← Not Just the Tudors
Not Just the Tudors
Elizabeth I & the Sultan of Morocco
00:43:09
Unlikely allies: How Elizabeth I and the Moroccan Sultan plotted to reshape the world.
Loading summary
Transcript82 lines
- [00:00]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb. If you'd like Not Just the Tudors ad free to get early access and bonus episodes, sign up to History Hit With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries, including my own on Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Brilliant Rivals, and enjoy a new release every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com subscribe.
- [00:28]
Unnamed Boost Mobile Advertiser
To get people excited about Boost Mobile's new nationwide 5G network, we're offering unlimited talk, text and data for $25 a month.
- [00:36]
Forever.
- [00:36]
Even if you have a baby.
- [00:37]
Even if your baby has a baby.
- [00:38]
Even if you grow old and wrinkly and you start repeating yourself, Even if.
- [00:41]
You start repeating yourself, even if you're.
- [00:43]
On your deathbed and you need to make one last call or text, right? Or text the long lost son you abandoned at birth, you'll still get unlimited.
- [00:49]
Talk, text and Data for just 25amonth with Boost Mobile Forever.
- [00:53]
Ryan Seacrest
After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
- [00:58]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Forever.
- [00:59]
Justine
Hey, this is Justine from Two Black Girls, one Rose and I'm here to tell you about Zola. How weird does it feel to be called someone's fiance? The first time you hear it, you do a double take. From there, it's let's enjoy this moment. Turns into we're planning a fall wedding and I am right there right now. That's where Zola comes in from a venue and vendor discovery tool that matches you with your dream team. To save the dates, website and an easy to use registry, Zola has everything you need to plan your wedding in one place. Start planning@zola.com that's z o l a.com.
- [01:36]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this holiday season. Unwrapped sweet savings on all your favorite holiday Candy now through December 31st. Shop in store and online and save on holiday candy like Ferrero Rocher, Russell Stover Gift Box, Brax Soft Jellies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey Candy cane kisses, MM's, and Hershey milk Chocolate Kisses. Get these holiday favorites before they're gone. Offer ends December 31st. Restrictions apply. Promotions may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [02:09]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb, and welcome to Not Just the Tudors from History Hit the podcast in which we explore everything from Anne Boleyn to the Aztecs, from Holbein to the Huguenots, from Shakespeare to samurais relieved by regular doses of murder, espionage, and witchcraft. Not, in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors. At a glance, the imperial kingdoms of England and Morocco, the late 16th century, seem fairly dissimilar. Queen Elizabeth I and Sultan Ahmed Al Manzur reigned over kingdoms whose political, cultural, and religious landscapes appeared to be worlds apart. But despite these differences between Tudor England and Saudi Morocco, the rulers shared one common goal. Both were interested in empire building. As a result, they began a correspondence and an alliance that is one of the most overlooked diplomatic developments of the 16th century. Deeply intertwined with England's battle with Philip II Spain, the relationship between Elizabeth I and Ahmed Al Manzur was of crucial importance and had potential for even greater consequences. My guest today who will introduce the Moroccan dynasty and the relationship between England and The Saudi is Dr. Samia Aruzuki of Stanford University. Her research focuses on histories of race, slavery, and capitalism during the early modern period. And giving you a clue as to what's coming up. Her current project looks at the early history of the global sugar economy and how it changed from a luxury for the few to a commodity for the many. I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb, and this is not just the Tudors from history hit. Dr. Arazzuki, welcome to the podcast.
- [04:03]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Thank you so much for having me.
- [04:05]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So I'd like us to start, if we may, with the Battle of the Three Kings in 1578. Who was fighting and what were they fighting about?
- [04:16]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
So the Battle of Three Kings, right. It's one of several names that this battle carries. The three Kings it's referring to, first of all, is the king of Portugal, Dom Sebastian I. And the second king is Mohammad Mutawakkil, who had previously been the reigning sultan of Morocco. Now, he had been deposed by his two uncles, Abdul Malik and Ahmad al Mansour. So upon his deposition, he fled to Europe and rallied as many monarchs as he could to his cause. King Sebastian of Portugal is the only one that was convinced and joined and threw his weight behind him. So King Sebastian I, the formerly deposed Sultan of Morocco, Mohammed al Mutawakkil, marching alongside one another to reclaim his throne in Morocco. Seating at the throne is his uncle, Abdul Malik, who is preparing for the defense of this battle, which had been in the works for months and years. And the court of Abdel Malik had already known about this, and so they were well prepared. And so they faced off in the city of Ksal Kibir along the banks of the River Mahazin, which is also another name that refers to the battle, especially Moroccan historiography. And the battle lasted for about four hours. King Sebastian and Muhammad al Mutawakil were decimated. According to firsthand accounts, it took about four hours. The reigning Sultan of Morocco, Abdul Malik, died before the battle even started on the battlefield, according to what some sources say are due to the fact that he drank really bad or unhygienic unclean water. I have my own theories about his death prior to the bottle, but nonetheless, at the end of the battle, his younger brother, Sultan Ahmed Mansur, was crowned on the battlefield. And this is sort of the opening moment of his reign.
- [06:07]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So we have the Battle of Three Kings, as you say, one of the titles for which it's known. And the outcome is none of the three rules Morocco. But instead, this younger brother, Ahmed al Manzur, has become the sultan.
- [06:20]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Right. And it's actually this battle that earns him the moniker Al Mansur, which in Arabic means the victorious one.
- [06:26]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
And one of his first acts as sultan was something pretty brutal. Tell us about it and whether you think it in itself indicates something integral to the character of this man.
- [06:39]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Right. So one of the first acts he does is flay and stuff the body of his nephew, Muhammad Mutawakkid, and parade his body around the cities of Morocco, especially the major imperial cities. This certainly had several purposes, chief among them being a message of dissuading any lingering support from possibly mobilizing and coalescing into any other attempt at reclaiming his throne. But also the fact that he allied himself with the Portuguese, with the Catholic who it was precisely their expulsion. Right. The Saidian dynasty came to power having successfully expelled the Portuguese from their Atlantic presence in Morocco that their whole dynasty began. And so to go and ally yourself with the same power that your forefathers had worked so hard to push out was a major affront. Not to mention the overwhelming markers of otherness at the time were religious. And so the various accusations of being an infidel going both ways of the Mediterranean. So those were sort of the major factors, I would say. But also it cemented his reign, it cemented his power and ensured that there was no question about who was the Sultan of Morocco at the time.
- [08:11]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So are you saying, in other words, that actually Ahmad Almanzor's sort of approach to reigning was reacting against reaching out to European powers like Portugal?
- [08:25]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Not so much reacting against, rather being a little bit more strategic, holding his cards to his chest and sitting back, watching the dynamics unfold between his European counterparts and finding opportunities and ways to sort of leverage his own interests play these rivalries against one another. And this especially comes up between Philip II and Elizabeth I. But by this time, I mean especially with Portugal, Right soon after the Battle of Three Kings. I mean, this is the moment that creates an opportunity for Philip II to step in and seize control of Portugal. So Portugal was on a decline, as it was, but this became the way that we can understand how Morocco positioned itself, especially under Ahmed Al Mansour, ushering in an era of unprecedented autonomy and sovereignty, precisely because they successfully were able to play the imperial rivalries of their European counterparts against one another.
- [09:24]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Okay, tell me a bit more then about this kingdom over which he ruled. And also, could you give me a sense of how it compared to Elizabeth I, England?
- [09:36]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
So there's a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. Similarities in that they were surrounded by foes, and many of those foes were similar foes, the same foes, chief among them being Philip II of Spain and Catholic Europe. So for Morocco at this time, the Saidian dynasty was relatively confined within the modern day borders of Morocco, having secured control over Marrakech and Fez, the two major imperial capitals. Now, by 1591, Sultan Ahmed Al Mansur invades the West African Songhai Empire, effectively extending the territory from the northern shores of the Mediterranean down as far south to the Niger Delta, encompassing a huge swath of the African Atlantic coast as well as the Sahara, in contrast. Right. We know that because of the political situation in England, that Elizabeth's control was relatively confined to the Isles. But because of that history, they were able to develop fairly advanced navy, at least well ahead of its time, precisely because of this need. That was the only way to secure one's empire. And I think that ends up becoming something that they look to for one another in terms of drawing inspiration and taking notes. Now, another sort of interesting point is where the Ottoman Empire fits into this. And we can sort of discuss that later, or maybe not discuss it at all. But it's interesting because they both kind of established this really hesitant relationship with the Ottoman Empire at a time when it was at its peak and it was the major power dominating, especially in the Mediterranean, though, that's beginning to turn with this new shift of power and the new balance of power, especially with Spain's control over these newfound territories across the Atlantic, which is bringing in huge troves of wealth and power and influence within the control of Philip II of Spain.
- [11:39]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So we have at the head of this kingdom, then you're implying a man.
- [11:43]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Who has imperial ambitions, certainly has imperial ambitions. I Mean, who wouldn't? Especially if you just succeeded in defeating Portugal, who was historically and up until then one of the most powerful and wealthiest empires of the world. So for that to be the opening moment of his reign, I think it only secured and ensured the fact that his whole entire reign would hinge upon an empire building strategy. But he had to contend with several factors. One, where towards what direction was going to expand this empire to his east, you have the Ottomans no way cannot come up against the Ottomans, especially because there's an interesting and complicated nuanced relationship between the Moroccans. The Ottomans at this point, Morocco had kind of gone back and forth between being almost kind of under suzerainty, under the Ottomans, that that begins to change with Ahmed Al Mansur. So can't go east, can't go west. There's no navy, there's no ships, there's an unnavigable ocean, though we can sort of discuss his ambitions to try to overcome that later to the north, Spain, now you just defeated Portugal. And the only direction for building an empire was southward. And it was one particular direction that the Moroccans had been eyeing for a while, precisely because of these enduring historical accounts that we still have, mainly from the travel accounts of Ibn Battuta, for example, that spoke of these immense piles of gold and gold mines in West Africa and the famed city of Timbuktu under the reign of Mansa Musa. And so the lore and the fantasy of this deeply rich land constantly sort of loomed over. And that was certainly a part of it, though, as I try to argue in the work that I do, is that sure, the gold was a convenient lure, so to speak, but the primary motivating factor was securing a new source of slave labor precisely for the expanding sugar economy under Morocco. But all of this fits in with an empire building and these newly emerging circuits of trade and commerce that are displacing the Mediterranean and the Sahara as the primary commercial networks speak to where Morocco is situated at this very strategic and important site of the 16th century, where Africa meets Europe, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, where Islam meets Christianity and all of these other sort of colliding and intersecting overlapping worlds.
- [14:24]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So what did he do to fulfill this ambition for empire? How did he go south?
- [14:29]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Preparation had begun for several years before 1591. Now, we had the Battle of Three Kings in 1578. So this would have meant that soon after he was already preparing. Now, interestingly enough, if we go back to the Battle of Three Kings, in addition to the death of the King of Portugal, King Sebastian I had forced almost the entirety of the Portuguese aristocracy to march with him on battle. When they were quickly defeated, this created a really great opportunity for Ahmad Al Mansour to then capture all of these Portuguese nobles and ransom them off one by one. And one of those captives was Don Antonio, who was the only other legitimate contender for the Portuguese throne. Now, this marked the beginning of the correspondences between Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour and Queen Elizabeth I, because they both had a shared interest in ensuring that Philip II did not seize and take control over Portugal. So they both couldn't various sort of commitments and promises to place Don Antonio on the throne. And among those was on the Moroccan side, that he would provide England with additional backup in terms of the military and also in terms of financial resources, food and support. When time came for that, he didn't show up. And it took years and years for Elizabeth I to get a response from as to why he didn't show up. And it turned out that the whole time he was busy with his expedition and invasion of the songhai Empire in 1591.
- [16:00]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So we've got this correspondence starting between Al Mansur and Elizabeth I, and that's at the heart of what we're talking about today. So perhaps we ought to just take a moment to think about how often they wrote to each other, what sort of size of correspondence we have.
- [16:16]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Interestingly enough, in London, we have almost every single copy of every single letter that they exchange, which totals to about a little over 40 letters. Their correspondences would have began in 1578 and ended in 1603. They both died the same year, within three months apart. There were moments when they were corresponding more frequently than others. For example, right during this moment that Ahmad Al Mansoor was focused on expanding his empire and control over the Song High. Not a lot of correspondence within that time period, but soon after, we didn't see a flurry of correspondences. And there isn't just a direct communication between the two of them as sovereigns, as monarchs, but there are indirect correspondences going back and forth between their advisors, their close courtiers, and also their spy networks, which are constantly relaying information back and forth and back and forth. And interestingly enough, actually, the French court becomes a very important source of intelligence on both sides. The English are particularly invested in hearing what's going on in France because of Mary Stuart being married to Francis I at the time. But also that happened to be the one place where those that were working on behalf of the Moroccan sultan could rub shoulders with, not just, obviously the French But Spanish, Portuguese, other Catholic dignitaries, the Dutch, Ottomans, even, in some cases. So While upwards of 40 letters doesn't sound like a lot, there was a constant stream and flow of information about Morocco and England to and from back and forth, both about each other and informing one another's rulers about what was going on.
- [18:05]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Thank you for that. We'll pick up the narrative where you were before. We're in the 1580s now. Mary, the Queen of Scots, has been executed. 1587. We've had the Spanish Armada, 1588. And then we have something that I think many people might not have heard about, the Portugal Expedition of 1589, the English Plan to place Don Antonio on the throne, which, as you've intimated, did not succeed because Almanzor did not deliver what he had promised and then took three years to write to Elizabeth to offer his excuses. What was the plan and what was the reason he did not deliver?
- [18:43]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
So the plan essentially, was that England, being equipped with a navy and having just come off the heels of this stunning victory over the Armada, was going to supply the ships and ensure the safe transit of Don Antonio from England, who was being kept as a guest, I guess it's a euphemism that one could say. And on the Moroccan side, upon their approach to Portugal, which as we know, is really close by to Morocco, that Ahmed al Mansour would provide additional backup, additional forces and other forms of aid, namely food and gold. Now, when the time came for that, as you noted, he didn't show up. And almost three years of no word. The reason why he says to Elizabeth the first in his first letter responding to her, is we were simply preoccupied by another, more important matter, which was the invasion of the Song High. But rest assured, for this invasion has actually offered us another opportunity. And that's when he sort of counters with saying, I know I didn't show up in the way I promised, but I can show up even more now because not only do I have more wealth, more gold, more power, more land, but I also have a plan. And that plan is going to be that we jointly invade Spain.
- [20:14]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
I mean, this is extraordinary. This is something most people would know didn't happen, but it's this moment in history when things could have been so different. And he's promising huge amounts of money to Elizabeth and really intimating that this is something that is going to happen. And am I right in thinking there's another cause as well? Another cause too risky to be entrusted to letters that he is proposing, which.
- [20:39]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Is precisely this one? It's the plan to finalize the terms of this joint invasion of not just mainland Spain, but also its territories across the Atlantic.
- [20:52]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Ah, so this is a whole scale attempt to take over the Spanish Empire entirely.
- [21:00]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
And who knows? I mean, those of us on the side of the Atlantic could be speaking Arabic right now if that happened. But. Right, so this whole entire covert operation ensues. The Moroccan Sultan sends an ambassador to London in 1600. Now, he sends this ambassador under the COVID of being a pearl merchant, coming from Damascus to sell pearls to Queen Elizabeth I. He's traveling with 20 courtiers. So on paper, they were supposed to be as discreet as possible. The whole purpose for sending the ambassador under the COVID of being a pearl merchant was to avoid drawing as much attention as possible, because the last thing that they could risk doing was the Catholic League finding out that this was in the works, that this negotiation for jointly invading Spain and its territories abroad was in the works. So the Moroccan ambassador arrives to London, 1600, and lo and behold, it turns out his arrival actually draws an exceeding amount of interest. So much so that we have the first ever portrait done of a Muslim dignitary in England. We also have accounts that would corroborate the fact that he would have been invited and present to the first ever performance of A Twelfth Night commissioned by Elizabeth I in the year 1600, right after the new year. Which also is cause for speculation that perhaps the ambassador served as inspiration for future Shakespearean characters, namely Othello. But this matter that was too delicate to be discussed over letters, ends up being discussed in person between this ambassador that the Sultan sends to Elizabeth I, he returns, and the terms of this secret venture were solidified. And that was actually the last topic of discussion amongst them in the last letters they exchanged, just right before they both passed away within three months of each other in 1603. The last matter that was discussed was moving forward with this plan to jointly invade Spain.
- [23:30]
Matt Lewis
I'm Matt Lewis. And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yanaga. And in Gone Medieval, we get into the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking details, and latest groundbreaking research from the greatest millennium in human history. We're talking Vikings, Normans, Kings and Popes who were rarely the best of friends. Murder, rebellions and crusades. Find out who we really were by subscribing to Gone Medieval from history. Hit on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [24:00]
Unnamed Boost Mobile Advertiser
To make switching to the new Boost Mobile risk free. We're offering a 30 day money back guarantee.
- [24:05]
So why wouldn't you switch from Verizon T Mobile?
- [24:07]
Because you have nothing to lose. Boost Mobile is offering a 30 day money back guarantee.
- [24:11]
No, I asked. Why wouldn't you switch from Verizon or T Mobile?
- [24:14]
Oh, wouldn't because you love wasting money as a way to punish yourself because your mother never showed you enough love as a child.
- [24:22]
Whoa, easy there.
- [24:23]
Yeah.
- [24:23]
Ryan Seacrest
Applies to online activations, requires poured in and auto pay. Customers activating in stores may be charged non refundable activation fees. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this holiday season. Unwrapped sweet savings on all your favorite holiday Candy. Now through December 31st. Shop in store and online and save on holiday candy like Ferrero Rocher, Russell Stover Gift Box Bra, Soft Jellies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey Candy Cane kisses, M&M's and Hershey Milk Chocolate Kisses. Get these holiday favorites before they're gone. Offer ends December 31st. Restrictions apply. Promotions may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [25:00]
Justine
Hey, this is Justine from Two Black Girls, One Rose, and I'm here to tell you about Zola. How weird does it feel to be called someone's fiance? The first time you hear it, you do a double take. From there, it's let's enjoy this moment. Turns into we're planning a fall wedding and I am right there, right now. That's where Zola comes in from. A venue and vendor discovery tool that matches you with your dream team. To save the dates, website and an easy to use registry, Zola has everything you need to plan your wedding in one place. Start planning@zola.com that's z o l a.com.
- [25:52]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Now. Nothing came of it. I want to know, do you think it was serious if both had lived longer, say, would Almanzor really have sent Elizabeth the vast sums that she was demanding? Would they really have attempted an invasion of Spain?
- [26:07]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
There's two answers to that, and those answers are shaped by the two different perspectives. I think on the English side there would have been a degree of wariness, and rightfully so. The maracas didn't show up last time and by now perhaps a little bit weary of the prospects of facing off against the Spanish again. And especially because now, as we know later, more attention and focus was being placed on establishing a settlement in colonies across the Atlantic to finally catch up to what the Spanish and the Portuguese and the French had been doing. So on the English side, it's hard to say. I lean towards a no. On the Moroccan side, I think all indicators suggest that he was ready to go. Now he had also been purchasing tons and tons and tons of shipbuilding lumber from England. For all intents and purposes, he was probably preparing to also add to that naval power with his own. Though he soon and very quickly confronted the reality that ship building skill, securing shipbuilders in the Mediterranean was a very challenging venture. They were in high demand. And so all that lumber just kind of sat there. And so no navy came of it. But the gold was certainly there. I mean, in the letters that he sends to her, they're all covered with gold. That becomes his additional moniker after he invades the song High. So it's no longer just Ahmed Al Mansour, it becomes Ahmad Al Mansour al Tahbi, Ahmad the Victorious, the golden one. And certainly having secured this control over West Africa, with Philip II being dead by now, knowing his empire building ambitions, the only logical direction would have been westward and partially northward. Right. If we're talking about mainland Spain. But I think most importantly, it was setting his sights on joining the ranks of his European counterparts and establishing a presence across the Atlantic. He says this very plainly to Elizabeth in the letter. He says, you know, listen, I know you people in England are not used to the heat, okay? So when it comes to the matter of settling and populating the Spanish territories across the Americas, we'll take care of it. Because for us, we're used to this weather, like, don't worry about it, everything will be fine. We'll handle it. Even then, one could read into and say, okay, no. He certainly had serious ambitions to do this. And I think if he lived longer, he certainly would have.
- [29:07]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
That's so fascinating. Now, the relationship between Morocco and England was also about trade. What were they trading?
- [29:16]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
So on the Moroccan side, Morocco was sending the most prized and coveted commodity of the early modern period, sugar. Morocco was also sending saltpeter, which is also potassium nitrate. It's an essential component for making gunpowder. These are the two major commodities that Morocco was sending to England. The English to Morocco were sending shipbuilding, lumber and surge, which is a fabric that is used to line military tents. And those were the two primary commodities that were going back and forth. But there's a huge discrepancy in trade deficit. This is a very one directional trade.
- [29:57]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
I mean, just like, yes, here we have, we've got some sugar, which is white gold at the time, and we've got, you know, sword heater, which is necessary for weapons. And you're giving us some wood and some fabric. Thanks. You know, it really is one sided.
- [30:11]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
The wood was extremely important and valuable for anyone who was wanting to build a navy. They would have looked to England and what is it that they're doing? What is it that they have that we don't have? And one of those major resources is the lumber. And so in his mind, perhaps he didn't think that far ahead about what to do with the lumber once they got there, because there was no shipbuilders around the Ottomans, and the Spanish had basically taken them all. It just sat there. But in his mind, it was a fair trade. Now, that's on the record, right? Covertly, we know that the English were also supplying Morocco with weapons and ammunition, which were used primarily, first of all, in the Battle of Three Kings in 1578 to help sort of tilt the balance in the favor of Mohammed Mansour, and were instrumental in securing his conquest and victory over the Songhai in 1591. In all the accounts that talk about the preparations for these two battles, there's mentions of English weapons and iron. So there is that side of it, though, that's off the record, right? We won't get official trade receipts that disclose those goods being traded. But the volume with which Morocco was exporting sugar to England was unprecedented, and there's nothing comparable to it. And beyond that, Morocco is capable of exporting three different kinds of sugar. White, granulated, and then coarse brown and molasses. And rather than what was happening across the Atlantic, the only competitor for that Morocco had to contend with in the English market in terms of sugar was Brazil, colonial Brazil. So the issue was with sugar coming from Brazil is that it couldn't be shipped as a final product. It had to be refined in Europe. Morocco, on the other hand, because of its geographic proximity to England, could ship off and send the final product without any issue, without concerns over rotting or spoiling. And so this helps sort of facilitate and ensure a steady flow, like I said, in one direction. And this speaks to sort of the unprecedented nature of what Morocco's sugar production looked like, which was unparalleled at its time.
- [32:47]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Now, sugar was notoriously labor intensive to produce, and it tended at this time, if one thinks of the Spanish in the Canary Islands, for example, to rely on indentured and enslaved people. Was that the case in Morocco?
- [33:04]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
So this is something that I'm very interested in still continuing to research. Now, all of the evidence that we have suggests that up until 1578, the Battle of Three Kings, the Mediterranean was the primary source of slaves in Morocco, and the primary marker of otherness that determined whether or not one could be enslaved was religious otherness. So Morocco being predominantly Muslim, right, it was fair game to enslave Christians and Jews in the same way that it was the case the other way around. After 1578, this begins to change. And this becomes clear to us when we look at the letters that the Sultan is writing to the ulama, who are the class of Islamic scholars based in Fes, justifying his motives and reasonings for invading the Songhai, which at the time was also Muslim. So here he is a Muslim monarch invading another Muslim power and subsequently enslaving its people, defying Islamic jurisprudence. And the language in which he uses to describe the people of the Songhai is exceedingly racialized. He only refers to them as people who are black. He only refers to them as Muslims, once he has evoked this sort of unification of the Muslim nation. So the shift is becoming more aligned with what we are seeing emerging and dominating in the Atlantic with the transatlantic slave trade. And it's not far fetched to imagine that he would have been drawing inspiration and certainly keen and aware of what was happening in the Atlantic, because a lot of those ships that were traversing the Atlantic were stopping in Morocco for extended periods of time. I mean, just for example, John Smith's ship, right before sailing off to Jamestown, docked in Morocco for three months. This was a very common thing back and forth. So this is sort of an unprecedented moment. And if we align this with the fact that Morocco was the only place in the Mediterranean that saw an increase in sugar production in the 16th century, one cannot help but attribute that spike and that rise of production to this major influx of slave labor. The nature of the archives, for those of us that study histories of slavery are very familiar with the overwhelming silence that surrounds these questions. So there's a lot of having to read between the lines and placing other sources in conversation with one another. But for all intents and purposes, I mean, there is no way that one could soundly sever the context of Morocco's invasion of the Songhai and the enslavement of its people, upwards of 10,000, with the fact that Morocco increases its sugar production to unprecedented heights in the 16th century, knowing what we know about those two things, especially because at this time, the enslaved black body becomes inherently part of the architecture of the sugar plantation. And I argue that Morocco sugar plantations were no different.
- [36:30]
Matt Lewis
I'm Matt Lewis. And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yanaga. And in God Medieval, we get into the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking details, and latest groundbreaking research from the greatest millennium in human history. We're talking Vikings, Normans, kings and Popes who were rarely the best of friends. Murder, rebellions and crusades. Find out who we really were by subscribing to Gone Medieval from History, hit on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [37:00]
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing Mint Mobile Unlimited premium wireless. How do you get 30, 30. Get 30. Get 20, 20, 20. But to get 2020, I better get 15, 15, 15, 15. Just 15 bucks a month. So give it a try@mint mobile.com switch.
- [37:23]
Unnamed Boost Mobile Advertiser
$45 upfront payment equivalent to 15 per month.
- [37:26]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
New customers on first 3 month plan only. Taxes and fees, extra speed slower above 40g.
- [37:42]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
And England is very much drawing on this because of the growing taste for sugar in England. I mean, Elizabeth I herself is famous for her blackened teeth. I mean, she took a personal interest in this commodity. But the demand for sugar is increasing. So we can, we can make a direct link here between the empire of the Songhai that has been invaded, the enslavement of people to produce sugar, the great increase in sugar, and the sales.
- [38:10]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Direct directly to England and actually the sales to England. Those trade receipts are crucial sources for us because they actually speak and provide us with evidence of the scale of Morocco sugar production, because there aren't a lot of archival sources that remain from the Said dynasty. And so those trade receipts would show a very sort of imbalanced trade deficit. Right. The English were importing Moroccan sugar at such a high rate. Now, the other thing I didn't mention, we didn't talk about, is that one of the early English Crown charters that was set up was the Barbary Company. The Barbary Company essentially standardized and streamlined Anglo Moroccan trade during the reigns of Elizabeth the First and Ahmad Al Mansur. And one of the things that they did was standardized sugar as a form of payment for all English goods. So knowing what we know about the sugar industry in Morocco, which was, A, the land was entirely owned by the Sultan, that B, he was essentially slave owner, landowner and speculator in the sense that he solely, he determined the prices of sugar so he could set the terms for this trade deal, and he certainly did. And C, being that this parallels what we end up seeing emerging across the Atlantic, primarily because there's no evidence and there was no existing history and culture of local sugar consumption in Morocco. It was just not a thing. Moroccans were not consuming sugar Regularly for sweeteners, they would use honey. The only instances in which we see or hear or read about sugar being used is as a preservative or for medicinal purposes. So to expand this industry to such great lengths, and we're talking about these sites, I mean, I sort of understand them in my mind. I imagine them as these mega sugar plantation industry plans, because it's on the same site they are cultivating sugarcane, they are milling it and refining it, producing three separate final products in one single site and exporting the entire product duty free to England, with again, no evidence of any local practices of consuming sugar. Obviously, that changes much later on with the introduction of tea and coffee. But at this moment in the late 16th century, early 17th, there is no evidence of local Moroccan consumption of sugar.
- [40:52]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
So we've got relations between Morocco and England hinging on sugar obtained by slave labor in exchange for weapons. The history of diplomatic relations isn't very edifying, is it?
- [41:06]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
I think it speaks to what were the main interests and what was at stake in the 16th century. We're talking about a period of unprecedented historical change. Things are rapidly changing. The world's becoming increasingly smaller and closer than it ever was before. And part of that entails establishing one's dominance and preparing to defend oneself. And so for Morocco, establishing that dominance was commanding this commodity that they realized and were very keen on exploiting this sort of sweet tooth that was emerging not just amongst the English elite, but the European elite more broadly, and to sort of use that as a arsenal of the empire defense system. In many ways, by placing sugar at the heart of relations between England and Morocco, he ensured. It was almost kind of like an insurance policy. If anything happens to us, just be prepared for the loss of your sugar. And that was almost something that never happened. Throughout the whole entire duration of their coinciding reigns. The one thing that remained consistent regardless of whether or not Morocco showed up or didn't, was the flow of Moroccan sugar to the court of Elizabeth I.
- [42:25]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
And if we return to their correspondence, you suggest that the fact that Almanzor and Elizabeth I were in touch with each other may have influenced their ideas of empire. How so? How does that connect with what we've been talking about?
- [42:41]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Well, I think it's no coincidence that when the English established their first colony across the Atlantic with Jamestown, that first ship included sugarcane. And we do have historical records that suggest that there was an early attempt to cultivate sugar in Jamestown. And very quickly they discovered that it was not. It was not feasible. And this became a huge motivating factor for orienting English colonial expansion towards the Caribbean. And lo and behold, one of the first products that the English are cultivating en masse and soon dominate globally is sugar, specifically in Jamaica, for example. This happens within what, 50 years. And it's hard to sort of believe that there wasn't at least some genealogy here, some connection, some inspiration. Now, we also know that a few of those that were accredited to trade England and the Barbary Company would go on to continue trading across the Atlantic. Perhaps knowing and sensing that this demand for sugar was only going to continue increasing, then it became a very clear opportunity on the Moroccan side. Right. The lumber. I keep thinking about just these piles and piles of lumber rotting away. I think that is one of our biggest pieces of evidence to support that. But to also understand that, like this intertwined nature of them was also in many ways dialectically linked in terms of the rise of English sugar production. And English empire in many ways can be linked to the decline of Morocco sugar economy and Moroccan imperial power. Because once the English began to produce their own sugar, they had their own colonies that were providing that sugar. Then Morocco lost its privileged place in the English market. Without sugar, as this leveraging insurance policy, if you will, then it lost its ability to sort of maintain some degree of equity in that balance of power. And soon everything began to crumble after that. The decline of Morocco's sugar industry coincides perfectly and happens exactly at the same time. This idea dynasty falls apart due to a succession crisis, rivalries, famine, drought, the loss of the territory that they briefly conquered in West Africa. But this all really unravels, I argue, with sugar.
- [45:23]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
And this is to end our story of Elizabeth I and Ahmad Al Mansour. What is happening after their death Within a few months, as you said of each other in 1603, we have, on the one hand, England turning to look across the Atlantic to extend its empire through sugar. And in Morocco, we have the decline in fall.
- [45:49]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Absolutely. And beyond even that, I mean, it was not soon after until the English also established an enduring presence which continues today in Gibraltar. And ever since Ahmad Al Mansur, I think many Moroccan sultans and monarchs have sought to replicate what Ahmed Al Mansur was able to do, to no avail. I mean, one of the most amusing letters came across when I was doing my research at Kew was they put all the letters between the Moroccan and English monarchs in one box. I kept on reading well after Elizabeth the First. And I found this letter that the Sultan of Morocco had sent to Queen Anne. And he laments to her. He's saying, you know, this is in the 18th century. He's like, why can't we maintain a correspondence and a friendship like your ancestor and my ancestor did? And using that as a metric and a sort of standard and a model, not just for relations and diplomacy, but also for understanding that, oh, look, if you want to go back to your glory, if you want to reach the heights that you look back to, these golden eras, then know that, like, I'm a necessary part of that equation. We need each other. If we're going to like, achieve that glory, relive that glory, we need each other. And I think this becomes an enduring sort of memory and it is evoked especially on the Moroccan side of that history.
- [47:15]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Well, this has been a wonderful episode introducing us to a period of history that I think we know about on the English side so well. But this interaction between England and Morocco has been so little known and the ramifications of it were huge.
- [47:33]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Absolutely.
- [47:35]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Dr. Arazuki, thank you so much for your time.
- [47:38]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
Thank you so much.
- [47:42]
Professor Susanna Lipscomb
Thanks for listening to this episode of Not Just the Tudors from History Hit. And also thanks to my researcher Alice Smith and my producer Rob Weinberg. Remember, you can also listen to all of these podcasts on YouTube and watch hundreds of documentaries when you subscribe@historyhit.com subscribe. It's well worth it. And if you would be so good as to follow Not Just the Tudors on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, you'll get each new episode as soon as it's released.
- [48:36]
Unnamed Boost Mobile Advertiser
The new Boost Mobile network is offering unlimited talk, text and data for just $25 a month for life.
- [48:42]
That sounds like a threat.
- [48:43]
Then how do you think we should say it?
- [48:44]
Unlimited talk, text and data for just 25amonth for the rest of your life?
- [48:49]
I don't know.
- [48:50]
Until you're ultimate demise.
- [48:52]
What if we just say forever? Okay, $25 a month forever.
- [48:56]
Get unlimited talk, text and Data for just $25 a month with Boost Mobile Forever.
- [49:00]
Ryan Seacrest
After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
- [49:10]
Dr. Samia Arazuki
What a difference a day makes. Swap your airport transit weight for an exciting stopover in Qatar where idyllic beaches and vibrant souks are all just moments away. Enjoy a 24 hour Qatar stopover with 5 star hotels from only $48 per night. Go to visit qatar.comstopover terms app.