| Abdallah al-Ghalib عبد الله الغالب | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan of Morocco | |||||||||
| Reign | 1557 – 1574 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Mohammed al-Shaykh | ||||||||
| Successor | Abu Abdallah Mohammed | ||||||||
| Born | c. 1517 MarrakeshMoroccoSaadi Sultanate | ||||||||
| Died | 22 January 1574 (aged 56–57) MarrakeshMoroccoSaadi Sultanate | ||||||||
| Burial | January 1574 | ||||||||
| Issue | Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Saadi Dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Mohammed al-Shaykh | ||||||||
| Mother | Sayyida Rabia Al-Sâadiya of Tidsi[1] | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||
| Battles / wars | Battle of Wadi al-Laban (1558) | ||||||||
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Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah (Arabic:عبد الله الغالب; b. 1517 – d. 22 January 1574,r. 1557–1574) was the secondSaadian sultan ofMorocco. He succeeded his fatherMohammed al-Shaykh as Sultan of Morocco.
With his first wifeSayyida Rabia, Mohammed al-Shaykh had three sons, but the two oldest had died while he was still alive (in 1550 and in 1551). Abdallah, the third, was 40 years old when he became sultan and received the name al-Ghalib Billah. Before that he had been vice-king ofMarrakesh and governor ofFes.
Shortly after Abdallah came to power, three of his younger brothers fled the country and joined theOttoman Turks.Abd al-Malik andAhmad, both future Sultans of Morocco, spent 17 years in exile in theOttoman Empire, moving betweenAlgiers andConstantinople, where they were trained by the Ottomans.[2]
He fought the invading Turks in 1558 at theBattle of Wadi al-Laban. The Ottomans then had to retreat because the Spaniards launched an expedition on Oran.[3] The Moroccan ruler formed an alliance with the Spanish against the Ottomans.[3] After his victory he even occupiedTlemcen for a short period. In 1568 he supported theinsurrection of the Moriscos in Spain.
During his reign, Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah resided inMarrakesh. He was a prolific builder who was responsible for building, among other projects, theMouassin Mosque, amaristan (a hospital usually attached to a mosque), and theBen Youssef Medrassa. He repaired and restored the originallyAlmohad-builtKasbah Mosque and he is also believed to have begun the first mausoleum of theSaadian Tombs located behind the mosque.[4][5]
Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah died on 22 January 1574 of an asthma attack. After his reign, a period of civil war was to follow that lasted four years. He was succeeded by his sonAbdallah Mohammed, despite a Saadian inheritance rule that decreed that the throne pass on to his eldest surviving brother, the exiledAbd al-Malik.
| Preceded by | Saadi Dynasty 1557–1574 | Succeeded by |
