The Conquest of Melilla occurred on the 17th of September 1497, when a fleet sent by the Duke of Medina Sidonia occupied the north African city of Melilla. After the conquest of Granada by Spain and the fall of the

Emirate of Granada The Emirate of Granada, also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, was an Emirate, Islamic polity in the southern Iberian Peninsula during the Late Middle Ages, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty. It was the last independent Muslim state in Western ...

the Mediterranean coast of the Sultanate of Fez became very unsettled, often raided by Barbary pirates or pirates from Cádiz. Melilla and other cities fell in decadence, unlike cities on the Atlantic coast with most of the economic activity. Also, the port, fortress and walls of Melilla had been destroyed in disputes between the rulers of Fez and

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 ...

. The Catholic monarchs saw Melilla as a way to expand along the African Mediterranean coast to secure Aragonese, Castilian and Genoese sea trade. However, by the end of the Granada War, Melilla was in the Portuguese zone of influence under the terms of the 1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas. After the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas the crown of Castile attempted to conquer of Melilla but still needed to end the Conquest of the Canary Islands, not to mention the economic efforts set on the voyages of Christopher Columbus. The prominent Duke of Medina Sidonia, one of the wealthiest men in the Crown of Castile, contributed soldiers to the Battle of Aguere during the Conquest of the Canary Islands, and sent to Melilla with ships, soldiers and builders. They arrived on 17 September 1497, conquered the city virtually without a fight, and started to rebuild the city walls and fortress. The Wattasid ruler Muhammad al-Shaykh sent a detachment of cavalry to retake the city, but they were repulsed by the guns of the Spanish ships. After the conquest of Melilla, Cazaza and Mazalquivir fell in 1505, Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera in 1508,

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

in 1509, and the Peñón of Algiers, Béjaïa and Tripoli in 1510. Annaba, Bizerta,

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

and

La Goulette La Goulette (, ), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia. La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake of Tunis, Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...

fell in 1535, while the Portuguese focused on the Atlantic coast, conquering

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

(1415), Tangier (1471), Mazagan (1502), Agadir (1505),

Mogador Essaouira ( ; ), known until the 1960s as Mogador (, or ), is a port city in the western Morocco, Moroccan region of Marrakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It has 77,966 inhabitants as of 2014. The foundation of the city of Essao ...

(1506), and

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

(1515). September 17 is Melilla Day.

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{Melilla 1490s in Spain 1497 in Europe History of Melilla Melilla Melilla Melilla

See also

Notes

Bibliography