The Wattasid dynasty (, ''al-waṭṭāsīyūn'') was a ruling dynasty 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 ...

. Like the

Marinid dynasty 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 ...

, its rulers were of

Zenata The Zenata (; ) are a group of Berber tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda. Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic. Society The 14th-century historiographer Ibn Khaldun repo ...

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

descent. The two families were related, and the Marinids recruited many

viziers A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the Near East. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a helper but afterwards became the rep ...

from the Wattasids. These viziers eventually assumed the powers of the Sultans, seizing control of the Marinid dynasty's realm when the last Marinid, Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq, who had massacred many of the Wattasids in 1459, was murdered during a popular revolt in Fez in 1465.

Abu Abd Allah al-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya Abu Abd Allah al-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya () (also known as Abu Abdellah al-Shaykh Muhammad ben Yehya, Abu Abdallah Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya or Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Sheikh) was the first Wattasid Sultan of Morocco and King of Fez between 1472 ...

was the first Sultan of the Wattasid Dynasty. He controlled only the northern part of Morocco, the south being divided into several principalities. The Wattasids were finally supplanted in 1554, after 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 ...

, by the

Saadi 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. ...

princes of Tagmadert who had ruled all of southern Morocco since 1511.

Overview

Morocco endured a prolonged multifaceted crisis in the 15th and early 16th centuries brought about by economic, political, social and cultural issues. Population growth remained stagnant and traditional commerce with the far south was cut off as the Portuguese occupied all seaports. At the same time, the towns were impoverished, and intellectual life was on the decline.

History

Morocco was in decline when the Berber Wattasids assumed power. The Wattasid family had been the autonomous governors of the eastern

Rif The Rif (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people ...

since the late 13th century, ruling from their base in Tazouta (near present-day

Nador Nador () is a coastal city and provincial capital in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco with a population of about 158,202 (2024 census). The Nador Province has over 600,000 inhabitants. Nador is considered the second largest city in the Ori ...

). They had close ties to the Marinid sultans and provided many of the bureaucratic elite. While the

tried to repel the Portuguese and Spanish invasions and help the kingdom of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

to outlive the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

, the Wattasids accumulated absolute power through political maneuvering. When the Marinids became aware of the extent of the conspiracy, they slaughtered the Wattasids, leaving only

alive. He went on to found the

Kingdom of Fez 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 the east, and t ...

and establish the dynasty to be succeeded by his son, Mohammed al-Burtuqali, in 1504. The Wattasid rulers failed in their promise to protect Morocco from foreign incursions and the Portuguese increased their presence on Morocco's coast. Mohammad al-Chaykh's son attempted to capture

Asilah Asilah () is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history dates back to 1500 B.C., when Phoenicians occupied a site ...

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 ...

in 1508, 1511 and 1515, but without success. In the south, a new dynasty arose, the Saadian dynasty, which seized

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

in 1524 and made it their capital. By 1537 the Saadis were in the ascendent when they defeated 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 ...

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

. Their military successes contrast with the Wattasid policy of conciliation towards the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

kings to the north. As a result, the people of Morocco tended to regard the Saadians as heroes, making it easier for them to retake the Portuguese strongholds on the coast, including Tangiers,

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 ...

and Maziɣen. The Saadians also attacked the Wattasids who were forced to yield to the new power. In 1554, as Wattasid towns surrendered, the Wattasid sultan,

Ali Abu Hassun 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 for the Wattasid dynasty during the 16th century. Life In 1545, he succ ...

, briefly retook Fez. The Saadis quickly settled the matter by killing him and, as the last Wattasids fled Morocco by ship, they too were murdered by pirates. The Wattasid did little to improve general conditions in Morocco following the ''Reconquista''. It was necessary to wait for the Saadians for order to be reestablished and the expansionist ambitions of the kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula to be curbed.

Coinage

Known Wattasid coins include a few extremely rare gold coins and also square silver

dirham The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Moroccan dirham, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates dirham, United Arab Emirates and Armenian dram, Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivisi ...

s and half dirhams, still following the

Almohad Caliphate The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berbers, Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). Th ...

standard of roughly 1.5 grams.Album, Stephen. A Checklist of Islamic Coins, Second Edition, January 1998, Santa Rosa, CA

The dynasty

Wattasid Viziers

*1420–1448:

Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi Abū Zakarīyā' Yaḥyā ben Ziyān al-Waṭṭāsī (; died 1448) was a vizier of the Marinid sultan of Fez, regent and effective strongman ruler of Morocco from 1420 until 1448. He is the founder of the Wattasid dynasty of viziers and later ...

*1448–1458: Ali ibn Yusuf *1458–1459: Yahya ibn Abi Zakariya Yahya

Wattasid Sultans

*1472–1504:

*1504–1526: Abu Abd Allah al-Burtuqali Muhammad ibn Muhammad *1526–1526:

Abu al-Hasan Abu Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad 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 for the Wattasid dynasty during the 16th century. Life In 1545, he succ ...

*1526–1545:

Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad (), also Sultan Ahmad, or Ahmad al-Wattasi, was a Sultan of the Moroccan Wattasid dynasty. He ruled from 1526 to 1545, and again between 1547 and 1549.C. E. Bosworth''The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological an ...

*1545–1547:

Nasir ad-Din al-Qasri Muhammad ibn Ahmad Nasir ad-Din al-Qasri Muhammad ibn Ahmad (), also Nasir al-Qasiri, was the young son of the Sultan of Fez, Sultan Ahmad. Life In 1545, his father Sultan Ahmad was taken prisoner by his southern rivals the Saadians. His successor, Ali Abu Has ...

*1547–1549:

*1554–1554: Abu al-Hasan Abu Hasun Ali ibn Muhammad

Family tree

Chronology of events

*According to the

Treaty of Alcáçovas The Treaty of Alcáçovas (also known as Treaty or Peace of Alcáçovas-Toledo) was signed on 4 September 1479 between the Catholic Monarchs of Crown of Castile, Castile and Crown of Aragon, Aragon on one side and Afonso V of Portugal, Afonso V a ...

(1479), and to the

Treaty of Tordesillas The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in Tordesillas, Spain, on 7 June 1494, and ratified in Setúbal, Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, along a meridian (geography) ...

(1494),

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 ...

recognized the kingdom as being in the Portuguese sphere of influence. *1485: Treaty with Spain: The sultanate agrees to not help the

Kingdom of Granada The Emirate of Granada, also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, was an 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 Europe. ...

, Spain agreed to not capture Moroccan ships in the

Alboran Sea The Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between the Iberian Peninsula and the north of Africa (Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south). The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the ...

. *1488: Portuguese conquer Safi. *1491:

Muhammad XIII, Sultan of Granada Abu Abdallah Muhammad al-Zaghal (the Valiant) () ( 1444 – 1494) was the 23rd Nasrid ruler of Granada in Spain. Christians called him Mahoma XIII el Zagal. Life Muhammad fought in the Granada War next to his brother Abu'l-Hasan Ali, also kno ...

(El Zagal) went to Fez, but was captured and blinded. *1492: Arrival of Spanish Muslims and Jews. *1497: Spain captures

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

*1502: Portugal captures

Mazagan El Jadida (, ) is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located south of the city of Casablanca, in the province of El Jadida and the region of Casablanca-Settat. It has a population of 170,956 as of 2023. The fortified city, buil ...

. *1505: Portugal captures

. *1506: Portugal captures

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 ...

. *1511:

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 ...

capture

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

. *1524: Saadians capture

. *1541: Saadians capture

. *1541: Saadians capture Safi. *1542: Hasan Hâsim captures Tetuan. *1548: The last wattasid king is captured by the Saadians. *1550: Saadians conquer Fez.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wattasid Dynasty Dynasties of Morocco Medieval history of Morocco 15th century in Morocco 16th century in Morocco Berber dynasties Countries in medieval Africa Sunni dynasties 15th-century establishments in Africa 1550s disestablishments in Africa