Ali Abu Hassun (), also Abu al Hasan Abu Hasun or Abu Hasun, full name Abu al-Hasan Abu Hasun Ali ibn Muhammad (died September 1554), was a regent of the Crown of

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

for the

Wattasid dynasty The Wattasid dynasty (, ''al-waṭṭāsīyūn'') was a ruling dynasty of Morocco. Like the Marinid dynasty, its rulers were of Zenata Berber descent. The two families were related, and the Marinids recruited many viziers from the Wattasids. T ...

during the 16th century.

Life

In 1545, he succeeded Sultan Ahmad, who had been taken prisoner by his southern rivals the

Saadians The Saadi Sultanate (), also known as the Sharifian Sultanate (), was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of Northwest Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was led by the Saadi dynasty, an Arab Sharifian dynasty. The dynas ...

.''A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period'' by Jamil M. Abun-Nasr p.155''ff''
/ref> Ali Abu Hassun became regent for Ahmad's young son Nasir al-Qasiri. Upon his accession, he pledged allegiance to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

to obtain its support. Ahmad came back after two years, and was able to rule from 1547 until 1549 when Fez and then

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

were conquered by his southern Saadian rivals under

Mohammed ash-Sheikh ''Mawlay'' Mohammed al-Shaykh al-Sharif al-Hassani (), known as Mohammed al-Shaykh () (b. 1490 – d. 23 October 1557), was the first sultan of the Saadian dynasty of Morocco (1544–1557). He was particularly successful in expelling the Portugue ...

.''The last great Muslim empires: history of the Muslim world'' by Frank Ronald Charles Bagley, Hans Joachim Kissling p.103
/ref> Sultan Ahmad died that year, and Ali Abu Hassun again became regent, but since his country was occupied by the Saadians, he was offered asylum in Ottoman

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

.''A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period'' by Jamil M. Abun-Nasr p.155''ff''
/ref> Following the reconquest of the

Kingdom of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen () was a kingdom ruled by the Berber Zayyanid dynasty in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached ...

over the Saadians in 1549, Ali Abu Hassun was able with the help of the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

under

Salah Rais Salah Rais () ( 1488 – 1568) was the 7th King of Algiers, an Ottoman privateer and admiral. He is alternatively referred to as ''Sala Reis'', ''Salih Rais'', ''Salek Rais'' and ''Cale Arraez'' in several European sources, particularly in Sp ...

to reconquer Fez in 1554, and was put in place as Sultan of Fez, supported by

janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

. Ali Abu Hassun paid off the Turkish troops and gave them the base of Peñon de Velez, which the Moroccans had reconquered in 1522. The reconquest of Fes was short-lived however. Ali Abu Hassun was vanquished and killed by the Saadians at the

Battle of Tadla The Battle of Tadla occurred in September 1554 in Tadla, Morocco, between Ali Abu Hassun, last ruler of the Wattasid dynasty, and Mohammed ash-Sheikh, ruler of the Saadis. Background In 1545 the Wattasid ruler in northern Morocco, Abu Hassun, s ...

in September 1554. Mohammed ash-Sheik was able to recapture the city of Fez and became the undisputed ruler of Morocco, establishing the

Saadian dynasty The Saadi Sultanate (), also known as the Sharifian Sultanate (), was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of Northwest Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was led by the Saadi dynasty, an Arab Sharifism, Sharifian dynasty. ...

as the sole ruler of the country. He then started negotiations with

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 ...

to oust the Ottomans.''A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period'' by Jamil M. Abun-Nasr p.157
/ref>

Notes

{{end box 1554 deaths 16th-century Moroccan people 16th-century Berber people 16th-century monarchs in Africa Year of birth unknown Wattasid dynasty