Principality of Debdou

Principality of Debdou إمارة دبدو (Arabic)
1430–1563
Map of Morocco in 1515. The Principality of Debdou is in the east.
Capital	Debdou
Religion	Islam, Judaism
Government	Hereditary monarchy
Emir
• 1430–1460 (first)	Musa ibn Hammu
• 1460–1485	Ahmad ibn Musa
• 1485–1515	Muhammad ibn Ahmad
• 1515–1550	Muhammad II
• 1550–1563 (last)	Ammar
History
• Established	1430
• Disestablished	1563
Preceded by Succeeded by Marinid Sultanate Saadi Sultanate
Today part of	Morocco

The Principality of Debdou was an autonomous hereditary viceroyalty that existed in eastern Morocco from 1430 to 1563, with its capital at Debdou. It was governed by the Ouartajin, a dynasty of Berber descent, related to the Marinids and Wattasids. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The Principality of Debdou was first established in 1430 as a governorate of Morocco, then ruled by the Marinids. Debdou served as a march of the Marinid Sultanate against the Abd al-Wadid Kingdom of Tlemcen. ^[3]

By the second half of the 15th century, the Ouartajin gained more autonomy towards Fez, as the Marinids lost their prestige and most of their power to the Wattasid Viziers. ^[1] The Principality became fully autonomous when Muhammad ibn Ahmed was appointed Viceroy of Debdou by the Wattasid Sultan Muhammad ibn Yahya (r. 1472–1504). ^[1]

During the last years of the reign of Muhammad II, the Principality of Debdou became a tributary state of the Saadians. ^[1] Moulay Ammar assisted the Ottomans in the Capture of Fez in 1554 ^{[4] [5]} and later defected to the Saadians in the Battle of Wadi al-Laban in 1558 against the Turks of Hasan Pasha. ^{[6] [7]} In 1563, the Saadi Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib overthrew the Ouartajin and made Debdou a fully dependent Pashalik of Morocco, serving to defend against the Ottoman Empire. ^[1]

List of Emirs

Reign	Emir	Notes
1430–1460	Musa ibn Hammu	Appointed governor of Debdou.
1460–1485	Ahmad ibn Musa
1485–1515	Muhammad ibn Ahmad	Appointed Viceroy of Debdou after being besieged by Muhammad ibn Yahya.
1515–1550	Muhammad II	Became tributary of the Saadi Sultanate.
1550–1563	Ammar	Annexation of the Principality following his death by Abdallah al-Ghalib.

References

1. Mohammed Nehlil, Notice sur les tribus de la région de Debdou, 1911, p.42-43
2. Louis Massignon, Le Maroc dans les premières années du XVIe siècle : Tableau géographique d'après Léon L'Africain, in: Mémoires de la Société Historique Algérienne I, Éd. Adolphe Jourdan, 1906, p.266
3. El Briga, C. (1995-04-01). "Debdou". Encyclopédie berbère (in French) (15): 2254–2255. doi: 10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2230 . ISSN   1015-7344.
4. Cour, Auguste (1920). La dynastie marocaine des Beni Wattâs (1420-1544) (in French). P. Geuthner. p. 218. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
5. Chavrebière, Coissac de (1931). Histoire du Maroc (in French). Payot. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
6. Boyer, Pierre (1966). "Contribution à l'étude de la politique religieuse des Turcs dans la Régence d'Alger (XVIe-XIXe siècles)". Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée. 1 (1): 11–49. doi:10.3406/remmm.1966.910.
7. Margoliouth, D. S. (1936). "Les Sources inédites de l'Histoire du Maroc. Publiées par Pierre de Cenival et Philippe de Cossé Brissac. Première Série—Dynastie Sa'dienne; Archives et Bibliothèques d'Angleterre: Tome III: Mars 1626–1660. Publication de la Section Historique du Maroc. Paris: Paul Geuthner, 1936. Frs. 150" . Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 70 (2): 328. doi:10.1017/s0035869x00088328. ISSN   0035-869X.