| Battle of Marrakesh | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SultanAbd al-Aziz fleeing from the Battle of Marrakesh | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg) Sultan's forces | Abd al-Hafid's forces | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Abd al-Aziz |
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TheBattle of Marrakesh was a central battle in theHafidiya, in whichAbd al-Hafid seized power from his brotherAbd al-Aziz, fought outsideMarrakesh,Morocco on 19 August 1908.[1] A battalion led by Abd al-Aziz departed fromRabat and was ambushed and defeated on its approach to Marrakesh by forces loyal to Abd al-Hafid.[1]
In May 1907 the southern aristocrats, led by the head of the Glaoua tribe SiMadani El Glaoui, invitedAbd al-Hafid, an elder brother ofAbd al-Aziz, and viceroy atMarrakesh, to become sultan, and the following August, Abd al-Hafid was proclaimed sultan there with all the usual formalities.[2]
On 5 August 1907, Francebombarded and occupied Casablanca after the death of Europeans in a riot incited by the implementation of measures of theTreaty of Algeciras.[3][4] In September, Abd al-Aziz arrived atRabat from the capital,Fez, and endeavored to secure the support of the European powers against his brother. FromFrance he accepted the grand cordon of theLegion of Honour, and was later enabled to negotiate a loan. This was seen as leaning toChristian support and aroused further opposition to his rule, and in January 1908 he was declared deposed by theulama ofFes, who offered the throne toAbd al-Hafid.[2]
After months of inactivityAbd al-Aziz made an effort to restore his authority, and quittingRabat in July he marched onMarrakesh. His force, largely owing to treachery, was completely overthrown on 19 August when nearing that city,[5] The battle took place in an area called Bou Ajiba between the qaid ofDemnat, Allal al-Glawi, and Abd al-Aziz. After the battle, Abd al-Aziz managed to escape unharmed despite hisdjellaba being pierced with bullet holes. Two days later, he reachedCasablanca and abdicated.[6]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abd-el-Aziz IV".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 32.