| Islamic Dynasties of Morocco |
| The Saadians |
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| The recuperation of the lost territories and the need of a unifying central power were the decisive reasons which led to the appearance of the Saadians dynasty. |
Sherifs (saints) originating from Dra in the south of Morocco. Their fight against the Portuguese occupant gave them a legitimacy which will confirm them as a rising dynasty. Towards 1525 the Saadians took Marrakech and started a chain of military success ended by the capture of Fez in 1554. Their bright victory over Portugal in the battle of Wadi el Makhazine (Battle of the three kings) in 1578 resounded in all Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean with great economic benefits for the |
country. The death of the monarch Ahmed el Mansour in 1603 was a prelude to the decline of the dynasty because of the fratricidal and family fights for power. |