| Raid of Marrakesh (1515) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofMoroccan–Portuguese conflicts | |||||||
 Bab el Khemis Gate in Marrakesh where the Moroccan garrison engaged with the Portuguese troops | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Supported by: Saadians Wattasids | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Emir Nasr al-Hintati[1] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 500 Portuguese horsemen 2,400 Berber horsemen | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None Portuguese killed but some wounded 10 or 12 Berbers killed and many wounded.[2] | Unknown | ||||||
TheRaid of Marrakech took place in 1515, when the Portuguese governor of Safi Nuno Fernandes de Ataíde led a raid that penetrated as far as Marrakech in hopes of forcing itsHintata ruler to accept Portuguese suzerainty, the attack, however, failed.[3][4]
It is considered the most daring exploit in the career of Ataíde and the high point of Portuguese expansion in Morocco.[5]
The Portuguese seizedAzemmour (Azamor) in 1513 and erected a new fortress nearby at Mazagan (Magazão, nowal-Jadida) in 1514. FromSafi and Azemmour, the Portuguese cultivated the alliance of local Arab andBerber client tribes in the surrounding region, notably a certain powerful Yahya ibn Tafuft. The Portuguese and their allies dispatched armed columns inland, subjugating the region ofDoukkala and soon encroaching on Marrakesh.[6] By 1514, the Portuguese and their clients under the command ofalmocadém of Safi David Lopes had reached the outskirts of Marrakesh, some Berber auxiliaries managing to reach the walls of the city, thrust their spears into the gates and shout:
"Long liveKing Manuel our lord!"[4]
Nasir ibn Chentaf, the Hintata ruler of the city, was forced to agree to tribute and allow the Portuguese to erect a fortress in Marrakesh.[7] However, the agreement was not carried out, so the next year the Portuguese and their Moorish allies returned at the head of a strong army, aiming to seize Marrakesh directly.
Ataíde raised an army of about 3000 men mostly made up of Berber auxiliaries,[3][4] It included 200 lancers under the command of Portuguese governor of Azamor Dom Pedro de Sousa, 300 lancer under Ataíde, 600 lancers commanded by the sheikh ofAbida, 800 by the sheikh Cid Meimam ofXerquia and 1000 by the sheikh ofGarabia.[8]
His men left from Azamor and Safim on April 22. They and reached the banks of theTensift River two days later. On April 24, 1515, they engaging in fighting with the defenders of Marrakech, near the gates ofBab el-Khemis andBab ad-Debbagh, located on the northeast side of the Walls,[4] the Hintata ruler of Marrakesh was supported by Wattasids and Saadians[9]
Ataíde commanded the center, the sheikhs ofAbida andXerquia the left Portuguese wing, the sheikh ofGarabia on the right.[8] The fighting resulted in dead and wounded on both sides and lasted four hours, after which the Portuguese withdrew to avoid being surrounded. The withdrawal lasted another two days, however, it was not a peaceful because their rear was pursued by the Moroccans.[4]
