Sidi M'Hamed al-Ayachi (; ), also el-Ayachi or al-Ayashi ( – 1641), was a Moroccan

marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

, warlord, and jihadist. The Sultan 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 ...

, Mulay Zidan al-Nasir, had made him governor (''qā′id'') of Azmūr, but in 1627 he decided to secede and created his own state. Since the death of

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 ...

in 1603, Morocco had progressively fallen into a state of anarchy due to his sons fighting for the thrones, it caused a loss of central authority beheld by the Sultan. With Morocco in a state of

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, in 1610 to reinforce his power, Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun conceded to the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

the city of

Larache Larache () is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Many civilisations and cultures have ...

and pledged of their alliance. However, they also seized the opportunity to capture al-Ma'mura in 1614.''The Cambridge history of Islam'' by P. M. Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, Bernard Lewis p.247
/ref> The Sultan's seeming inability to defend the country, infuriated Sidi al-Ayachi, and he began a counter-offensive 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 ...

, privateering against its shipping, and obtaining the help of the

Moriscos ''Moriscos'' (, ; ; " Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Catholic Church and Habsburg Spain commanded to forcibly convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed Islam. Spain had a sizeable M ...

and the English. He managed to re-capture al-Mamura, albeit temporarily, and extended his power as far as

Taza Taza () is a city in northern Morocco occupying the corridor between the Rif mountains and Middle Atlas mountains, about 120 km east of Fez and 150 km south of Al Hoceima. It recorded a population of 148,406 in the 2019 Moroccan ...

. In April 1627, Sidi al-Ayachi revolted against the sultan and attacked the harbour of

Salé Salé (, ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form together a single m ...

, which he captured and transformed into his own principality, the Republic of Bou Regreg, becoming its independent governor. The English diplomat

John Harrison John Harrison ( – 24 March 1776) was an English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the History of longitude, problem of how to calculate longitude while at sea. Harrison's sol ...

negotiated a treaty with Sidi al-Ayachi in May 1627, a month later.''Ships, money, and politics'' by Kenneth R. Andrews p.167
/ref> The Dutch also strongly supported Sidi al-Ayachi, and supplied him with arms. It was not until Sultan Mohammed esh Sheikh es Seghir came to the throne in 1636, that real efforts were made to restore Sidi al-Ayachi to the throne and of his territories. Sidi al-Ayachi was killed in battle in 1641.

Notes

{{Clear 17th-century Moroccan people People from Salé Moroccan politicians