Mohammed Ben Aarafa ( ar, محمد بن عرفة), or Ben Arafa (1886 – 17 July 1976), was a paternal first cousin once removed of
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
Mohammed V of Morocco
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
; he was put in Mohammed V's place by the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
after they exiled Mohammed V to
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...
in August 1953. His reign as "Mohammed VI" was not recognized in the
Spanish-protected part of Morocco. Protests against Ben Aarafa helped lead to Moroccan independence, which was agreed to between
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and Mohammed V, after his abdication in October 1955.
Nomenclature
In Morocco, the subject of this article is "known simply as 'Mohammed ben Arafa', as if he came from an ordinary family of Fez, where
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
s in 'Ben' are very common, and is no longer acknowledged as heir to the
sharif
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, f ...
an and
royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
line."
Others, including notable historians like
Charles-André Julien
Charles-André Julien (2 September 1891 – 19 July 1991) was a French journalist and historian specialised in the history of the Maghreb, his most famous work is ''Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord : Des origines à 1830'' (History of North Africa ...
,
Michel Abitbol and
Bernard Lugan
Bernard Lugan (born 10 May 1946) is a French historian who specialises in African history. He is a professor at the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale (IHEDN) and the editor of the journal ''L'Afrique réelle'' ("Real Africa"). Luga ...
have chosen to refer to him as '
Moulay' (prince) 'ben Arafa', rather than the traditional 'Sidi Mohammed ben Arafa', used by Joseph Luccioni and Roger Gruner. He is never referred to as 'Mohammed VI', which instead refers to the
current king of Morocco.
Birth and family
Mohammed ben Arafa was born around 1886 in
Fez, which was then the Alaouite capital.
He was a member of the Sharifian and Royal
Alaouite
The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning d ...
line through his father Moulay Arafa,
[.] who was himself the son of
Mohammed IV.
[.] Thus he was the nephew of
Hassan I
''Mawlay'' Hassan bin Mohammed ( ar, الحسن بن محمد, translit=al-Ḥassan bin Muḥammad), known as Hassan I ( ar, الحسن الأول, translit=al-Ḥassan al-Awwal), born in 1836 in Fes and died on 9 June 1894 in Tadla, was a sulta ...
and cousin of the latter's sons and successors
Abd el-Aziz,
Abd el-hafid, and
Yusef
Yusuf ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ( ar, يوسف ٱبن يعقوب ٱبن إسحاق ٱبن إبراهيم, Yūsuf ibn Yaʿqūb ibn ʾIsḥāq ibn ʾIbrāhīm, ) is a prophet mentioned in the Quran, and corresponds to Joseph, a perso ...
.
Through his mother, Lalla Nufissa, he was linked to the Al-Glaoui tribe, since she was a cousin of Madani El Glaoui who had been vizir of war under Abd el-Aziz and Grand Vizir under Abd el-Hafid after helping him overthrow his brother Abd el-Aziz in 1908.
[.] Madani was in turn the brother of
Thami El Glaoui who would play a central role in Ben Arafa's accession to the throne in 1953.
Ben Arafa married Lalla Hania bint Tahar, a granddaughter of
Hassan I of Morocco, who had formerly been married to sultan Abd el-Hafid, but had divorced him after he abdicated and went into exile in 1912.
Her sister
Lalla Abla bint Tahar was married to Mohammed V (as his second wife).
Reign
Ben Arafa was placed on the Alouite throne on 21 August 1953 after his cousin Mohammed V was deposed, by the French authorities, which maintained a
protectorate in Morocco under the 1912
Treaty of Fez.
[.] General
Augustin Guillaume
Augustin Léon Guillaume (30 July 1895 – 9 March 1983) was a French general. He served in the French Army beginning in 1913, during World War I and World War II. From August 1951 to May 1954, he served as the Resident-General in French Morocco, ...
, who had been
resident-general of Morocco since 1951, had clashed with Mohammed V because of the latter's support for the Moroccan independence movement and led a campaign to overthrow him, which was supported by the French colonists and some Moroccan leaders, such as Thami El Glaoui the Pasha of
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
. Eventually, the sultan was arrested, loaded onto an aeroplane and sent into exile - first in
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
, and later in
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...
. Despite Mohammed V's refusal to abdicate, the
Ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
of Fez recognised Ben Arafa as his successor.
Ben Arafa is best known for being the subject of a plot by
Thami El Glaoui, Pasha of
Marrakech
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
to dethrone his cousin Mohammed V.
His short reign was marked by increasing violence from the nationalists who refused to recognise him as sultan. Less than a month into his reign, on 11 September 1953, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt by one
Allal ben Abdallah. His power was limited by the authority of the resident-general (General Guillaume until 1954 and then
Francis Lacoste
Francis may refer to:
People
* Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
* Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
*Rural ...
) and the influence of the Pasha of Marrakesh, but also by the radicalisation of the French colonists who founded the 'Présence française' party.
Because of Ben Arafa's lack of legitimacy or popularity with the Moroccan population, as well as the increasing links of the violence in Morocco with that in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
and with the
Algerian War
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
, led the French authorities to consider deposing him and restoring Mohammed V in 1955.
Gilbert Grandval
Gilbert Grandval (born Gilbert Hirsch, subsequently Gilbert Hirsch-Ollendorff: 12 February 1904 – 29 November 1981) was a French Resistance activist who went on to become the military governor of the Saarland in 1945. He remained in post for a ...
, who had been named as the new resident-general, decided to meet with Grand Vizir
Muhammad al-Muqri
Haj Muhammad Ben Abdessalam al-Muqri (, February 2, 1854 – September 9, 1957) was a senior Morocco, Moroccan official of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was an adviser and grand vizier to several List of rulers of Morocco, sultans of M ...
. Al-Muqri flew to France and met with Grandval at
Vichy
Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais.
It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...
and intimated that Ben Arafa needed to leave, in light of popular agitation throughout the country, and it was envisioned that Mohammed V would be restored to power. On 1 October, Ben Arafa abdicated.
Mohammed V's triumphant return to Morocco on 16 November 1955, after the Accords of
La Celle-Saint-Cloud
La Celle-Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the Yvelines department of the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a western suburb of Paris, from the center.
Population
Transport
La Celle-Saint-Cloud is served by two stations on ...
, marked the end of Ben Arafa's short reign and the restoration of full sovereignty to Morocco, which was completed in 1956 with the end of the French and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
protectorates.
Exile and death
After his abdication in October 1955, Ben Arafa went to
Tangiers
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 capi ...
, which was then an
international city
An international city is an autonomous or semi-autonomous city-state that is separate from the direct supervision of any single nation-state.
Rationale for establishment
International cities have had either one or both of the following characte ...
.
After it was reintegrated into Morocco, he departed for
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...
where he was sumptuously supported by the French authorities. He became more and more withdrawn, especially after the death of his wife and is not known to have ever spoken about what led him to collaborate in the deposition of his cousin. He was forbidden to return to Morocco, as a traitor. In the late 1960s he moved to
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, but after an incident in which some thieves stole his old royal seal, he returned to Nice, where he died on 17 July 1976.
Honours
*Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of the Legion of Honor of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
10 December 1953.
See also
*
List of Kings of Morocco
*
History of Morocco
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as wel ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
* .
* .
*
*
Michel Abitbol, ''Histoire du Maroc'', Paris, Perrin, 2009 pp. 34, 536–549.
* .
Contemporary films
*
:: News report shortly after Ben Arafa's accession, featuring Ben Arafa, Resident-general Guillaume, and Pasha Thami el-Glaoui (in French).
*
:: News report featuring Ben Arafa, Resident-general Guillaume, and Pasha Thami el-Glaoui (in French).
*
:: News report featuring
Rafael García Valiño
Rafael García Valiño (24 October 189829 June 1972) was a Spanish army officer who fought in the Spanish Civil War for the Nationalist faction.
Early life
He was born in Toledo, and enrolled in the Infantry Academy at age fifteen. In 1916, ...
, High-commissioner of Spanish Morocco and
Khalifa
Khalifa or Khalifah (Arabic: خليفة) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups and others. Khalif ...
Moulay el-Hassan, the representative of the sultan in the northern section of the Spanish protectorate (in French).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben Aarafa, Mohammed
1889 births
1976 deaths
'Alawi dynasty monarchs
Moroccan people of Arab descent
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
People from Fez, Morocco
Sultans of Morocco
20th-century Arabs