Ahmad al-Mansur the Great Moroccan Leader
Ahmad al-Mansur Islamic Visionary is the biography of Ahmad al-Mansur and his historical influence in Moroccan history. The author, Richard L. Smith, does a satisfying job by informing the reader not only about al-Mansur, but also the history of Morocco, before, during and after his death. In this paper I will write about Ahmad al-Mansur, his influences in Moroccan history and how Smith gives good insights into the role of Ahmad al-Mansur.
Before the birth of Ahmad al-Mansur, the first decades of the 16th century charted the complex political and economic inter-relationships between the Ottoman state and the Moroccans as they reacted to Christian expansionism (The Portuguese and Spanish) along the northern and western coasts of Africa. For centuries there were hard-fought competition between Muslims and Christians waged largely on the Iberian Peninsula. The hostilities increased at the Battle of Granada in 1492 with a Christian victory. The long struggle, and the subsequent vanquishing of the Muslims from Spain, is known today as Reconquista. Before the arrival of gold from America, many of the great gold deposits that fueled European expansionism were located in West Africa. Shortly after Granada, the Portuguese and Spanish negotiated to split North and West Africa between each other. The Spanish claimed part of the Mediterranean coast and the Portuguese claimed the Atlantic coast from Morocco to what is present- day Ghana. The struggle between Christians and Muslims in that corner of the world had shifted south to the African continent and the underlying reason for conflict became increasingly economic rather than religious. During their expansion the Portuguese created strategic coastal forts and negotiated terms with many local tribes along the way. They encouraged allied tribes to raid and plunder resistant towns and villages.
The Sa’di dynasty rose to power first in the southern portion of the country....