Moroccan–Portuguese conflicts refer to a series of military engagements between

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 ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

throughout history from 1415 to 1769. The first military conflict, in 21 August 1415, took the form of a surprise assault on Ceuta by 45,000 Portuguese soldiers who traveled on 200 ships. It was later followed by the Siege of Ceuta in 1419. These events marked the beginning of the decline of the

Marinid Sultanate The Marinid dynasty ( ) was a Berbers, Berber Muslim dynasty that controlled present-day Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century and intermittently controlled other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian P ...

and the start of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

. The major battle, Battle of Alcácer Quibir, fought at Ksar-el-Kebir on 4 August 1578, was a catalyst for the 1580 Portuguese succession crisis. This resulted in a dynastic union between the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...

and the

Kingdom of 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 ...

. The conflicts ended when Portugal lost Mazagan ( El Jadida) in 1769 to the 'Alawite Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah.

Portuguese expansion (1415–1515)

started to occupy parts of coastal

in 1415 with the

Conquest of Ceuta The Portuguese conquest of Ceuta took place on 21 August 1415, between Portuguese forces under the command of King John I of Portugal and the Marinid Sultanate, Marinid sultanate of Morocco at the city of Ceuta. The city's defenses fell unde ...

, which was besieged unsuccessfully three years later by the Moroccans. Then under

Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V (; 15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...

, Portugal conquered Alcácer-Ceguer in 1458, Arzila in 1471 and

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

, which was won and lost several times between 1460 and 1464. These achievements earned the King the nickname of ''the'' ''African''. Portugal and

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 ...

had passed an agreement in 1496 in which they effectively established their zones of influence on the

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

n coast: Spain could only occupy territory east of Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera. This restriction would only end with the dynastic union of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns under Philip II after the 1578 Battle of Alcácer Quibir, when Spain began to take direct action in Morocco, as in the occupation of Larache in 1610. Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized six Moroccan cities and built six stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, between the Loukkos River in the north and the Sous River in the south. The six cities were:

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 ...

(1415–1668), Alcácer-Ceguer (1458–1549),

(1471–1661), Arzila (1471–1550), Safi (1488–1541) and Azamor (1513–1541).

Moroccan reconquest (1541–1769)

Of the six stand-alone fortresses, four only had a short duration: Graciosa (1489), São João da Mamora (1515), Castelo Real of

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 ...

(1506–10) and Aguz (1520–25). Two of them became permanent urban settlements: Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir) founded in 1505–06 and Mazagan (El Jadida) founded in 1514–17.''City walls: the urban enceinte in global perspective'' James D. Tracy p.352
/ref> The Portuguese had to abandon most of their settlements between 1541 and 1550 ( Safi and Azamor in 1541, Alcácer-Ceguer in 1549, and Arzila in 1550) following the offensives of the Saadi Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh, particularly the Fall of Agadir in 1541 and the Capture of Fez in 1549. Nevertheless, they were able to keep the bases of

and Mazagan. The Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578 was a landslide loss, as the Portuguese King Sebastian was killed in the encounter and saw his army eliminated by Moroccan forces.

was ceded to King Charles II in 1661 to encourage

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to support Portugal in the

Portuguese Restoration War The Restoration War (), historically known as the Acclamation War (''Guerra da Aclamação''), was the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, bringing a forma ...

, and

was handed over to

in 1668 through the Treaty of Lisbon, which recognized the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas. The hous ...

as Portugal's new ruling dynasty and its rule over Portugal's remaining overseas colonies. These events essentially ended Portugal's direct involvement in Morocco. The Portuguese evacuated Mazagan in 1769, their last base, under the pressure from the 'Alawite Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. Ahmad ibn Khalid an-Nasiri, al-Istiqsa li-Akhbar duwal al-Maghrib al-Aqsa Vol VIII, p. 35

Aftermath

Five years after the recapture of Mazagan, in 1774, the Governments of Morocco and Portugal concluded a Peace and Friendship Agreement, one of the oldest bilateral agreements of both nations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moroccan-Portuguese conflicts Portuguese conflicts Moroccan conflicts Conflicts Military history of the Mediterranean

Portuguese expansion (1415–1515)

Moroccan reconquest (1541–1769)

Aftermath

See also

References