Jawdar Ben Abdellah, envoy of Charles I

In 1637, the Sharif Kingdom, then led by the dynasty’s penultimate monarch, Saadian Sultan Mohamed Cheikh Es-sghir, and England reached one of the first agreements between the two countries. An agreement was reached thanks to the help of Jawdar Ben Abdellah, who was appointed ambassador to the court of Charles I on September 19, 1637, but was dismissed a year later because the Saadian Sultan suspected betrayal of the Sharif Kingdom and was replaced by another sultan.

The decline of the Saadi dynasty

We are in the last years of the Saadian dynasty, more precisely in 1627. Moulay Zidane, the ninth Saadian sultan who had ruled since 1613, had just died. His son Abdulmalik bin Zidane was crowned Sultan of Morocco. But allegiance was not unanimous, especially with his two brothers El Walid and Mohammed Cheikh Es-sghir. For them, their elder brother simply did not deserve the title of Sultan. He was then assassinated under mysterious circumstances, and like Al Walid, he ruled after him for only five years. In 1636, Mohamed Cheikh Es-sghir was proclaimed Sultan and reigned until January 30, 1655.

This reign was marked by several events, including the rebellion of Dillazaouya and the rise of the Alawites of Tafilalet. He would even become the penultimate Saadian sultan before the emergence of the Alawite dynasty. From the first years of the reign of Muhammad Sheikh Esgir, some regions broke away from the sovereignty of the sultans established in Marrakesh or Fez.

Portrait of the Saadian Sultan Muhammad bin Sheikh Esgir.

On the diplomatic front, the Sultan sought to maintain these commercial and political relations by establishing ties with various European countries through conventions and agreements. There was even a Moroccan-English alliance in 1600 between Saadian Morocco under Ahmed Al Mansour and Queen Elizabeth I. But Mohamed Cheikh Es-sghir focused on the internal situation and even arrested King Charles I of England, asking him to send military aid to defeat the enemy while reassuring European partners.

Works cited in the media: Safi Port through the Centuries Alkhwar Al MutamadamHistorian Abdellah Nemli reports how the British had managed to monopolize trade, especially in Safi, since the reign of Moulay Zidane. He also recounts the journey of Jawdar Ben Abdellah, envoy of Moulay Mohamed Cheikh Es-sghir, to England on September 19, 1637, accompanied by Robert Blake, the British envoy to the Saadi Sultan.

Distinguished Ambassador to the Court of Charles I

In his book “Lesser-Known Travel Writing Essays: Where the Beaten Path Is» (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017), American historian John Bulter describes Jawdar Ben Abdallah as a “brilliant soldier of Portuguese origin”.

Thus, he reports that Jordar arrived at the court of Charles I in 1637. As Ben MassoudAbdulwahed ibn Masaoud ibn Muhammad al-Aneditor’s note) before him”, Jourdahl will benefit from Britain’s “treatment worthy of a celebrity”. John Boult also said that diplomat Saadi will become “the first official ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco”.

Abdelouahed Ben Messaoud Ben Mohammed Anoun, Ambassador of Ahmed Mansour to Queen Elizabeth I of the United Kingdom

LP Harvey mentions the same version in his book “Muslims in Spain, 1500-1614» (University of Chicago Press, 2005), who believes that Jadhar bin Abdullah “created a sensation in London society”. The historian even mentions that he was reported in the London Gazette, a famous London magazine of the time.

A short-term mission for suspected treason?

But Ambassador Mohamed Sheikh Esgir’s term would last only a year. Researcher Abdelaziz Ben Abdellah reports in his book that Ambassador Mohamed Ben Asskar was sent in 1638 to “protest the trade established between the British and the rebels of Essaouira and Agadir,” which was a violation of the 1637 agreement.Sousse, the gateway to the desert“(year 2004).

The author also provides more information about Jawdar Ben Abdellah, noting that “Jawdar was a very young man, of Portuguese descent, who was captured by the Moroccans at the age of 8.” He would rise through the ranks before becoming ambassador to the Saadi Sultan.

The Cherifu Kingdom during the heyday of the Saadian dynasty.

But a year after Jawdar Ben Abdellah left for England, Mohamed Cheikh Es-sghir would declare him “persona non grata” and he would send another ambassador. If the agreement with the English provided that “trade between the English and the rebels in the kingdom is prohibited, and the King of England could provide warships to Morocco to quell these rebels”, then the promise of Charles I would not be fulfilled. “In two years, the influence of the Portuguese in the region will increase,” Abdulaziz Ben Abdellah continued, and according to him, King Saadi would accuse his ambassador of “betraying” him on this agreement with the English.

The name of Jowdar bin Abdullah, like the Saadis, will disappear from history. The Saadian dynasty ruled for less than a century, beginning its decline in 1603 and ultimately falling into complete chaos. After the death of Mohamed Cheikh Es-sghir in 1655, Ahmed el-Abbas succeeded him and was subsequently assassinated in 1659. The kingdom remained under the influence of the arrival of the Alawites until 1668, the day of their arrival. Zawya of Dillah.