MOROCCAN BRITISH RELATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

 

First Contacts

Morocco and Britain have longstanding political and trading links. Diplomatic relations date back to at least 1213 AD, when King John of England dispatched envoys to seek the support of Mohammed El-Nasir, Morocco's fourth Almohad ruler. It seems that Mohammed El-Nasir was not impressed by what he heard of the English King, and informed the envoys that King John was unworthy of an alliance with him.

Trade Links

Relations improved in the 16th century, when news reached England of the extensive trading opportunities in Morocco. The first recorded English trade mission, to Safi and Agadir in 1551-52, was sponsored by London merchants who traded English cloth and other goods for Moroccan sugar, dates and almonds. A highly profitable trade developed. Queen Elizabeth I of England, who shared Moroccan fears of Spanish power, exchanged several letters with Abd El-Malik and Ahmed El-Mansour of Morocco.

Trade grew rapidly and English merchants were granted special status in comparison with Morocco's other trading partners. The first English commercial agent, Henry Roberts, was sent to the Moroccan court at Marrakech in 1585. He returned to London in 1589 with a Moroccan envoy to Elizabeth I named Merzouk Rais, who was met by around 50 merchants and escorted into the city.

In the early 17th century, a group of pirates at Sale known in England as the 'Sallee Rovers'' began to take English merchants prisoner. This, and the English occupation of Tangier from 1662 to 1684, complicated relations. But trade continued to flourish, a series of treaties were signed and diplomats were exchanged. The first Moroccan Ambassador to London, Kaid Jaudar Ben Abdallah, was appointed in 1637 and the first English Consul to Morocco, Nathaniel Luke, in 1657.

Morocco's second Ambassador to London, Kaid Mohammed Ben Hadu Ottur, who was appointed in 1682, made a deep impression on London society because of his exotic dress, his courtesy and his horsemanship. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and visited Oxford University. One of the most famous English painters of the day, Sir Godfrey Kneller, painted him on his horse in Hyde Park.

The English in Tangier

In 1661, the King of Portugal gave Tangier to King Charles II of England as part of a marriage dowry. An English garrison was maintained there for twenty years, but Moroccan forces under Moulay Ismail made life so difficult for the garrison that the English decided to abandon Tangier in 1684.

Treaties of Peace and Commerce

Relations were re-established on a sounder footing in the 18th century. Moulay Ismail wanted English help against the Spanish, and the English needed Moroccan assistance to supply the garrison of their newly acquired colony of Gibraltar. A Treaty of Peace and Commerce was signed at Fes in 1721 and there were exchanges of letters between Moroccan Sultans and Kings George II and III of Britain. In one of them, Sidi Mohammed of Morocco described the British Ambassador Mark Milbanke as a man of "great sense, very proper, agreeable and courteous". Milbanke later concluded a second Treaty of Peace and Commerce at Fes in 1760.

Deepening Relations

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1795-1815), relations between Britain and Morocco became exceptionally important. The security of Gibraltar was crucial to British seapower, and Morocco regarded Britain as an ally against the threat of invasion from France or Spain. During the 19th century, Britain was Morocco's most important commercial and political partner. Morocco imported cloth, iron, arms, china, tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, tin and paper from British merchants, and exported cattle, mules, beeswax, honey, silk, leather, ivory and ostrich feathers. Britain remained Morocco's main export market and its main source of imports until 1912.

Close Allies

Because of its interests in Gibraltar, Britain was anxious for Morocco to remain independent. Britain's policy, according to a document of 1845, was 'to exert ourselves to the utmost in assisting to uphold the authority of the Sultan and to arrest every incident which might threaten it with fresh danger'. In 1824 Sultan Moulay Abderahman declared that Britain had been Morocco's best friend for many years. The General Treaty and Convention of Commerce and Navigation, signed in 1856, effectively gave Britain 'most favoured nation' status in Morocco.

A remarkably close British-Moroccan relationship developed under two successive British Consuls-General, Edward Drummond-Hay (1829-45) and his son Sir John Drummond-Hay (1845-86), both fluent Arabic speakers. They mediated on Morocco's behalf during the 1840s with other European countries such as Spain, France, Denmark and Sweden. In 1849 and 1858, they arranged for ships of the Royal Navy to transport the Sultan's sons to Mecca for the Hajj. In 1861, they helped to negotiate the Spanish evacuation of Tetouan. Military co-operation also flourished. Moroccan officers were sent for military training to Gibraltar and Britain in 1875-76, and a British soldier, known as Kaid Maclean, was engaged by the Sultan in 1877 to help to train Morocco's army.

On his retirement in 1886, Sir John Drummond-Hay wrote that he had would never forget the kindness of Moroccans, and went on to list a number of the Sultan's officials whom he counted as personal friends. Sultan Moulay Hassan replied that he regarded Hay as a sincere friend and said that his departure caused great sorrow.

The Twentieth Century

After Hay's retirement, Britain's relationship with Morocco was increasingly influenced by the growing rivalry between the great powers. With the establishment of the French Protectorate in the early 20th century, British interests became largely limited to Tangier, where Britain played an important role in the international administration of the city. A substantial British community grew up there, and Tangier retained a British flavour for many years afterwards. During the Second World War, Britain and the United States were anxious to prevent Morocco falling under the control of the Axis powers. Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt of the United States met King Mohammed V of Morocco at Casablanca in 1943, at one of the most important Allied conferences of the war.

Independence

Since Morocco's independence in 1956, British-Moroccan relations have once again grown steadily in importance. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Morocco in October 1980, and His late Majesty King Hassan II paid a return visit to London in July 1987. His Royal Highness Prince Charles has visited Morocco on several occasions, most recently in 1999, to attend the funeral of the late King.

New Partnership for the New Millennium

With the beginning of the 21st Century, there is a new strength and impetus to our relations. Trade has tripled in the past ten years. Investment is on the increase. More and more British people come to Morocco every year. The range and depth of bilateral contacts is developing at a faster pace. During his visit in December 1999, the then Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain announced 'a new Partnership between Britain and Morocco for the new Millennium'