag on, the crew of the Scandinavian navies would dedicate their time to festivities and exploring Gibraltar. The day after Christmas, the Swedes would invite their Danish, Norwegian, and even British counterparts to take part in a traditional Swedish 'Annandag' celebration. [3] The festivities continued on New Year's Eve where the Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish sailors would sing their respective national anthems during heavy rain as the clock turned 12. [3]

From January 1845, the location of where the negotiations took place changed to the sultan's palace. [2] [3] Negotiations reached a breakthrough in April in Larache where the sultan finally agreed to the Swedish/Norwegian and Danish demands to end the annual tribute, borrowing one last payment of 133 532 riksdaler from Sweden-Norway. [2] [3] [6] [9] However, until the treaty would become ratified, the fleets of Denmark and Sweden-Norway would continue to guard Swedish-Norwegian trade flowing through the area from any attacks from Morocco. [10] [5]

Aftermath

1845 would mark the last time either Sweden-Norway or Denmark would pay tribute to the Barbary pirates, although they were the last in Europe to do so. [1] [2] The Treaty of Larache would be signed by Ehrenoff and C. H. Ulner on the Swedish side and Buselham Ben-Ali on the Moroccan, the treaty would be ratified in Stockholm upon Ehrenoff's arrival. [2] Both Ehrenoff and C. H. Ulner would receive the Order of the Polar Star and the Order of the Dannebrog for their actions during the expedition. [2]

The corvette Carlskrona would cease guarding Swedish-Norwegian trade and received orders to conduct a new voyage towards Saint Barthelemy in July after the treaty was ratified. [10] However, she capsized, leading to 114 deaths which was the biggest Swedish maritime disaster in peace-time. [6] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Navy</span> Naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces

The Swedish Navy is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet, formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Barbary War</span> War between United States and the Barbary states, 1801–1805

The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States and Sweden fought against Ottoman Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war against Sweden and the United States over disputes regarding tributary payments made by both states in exchange for a cessation of Tripolitanian commerce raiding at sea. United States President Thomas Jefferson refused to pay this tribute. Sweden had been at war with the Tripolitans since 1800. The First Barbary War was the first major American war fought outside the New World, and in the Arab world, besides the smaller American–Algerian War (1785–1795).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary Wars</span> Wars in coastal North Africa, 1801, 1815

The Barbary Wars were a series of two wars fought by the United States, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Sicily against the Barbary states and Morocco of North Africa in the early 19th century. Sweden had been at war with the Tripolitans since 1800 and was joined by the newly independent US. The First Barbary War extended from 10 May 1801 to 10 June 1805, with the Second Barbary War lasting only three days, ending on 19 June 1815. The Barbary Wars were the first major American war fought entirely outside the New World, and in the Arab World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Barbary War</span> 1815 war between Algiers and the USA

The Second Barbary War, also known as the U.S.–Algerian War and the Algerine War, was a brief military conflict between the United States and the North African state of Algiers in 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary pirates</span> Pirates based in North Africa

The Barbary pirates, Barbary corsairs, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen were mainly Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barbary Coast, in reference to the Berbers. Slaves in Barbary could be of many ethnicities, and of many different religions, such as Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. Their predation extended throughout the Mediterranean, south along West Africa's Atlantic seaboard and into the North Atlantic as far north as Iceland, but they primarily operated in the western Mediterranean. In addition to seizing merchant ships, they engaged in razzias, raids on European coastal towns and villages, mainly in Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, but also in the British Isles, and Iceland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd al-Rahman of Morocco</span> Sultan of Morocco from 1822 to 1859

MoulayAbd al-Rahman bin Hisham was 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Seven Years' War</span> 16th-century war fought in Scandinavia

The Northern Seven Years' War was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck, and Poland–Lithuania between 1563 and 1570. The war was motivated by the dissatisfaction of King Frederick II of Denmark with the dissolution of the Kalmar Union, and the will of King Eric XIV of Sweden to break Denmark's dominating position. The fighting continued until both armies had been exhausted, and many men died. The resulting Treaty of Stettin was a stalemate, with neither party gaining any new territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Isly</span>

The Battle of Isly was fought on August 14, 1844, between France and Morocco, near the Isly River. French forces under Marshal Thomas Robert Bugeaud routed a much larger, but poorly organized, Moroccan force, mainly fighters from the tribes of Beni Snassen, but also from the Beni Angad and Beni Oukil; under Muhammad, son of the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Rahman. Bugeaud, attempting to complete the French conquest of Algeria, instigated the battle without a declaration of war in order to force negotiations concerning Moroccan support for the Algerian resistance leader Abd el-Kader to conclude on terms favorable to the French who demanded the Sultan of Morocco to withdraw support for Abd el-Kader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Buses</span> 1945 rescue operation of concentration camp inmates

White Buses was a Swedish humanitarian operation with the objective of freeing Scandinavians in German concentration camps in Nazi Germany during the final stages of World War II. Although the White Buses operation was envisioned to rescue Scandinavians, one-half of those taken from the camps to Sweden were of other nationalities. The buses used to transport the prisoners were painted white with red crosses painted on the roof, side, front and back, so that the buses would not be mistaken for military targets by Allied air forces. Those allowed by the Germans to be freed from the concentration camps were transported by the white buses and trucks to the port city of Lübeck, Germany. Swedish ships took them onward to Malmö, Sweden. Danes continued on by land on the white buses to Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Moroccan War</span> 1844 war between France and Morocco

The Franco-Moroccan War was fought between the Kingdom of France and the Sultanate of Morocco from 6 August to 10 September 1844. The principal cause of war was the retreat of Algerian resistance leader Abd al-Kader into Morocco following French victories over many of his tribal supporters during the French conquest of Algeria and the refusal of the Sultan of Morocco Moulay Abd al-Rahman to abandon the cause of Abd al-Kader against colonial occupation.

Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Reis Mourad the Younger, was a Dutch pirate who later became a Barbary corsair in Ottoman Algeria and the Republic of Salé. After being captured by Algerian corsairs off Lanzarote in 1618, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Mourad. He became one of the most famous of the 17th-century Barbary corsairs. Together with other corsairs, he helped establish the independent Republic of Salé at the city of that name, serving as the first President and Commander. He also served as Governor of Oualidia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary slave trade</span> Slave markets in North Africa

The Barbary slave trade involved the capture and selling of white European slaves at slave markets in the largely independent Ottoman Barbary states. European slaves were captured by Barbary pirates in slave raids on ships and by raids on coastal towns from Italy to Ireland, and the southwest of Britain, as far north as Iceland and into the Eastern Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Moroccan alliance</span> Alliance between England and Morocco

The Anglo-Moroccan alliance was established at the end of the 16th century and the early 17th century between the kingdoms of England and Morocco. Commercial agreements had been reached by Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Moroccan Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur on the basis of a common enmity to Philip II of Spain. The arms trade dominated the exchange, and numerous attempts at direct military collaboration were also made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French conquest of Algeria</span> Conquest of Algeria by France, 1830-1903

The French conquest of Algeria took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France invaded and quickly seized Algiers in 1830, and seized other coastal communities. Amid internal political strife in France, decisions were repeatedly taken to retain control of the territory, and additional military forces were brought in over the following years to quell resistance in the interior of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Salé</span> 17th-century city-state in North Africa

The Republic of Salé, also known as the Bou Regreg Republic and the Republic of the Two Banks, was a city-state maritime corsair republic based at Salé in Morocco during the 17th century, located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river. It was founded by Moriscos from the town of Hornachos, in western Spain. The Moriscos were the descendants of Muslims who were nominally converted to Christianity, and were subject to mass deportation during Philip III's reign, following the expulsion of the Moriscos decrees. The republic's main commercial activities were the Barbary slave trade and piracy during its brief existence in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France–Africa relations</span>

France–Africa relations cover a period of several centuries, starting around in the Middle Ages, and have been very influential to both regions.

Events from the year 1770 in Denmark.

"Proposals for concerted operation among the powers at war with the Pyratical states of Barbary" was the title of an identic note written by Thomas Jefferson in 1786, when he was the American ambassador to France. It proposed an intergovernmental military alliance for purposes of instituting a naval blockade of the Ottoman Regency of Algiers, which allowed the Barbary pirates to attack ships. The alliance was opposed by Congress and was never implemented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austrian expedition against Morocco (1829)</span> Rescue of Austrian Merchant Vessel

The Austrian Expedition against Morocco of 1829 was a successful effort of the Austrian Navy to liberate an Austrian merchant ship and its crew that had been hijacked by Morocco.

The Treaty of Larache was a treaty between Sweden-Norway, Denmark and Morocco as a result of the Moroccan expedition (1843-45). The expedition was conducted by the combined navies of Sweden-Norway and Denmark to pressure the Moroccan sultanate into agreeing to the reversal of several old unfair treaties and to put a halt to the annual payment of tribute to Morocco in exchange for safe passage through the Mediterranean. After months of negotiations, the Moroccan sultan, Abd al-Rahman, eventually caved under the pressure from the allied powers in April 1845 in Larache as Morocco was very weak at this time due to them simultaneously fighting in the Franco-Moroccan War. The treaty was later ratified in Stockholm in May.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "I främmande hamn – den svenska och svensk-norska konsulstjänsten 1700-1985" (PDF). Sjöhistoriskasamfundet (in Swedish). p. 152.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Johan Mathias Ehrenhoff". Riksarkivet (in Swedish).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Korvetten Carlskronas resa till Medelhavet 1844-45" (PDF). Sjöhistoriskasamfundet (in Swedish). p. 7.
  4. 1 2 "Consuls, Corsairs and Commerence - The Swedish consular service and Long-distance shipping, 1720-1815" (PDF). Divaportal. p. 131.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "De vigtigste af danske foretagne Rejser og Forskninger i Afrika". Tidsskrift (in Danish).
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Långresor och utlandsbesök med svenska örlogsfartyg mellan 1784 - 2005". HMS Älvsnabben (in Swedish).
  7. "Sveriges förhållanden till Barbareskstaterna i Afrika". Runeberg (in Swedish).
  8. "Söterifrihet - Sätherberg". Runeberg (in Swedish).
  9. 1 2 "JOSEPHINE". Digital museum (in Swedish).
  10. 1 2 3 "Marinen på 1800 talet". Försvarsmakten (in Swedish).