Marthe Franceschini (1755 - 1799), renamed Lalla Dawiya was a slave concubine and then the wife of Sultan

Mohammed ben Abdallah ''Sidi'' Mohammed ben Abdallah ''al-Khatib'' (), known as Mohammed III (), born in 1710 in Fez, Morocco, Fes and died on 9 April 1790 in Meknes, was the List of rulers of Morocco, Sultan of Morocco from 1757 to 1790 as a member of the 'Alawi dyna ...

of Morocco (r. 1757–1790). She was born in Corsica, but Doctor William Lempriere who met her reports that she was an Italian woman native of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. When she was seven, she was kidnapped by corsairs and sold at the slave market in Morocco. Described as a beauty, she was acquired by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah as a slave concubine in his harem. She eventually gained a favorite position in the 'Alawi harem. As such, she converted to Islam and was given the name Lalla Dawiya. In 1786, the sultan made her one of his legal wives. She maintained diplomatic contacts with Europeans rulers such as

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marthe, Franceschini 1755 births 1799 deaths Slave concubines Moroccan slaves Alawi dynasty 18th-century Moroccan women 18th-century Moroccan people 18th-century slaves Slaves of the Barbary Coast

See also

References