Description
Book SynopsisSultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603) was one of the most important rulers in the history of Morocco, which to this day bears the mark of his twenty-five year rule in the sixteenth century. Though famed for his cunning diplomacy in the power struggle over the Mediterranean, and his allegiance with Britain against Spain in the conquest for the newly discovered Americas, he was more than a political and military tactician. A descendent of the Prophet Muhammad himself, al-Mansur was a charismatic religious authority with ambitions to become Caliph and ruler of all Muslims. Spanning four continents, Dr. García-Arenal places this fascinating figure in a context of political intrigue, discovery and military conquest. With insightful analysis, a glossary and a guide to further reading, this book is the ideal introduction to a multifaceted figure who fully deserves the epithet "Maker of the Muslim World".
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
1 THE BATTLE OF ALCAZAR
Why did the battle take place?
The main protagonists at the battle of Alcazar
2 ABD AL-MALIK AND AHMAD BEFORE THE BATTLE OF ALCAZAR
Algiers
Abd al-Malik’s propaganda
Muley Ahmad al-Mansur
3 SIXTEENTH-CENTURY MOROCCO: ITS POPULATION, CITIES, RELIGIOUS ELITES AND ARMY
The population of Morocco: Arabs and Berbers
The cities
The ‘ulama
The Sufi brotherhoods
Qadiriyya and Shadhiliyya
Sharifism
The army
4 RENEGADES, MORISCOS AND JEWS
Renegades
Andalusians or Moriscos
Jews
5 DIPLOMACY AND TRADE
The Spanish reaction to Alcazar: the captive princes
England and the cause of the Portuguese restoration
The Barbary Company
The Iberian union
Cadiz and America
The Moroccan embassy to England
The sultan’s memorandum
Ahmad and El Dorado
6 THE CONQUEST OF WESTERN SUDAN
Sudanese gold
The Sahara
The expedition
7 THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN IMPERIAL IDEOLOGY
Marrakesh: the capital city and the palace
Belief in the Mahdi
8 MESSIANISM AND THE RIVALRY WITH THE OTTOMANS
The Millennium and the conquest of Western Sudan
Moroccan rivalry with the Ottomans
Plague, hunger and war
CONCLUSION
Sources and Bibliography
Index
