Judar Pasha | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cuevas del Almanzora,Crown of Castile |
| Died | 1606 Marrakesh |
| Allegiance | Morocco |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Tondibi |
Judar Pasha (Arabic:جؤذر باشا) was a Spanish-Moroccan military leader under theSaadian sultanAhmad al-Mansur in the late 16th century. He led the Saadian army in theconquest of theSonghai Empire.
Born as Diego de Guevara inCuevas del Almanzora,Castile,[1] Judar[2] had been captured by Muslim slave-raiders as a young boy. His captors castrated him. As a young boy, he joined the service of MoroccanSultan Ahmad al-Mansur, who had many othereunuch officers. Judar was often described by reference to his blue eyes.[3]
In 1590, Ahmad al-Mansur made Judar apasha and appointed him the head of an invasion force against the Songhai Empire of what is nowMali. In October of that year, Judar set out fromMarrakesh with a force of 1,500 light cavalry and 2,500arquebusiers and light infantry. Some of these men were Spaniards from Andalusia and some were "Renegats" (probably Christians from Southern Europe). He also carried eightEnglishcannons in his supply train, and assembled eighty Christian bodyguards for his personal detail.
After an arduous crossing of theSahara desert, Judar razed the desertsalt mines ofTaghaza and advanced on the Songhai capital ofGao.
Meanwhile, Songhai rulerAskia Ishaq II assembled a force of more than 40,000 men and moved north against the Moroccans; the two armies met atTondibi in March 1591. Despite their far inferior numbers, the Moroccan gunpowder weapons easily carried the day, resulting in a rout of the Songhai troops. Ishaq offered slaves and gold if Judar would retreat; Judar refused the offer.
Judar sacked Gao and then moved on to the trading centers ofDjenné andTimbuktu.[4] He reached Timbuktu in April 1591, carrying a letter from the Sultan al-Mansur demanding their cooperation.
According toMartin Meredith: "To quell resistance in Timbuktu, the Moroccans sent leading scholars to Marrakesh in chains. The wealth of Timbuktu, Gao, and Jenne was also stripped. Huge quantities of gold dust were shipped across the desert. When Judar Pasha returned to Morocco in 1599, his caravan included thirty camel-loads of gold valued by an English merchant at £600,000."[5]
Judar was demoted to governor because he advocated for making Timbuktu the new capital, rather than Gao, as Sultan al-Mansur wished.
Despite Judar's gains, sporadic battles continued with the Songhai army, leading to his replacement several years after his victory.
Judar was executed in December 1606 on the orders of Mulay Abdallah, son of Mullay al-Shaykh, in the course of struggles over the Moroccan throne. This was mainly set up by the Battle of Tondibi.[6]