Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud bin Mohammed Anun () was the principal secretary to the Moroccan Emperor Mulay Ahmad al-Mansur and ambassador to the court of Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

in 1600, whose primary task was to promote the establishment of an Anglo-Moroccan alliance.

Career

The visit of Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud followed the sailing of '' The Lion'' in 1551, and the 1585 establishment of the English Barbary Company, which had the objective of developing trade between England and Morocco... Diplomatic relations and an alliance were established between Elizabeth and the Barbary states. The last years of the 16th century saw major English successes against Spain, with the English victory against the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

in 1588, and the

Capture of Cadiz Capture may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Capture", a song by Simon Townshend * Capture (band), an Australian electronicore band previously known as Capture the Crown * ''Capture'' (TV series), a reality show Television episodes * "Chapter ...

by the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

in 1597. As a result, Sultan

Ahmad al-Mansur Ahmad al-Mansur (; 1549 – 25 August 1603), also known by the nickname al-Dhahabī () was the Saadi Sultanate, 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 ...

decided to send an embassy to propose a joint invasion of Spain.

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

Collections Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud was accompanied by al Haji Messa and al Haji Bahanet, as well as an interpreter named Abd el-Dodar, an Andalusian by birth, under cover of a trade mission to

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

with a stopover in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

.. Altogether, the embassy numbered 16 (including some prisoners being returned to England), and sailed on board ''The Eagle'' under Robert Kitchen. Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud reached Dover on 8 August 1600.. Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud spent 6 months at the court of Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

during 1600 with the aim of negotiating an alliance against

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 ...

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

exhibition "East-West: Objects between cultures" Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud spoke some Spanish, but he communicated to the Queen through his interpreter who spoke in Italian. They met with the Queen on 19 August and again on 10 September. The Moroccan ruler wanted the help of an English fleet to invade Spain. While Elizabeth refused, she welcomed the embassy and accepted the establishment of commercial agreements involving the two countries. Queen Elizabeth and Sultan Ahmad continued to discuss various plans for combined military operations, with Elizabeth requesting a payment of 100,000 pounds in advance from Sultan Ahmad for the supply of a fleet, with Ahmad asking for an English ship to be sent to get the money. Discussions however remained inconclusive, and both rulers died within two years of the embassy.

In popular culture

It has been suggested that Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud inspired the character of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's Moorish hero

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

, but others have argued that there is no connection. In 2016, David Serero played Othello in a Moroccan adaptation inspired by Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud. The painting of Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud is held by the Barber Institute at the

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Messaoud, Abd El-Ouahed Ben Year of birth uncertain 16th-century diplomats Morocco–United Kingdom relations Year of death missing 16th-century Moroccan people 17th-century Moroccan people People from Marrakesh Ambassadors of Morocco to the Kingdom of England People of the Tudor period Othello

Career

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References