Hafidiya

The Hafidiya
الحفيظية

Sultan Abd al-Aziz fleeing from the Battle of Marrakesh
Date1907–1908
Location
Result

Coup successful

Belligerents
Sultan's forces Abd al-Hafid's forces
Commanders and leaders
Abd al-Aziz Abd al-Hafid

The Hafidiya (Arabic: الحفيظية) was a coup d'état in Morocco between 1907 and 1908 in which Abd al-Hafid seized power from his brother Abdelaziz.[1][2] Abd al-Hafid started his movement in Marrakesh in the aftermath of the Algeciras Conference, the French occupation of Oujda and of Casablanca and the gaining the support of Amazigh leaders in the south.[1][3] The Ulama of Fes supported Abdelhafid only with an unprecedented Conditioned Bay'ah, or pledge of allegiance.[1]

Background

[edit]

The Algeciras Conference of 1906 had the effect of dividing Moroccans into supporters of either the Sultan Abdelaziz or his brother Abd al-Hafid into those calling for reform for jihad, respectively.[3]

In May 1907, after France had occupied Oujda,[4] the southern aristocrats, led by the head of the Glaoua tribe, Si Elmadani El Glaoui, invited Abd al-Hafid, an elder brother of Abdelaziz and viceroy at Marrakesh, to become sultan, and on August 16, 1907, after the bombardment and occupation of Casablanca, Abdelhafid was proclaimed sovereign in Marrakesh with all of the usual formalities.[5][6]

In September, Abd-el-Aziz arrived at Rabat from Fez and endeavoured to secure the support of the European powers against his brother. From France, he accepted the grand cordon of the Légion d’honneur and was later enabled to negotiate a loan. That was seen as leaning to Christianity and aroused further opposition to his rule.

Conditioned Bay'ah

[edit]

In January 1908, the Ulama of Fes led by Muhammad al-Kattani declared Abdelaziz deposed and they imposed a conditioned bay'ah on Abd al-Hafid.[5][1] The conditions for support included him to resume jihad, liberate Oujda and Casablanca, end the protégé system, restrict Europeans to port cities and consult the ummah in all major decisions.[1][7]

Battle of Marrakesh

[edit]
Abdelaziz planned to stay at the Álvarez Farm near Casablanca, but it was destroyed at the beginning of the French occupation.[8]

The Battle of Marrakech took place on August 19, 1908 when supporters of Abd al-Hafid destroyed the mahalla [ar] of Abdelaziz on the road from Rabat to Marrakesh.[1] Abdelaziz fled to Casablanca, then occupied by the French.[1]

Press

[edit]

The French Arabic-language propaganda newspaper Es-Saada supported Abdelaziz[9] and attacked supporters of Abd al-Hafid, including Ma al-'Aynayn and Muhammad Bin Abd al-Kabir al-Kattani.[10][11][12] With French encouragement, supporters of Abdelaziz founded as-Sabaah (الصباح) in Tangier in 1904.[13][14]

In early 1908, Abd al-Hafid's Makhzen purchased Lisan al-Maghrib (لسان المغرب), an arabophone newspaper;[15][16] it was run by two Lebanese brothers, Faraj-Allah and Artur Namor,[17] and it printed open letters to Abdelaziz and then Abd al-Hafid.[18]

In 1908, Abd al-Hafid ordered the creation of the newspaper al-Fajar (الفجر), which would promote his views.[19] It published its first edition on June 27, 1908.[19]

The British press, or more specifically the London Times considered Abd al-Hafid's efforts to be a lost cause due to a number of military failures in May of 1908.[20] This was prior to al-Hafid's fortunes being reversed through the Battle of Marrakech.

Aftermath

[edit]

The countries signatory to the Treaty of Algeciras informed Abd-al-Hafid in a letter dated September 14, 1908 that they would not recognize him as the legitimate head of Morocco unless he complied with the terms of the treaty signed by his predecessor.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Miller, Susan Gilson. (2013). A history of modern Morocco. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-62469-5. OCLC 855022840.
  2. ^ الخديمي, علال, 1946-.... (2009). الحركة الحفيظية أو المغرب قبيل فرض الحماية الفرنسية الوضعية الداخلية و تحديات العلاقات الخارجية : 1912-1894. [د. ن.] OCLC 929569541.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "مؤتمر الجزيرة الخضراء يقسم المغاربة إلى "عزيزيين" و"حفيظيين"". مغرس. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. ^ "التنافس الإستعماري 1894 - 1912: الترتيب، القروض، الإنتفاضات". www.habous.gov.ma. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abd-el-Aziz IV". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 32.
  6. ^ "التنافس الإستعماري 1894 - 1912: الترتيب، القروض، الإنتفاضات". www.habous.gov.ma. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  7. ^ "البيعة المشروطة - ويكي مصدر". ar.wikisource.org. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  8. ^ "L'illustration: journal universel". 1908: 102 v. ISSN 0246-9251. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Miller, Susan Gilson. (2013). A history of modern Morocco. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-62469-5. OCLC 855022840.
  10. ^ "متصوفة استهوتهم "السلطة الرابعة" : شيخ الطريقة المعينية "صحافيا" في "السعادة"". الصباح. 10 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Le Rappel / directeur gérant Albert Barbieux". Gallica. 30 January 1908. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  12. ^ "السلطانُ المغربي المخلوع". Taroudant News | تارودانت نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  13. ^ "دعوة الحق - الصحافة المغربية في الموسوعة العربية الميسرة". www.habous.gov.ma. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  14. ^ "السلطانُ المغربي المخلوع". Taroudant News | تارودانت نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  15. ^ Miller, Susan Gilson (2013). A History of Modern Morocco. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 84–85. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139045834. ISBN 978-1-139-04583-4.
  16. ^ العفاقي, رشيد. "الصحافة اللبنانية الهاجرة إلى طنجة (1889-1911م)" (PDF). مدن وثقافات (in Arabic).
  17. ^ "مائة عام على مشروع دستور 1908." مغرس. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  18. ^ Yabiladi.com. "En 1908, un projet de constitution évoquait les libertés individuelles au Maroc". www.yabiladi.com (in French). Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  19. ^ a b العفاقي, رشيد. "الصحافة اللبنانية الهاجرة إلى طنجة (1889-1911م)" (PDF). مدن وثقافات (in Arabic).
  20. ^ "The Rival Sultans in Morocco". The London Times. May 1908.
  21. ^ شادي, ياسين (19 January 2022). "البيعة الحفيظية". المركز الديمقراطي العربي (in Arabic). Retrieved 28 April 2022.