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| Lalla Aisha bint Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami للا عائشة بنت علي بن رشيد العلمي | |
|---|---|
 Sayyida al Hurra, as imagined by a Modern artist. | |
| Governor of Tétouan | |
| Rule | 1515/1519[1] – 1542 |
| Predecessor | Sidi al-Mandri II |
| Born | c. 1491–1495[2] Chefchaouen,Morocco[2] |
| Died | 1552-1562 Chefchaouen, Morocco |
| Spouse | |
| Dynasty | Wattasid (by marriage) |
| Father | Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami |
| Mother | Lalla Zohra Fernandez[4] |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Lalla Aisha bint Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami (Arabic:للا عائشة بنت علي بن رشيد العلمي), also referred to asSayyida al-Hurra (السيدة الحرة,transl. TheLady, theFree Woman), was a Moroccan privateer (of Andalusian origin) who governed the city ofTétouan from 1515 or 1519 to 1542.[5][6] As the wife of Moroccan kingAbu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad, who was her second husband, she belonged to theWattasid dynasty. She is considered to be "one of the most important female figures of theIslamic West in the modern age."[7]
Her exact date of birth is unknown, but various sources estimate her to be born somewhere between 1491-1495.[8][9] Likewise, there is a lot of discussion surrounding her death; some say she died in 1552, while others place her death a decade later (1561, 1562).[2][10][11][12]
The era of her life and career was largely marked by a widespread struggle between theChristian world and theMuslim world: theOttoman Empire had conqueredConstantinople in 1453,[13]ending the Eastern Byzantine Empire; thePortuguese Empire had begun conquering ports along the western Moroccan coast around 1487; and theReconquista had returned theIberian Peninsula to European Christian rule by 1492, eventually leading to theexpulsion or forced conversion of Muslims in Spain.[14]
Al-Hurra split control over theMediterranean Sea with her allyHayreddin Barbarossa,[15] anOttoman corsair who operated in the east while she operated in the west.[16] In 1515, she became the last person inMuslim history to legitimately hold the title "al-Hurra" following the death of her first husbandSidi al-Mandri II, who ruled Tétouan. Her marriage to her second husband marks the only time inMoroccan history that a king married away from the capital cityFez, as al-Hurra refused to leave Tétouan.[7][17]
Sayyida al Hurra was born inChefchaouen around 1491 and 1495 or precisely in 1491,[10][2] to a prominentMuslim family of Andalusian nobles, who were expelled to Morocco after thefall of Granada, at the end of theReconquista and settled inChefchaouen.[17] Her parents wereAli ibn Rashid al-Alami, the founder and emir of Chefchaouen and Lalla Zohra Fernandez fromVejer de la Frontera nearCadiz.[10] ASharifian,[18] she was a descendant of the MoroccanSufi saintAbd al-Salam ibn Mashish al-Alami,[7] and through him ofHasan ibn Ali.[19] Sayyida al Hurra is not to be confused withAisha al-Hurra, another female historical figure with Andalusian roots, who played a prominent role during the last days the Emirate of Granada -shortly before Sayyida entered the political scene.[20]
Sayyida's childhood was happy and secure, yet clouded by constant reminders of the forced exile from Granada. During her childhood, she was exposed to a first-class education, and involved with the fate of her people.[21] She was fluent in several languages which includedCastilian Spanish andPortuguese. The famous Moroccan scholarAbdallah al-Ghazwani was one of her many teachers.[22] She was married at age 16 to a man 30 years her senior, Sidi al-Mandri II, a grandson or nephew ofAli al-Mandri who was a friend of her father and re-founder and governor of the city ofTétouan, himself anAndalusian Moorish refugee.[23] She was promised to her husband when she was still a child.[7] Tétouan, a city resurrected by Andalusian exiles after Spanish destruction, became central to the political career of Sayyida later in life.[24]
An intelligent woman, Al Hurra learned much whilst assisting her husband in his business affairs. She was a de facto vice-governor, with her husband entrusting the reins of power to her each time he made a trip outside the city. When he died in 1515, the population, who had become accustomed to seeing her exercise power, accepted her as a governor ofTétouan, giving her the title ofal-Hurra.[17] A (central) power vacuum emerged amidst the Moors influx into Morocco, meanwhile the city of Tétouan blossomed under its new citizens, leading to the creation of its own administration.[25] From Tétouan al-Hurra held a strategic position not only for helping Moorish refugees, but also in enabling the city to become a privateering hub.[26]
Spanish andPortuguese sources describe al-Hurra as "their partner in the diplomatic game".[17] Some historians believe that the unusual "degree of acceptance of al Hurra as a ruler" could be attributed to "Andalusian familiarity with female inheriting power frommonarch families in Spain such asIsabella I of Castile."[27] Others believe that al-Hurra succeeded as governor because she was "the undisputed leader of pirates of the western Mediterranean".[28][29] According to the Moroccan historian Muhammad Ibn Azzuz Hakim she was ‘the only woman to have held sovereign power in Morocco".[30]
In 1541, she accepted a marriage proposal fromAhmed al-Wattasi, aSultan of the MoroccanWattasid dynasty, who traveled fromFez toTétouan to marry her. Her marriage with him was the only recorded instance of a Moroccan king marrying outside of his capital. This occurred because al-Hurra was not ready to give up her role as ruler of Tétouan or even to leave the city for the marriage ceremony, forcing al-Wattasi to come to her.[31] Although she gained political support through this new alliance, Sayyida al-Hurra insisted on showing everybody that she was not going to give up governing Tétouan despite being married to the Sultan.[17][27][32] Besides the unique choice for the location of their marriage ceremony, it was an uncommon practice for a man to marry a widowed woman.[24] It was her power, resources, and diplomatic expertise to help strengthen unity in the northern region, that offered the sultan security.[6][24]
Sayyida al-Hurra lived a life of adventure and romance.[17] She appointed her brother Moulay Ibrahim as vizier to Ahmed al-Wattasi, Sultan ofFez, and this placed the Rashidis as major players in the effort to unify Morocco against the fast-growing powers of Spain and Portugal.[33]
Coming from Andalusian beginnings, Sayyida became a true symbol for the Northern Moroccan frontier in the ongoing struggle against the Iberian expansionism.[9] She could neither forget nor forgive the humiliation of being forced to fleeGranada. In her wish to take revenge on the "Christian enemy", she turned to piracy. She made contact with the legendaryOttoman admiralHayreddin Barbarossa ofAlgiers.[17] Piracy provided a quick income, "booty and ransom for captives", and also helped to keep alive the dream of returning toAndalusia.[17] She was well respected by her Christian enemies as a "queen" who had power over the westernMediterranean Sea, and over the release of Portuguese and Spanish captives.[17][27] For example, inThe Forgotten Queens of IslamFatima Mernissi mentions Spanish historical documents of 1540, according to which there were negotiations "between the Spaniards and Sayyida al-Hurra" following a successful pirating operation inGibraltar in which the Muslim pirates took "much booty and many prisoners".[34]
After she had ruled for 30 years, her son-in-law Muhammad al-Hassan al-Mandri, who was the governor ofFnideq, overthrew her in October 1542.[35] According to theYemen Times, "she was stripped of her property and power".[31] Accepting her fate, al-Hurra retired toChefchaouen, from where she dedicated her time to religious work.[9] It is said that she died in 1552, near her father's house in Chefchaouen.[2][6]
Female historical figures such as Sayyida al-Hurra, despite their prominence are often reduced to historical footnotes, or even written out of history.[8][11] Specifically the way she is represented in historical sources becomes clear in the ambiguity of documentation on specific events. As such, one could argue that her story is part of a bigger trend where historical female narratives and representations have been reconstructed.[11]
In a 2024 study that attempts to revise this case study, local Moroccan historians points this lack of documentation to the fact that "Arab historians were not interested in writing about her during her own time, although she has continued to be known in her home city."[8] Moreover, suggesting that society upheld traditional gender roles, an thus not celebrating female leadership. A factor that was specific to the 16th century and Early Modern period, was a sentiment instilled by Judeo-Christian monotheistic religions that women were physically and intellectually inferior to men.[11] This can also explain how this era was "no place where women could construct distinctive identities, or forge their names in history like their male counterparts".[11]
Regardless, she made a name for herself in both the Islamic world and the Western society, for her nautical dominance and her time as governor of Tétouan stand as lasting testaments to her legacy.
One of al-Hurra's (family's) physical legacy's and places where she is actively remembered, is the Qasbah, a former fortress built as defence against the Portuguese threat, that belonged to her father.[8]
