Mohammed ben Abdallah
| Mohammed III of Morocco | |
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 | |
| Coins of Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah, 1760–67 (Hijra 1182–1189), minted in Essaouira. | |
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| Reign | 1748, 1757 – 1790 |
| Predecessor | Abdallah IV |
| Successor | Yazid |
| 4th wife | Helen Gloag |
| House | House of Alaoui |
| Born | Fes, Morocco |
Mohammed Ben Abdellah al-Khatib (c. 1710 – 9 April 1790) (Arabic: محمد الثالث بن عبد الله الخطيب) was Sultan of Morocco from 1757 to 1790 under the Alaouite dynasty. He was the governor of Marrakech around 1750 and was the son of Sultan Abdallah IV who reigned 1745–1757. He was also sultan briefly during 1748.
Rule
A more open-minded ruler than many of his forebears, he signed numerous peace treaties with the European powers, and curtailed the power of the Barbary corsairs. He revived the city of Essaouira and invited Jews and English to trade there. He also built the old medina of Casablanca (Derb Tazi) and renovated the kasbah of Marrakesh. Mohammed III used numerous European technicians and architects for his projects, such as Théodore Cornut and the Englishman Ahmed el Inglizi.
Mohammed ben Abdallah also took steps to remove the foreign presence on Moroccan coasts. He repulsed the French in the 1765 Larache expedition. He conquered Mazagan from the Portuguese in 1769. However, the Siege of Melilla (1774) against the Spanish ended in defeat in 1775 when British aid failed to materialize.
Under Mohammed III, Morocco became the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation, in 1777.[1] President George Washington wrote Mohammed in 1789 asking him for aid in allowing American ships to navigate nearby waters.
See also
- Mohammed al-Duayf
- List of Kings of Morocco
- History of Morocco
Notes
References
| Preceded by Abdallah IV |
Mohammed ben Abdallah 1757–1790 |
Succeeded by Yazid |