Republic of Salé
Encyclopedia
The Republic of Salé was an independent corsair
city-state
on the Moroccan coast
. It was a major piratical port during its brief existence in the 17th century.
n colonisation and Roman settlement at the ancient site of Chellah
, which was eventually overtaken by native Berber
tribes.
The origins of the republic back to the year 1610, with the arrival of Moriscos from Hornachos
(Extremadura
, Spain
), who settled Salé after expulsion of the Moriscos ordered by Philip III of Spain
.
Cultural differences between the natives and the Morisco refugees, together with language differences, led to the rejection of the newcomers, so a group of about 3,000 hornacheros settled in a small settlement across the mouth of Bou Regreg
, then known as Sala Al Jadida (New Salé), which then became the city of Rabat
.
The strife between the two communities reached its climax in 1627, when the Moriscos proclaimed their independence from the Republic of Bou Regreg, founding the Republic of Salé, which was then recognized by some European kingdoms, eventually annexing Old Salé. The new Republic of Bou Regreg also included the Kasbah of Mehdya
, known by the Moriscos as the Fortalesa.
The Republic became an active commercial centre which became a beam for other Andalusian refugees
, all Kinds of European, Jewish and Christian merchants. Mainly devoted to piracy in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar
, harassing the coasts of Ceuta
and Andalusia
, often in collusion with the Ottoman Empire
.
The Republic was ruled by a council or Diwan
, whose members elected every year during the month of May a Governor and a Captain General of the Fortalesa. The first governor was called Brahim Vargas
, the son of one of the first Morisco settlers. The administrative language of the Republic was Andalusian Spanish
.
The port city of Salé
was a walled city which acted as the chief port and commercial center of medieval Morocco. During the 16th century and into the seventeenth, it became home to many religious refugees from Spain, and attracted the attention of Barbary pirates. The gated harbor was extremely desirable to the pirates. It was a port of call for European traders, and home to many artists, intellectuals, and religious leaders.
, a dreaded band of Barbary pirates, declared Salé to be an independent republic free from the Sultan. They set up a government that consisted of 14 pirate leaders, and elected one as their President, who would also serve as the Grand Admiral of their navy. Their first President and Grand Admiral was Jan Janszoon
, who led until 1627.
attempted to reclaim sovereignty of Salé by laying siege to it, but his efforts were eventually repelled. To obtain some satisfaction of sovereignty over the area, he appointed Salé's President as his acting Governor of the area, although it was only ceremonial. The republic would pay the Sultan for his non-interference in their future affairs.
The republic became very prosperous and wealthy because of their main sources of income—piracy and shipping. Plundered gold, silver, spices, silks, fabrics, slaves, and many other items of value were brought back to the city-state by the pirates after raids on European shipping vessels and towns. Janszoon was credited for the business growth in the republic because of his intelligence and courage. Between 1618-1626, it was estimated that the pirates operating out of the Bou Regreg
corsair republics, which included Salé and Rabat
, plundered 6,000 prisoners and £15 million worth of goods, which if based on 2% inflation starting in 1750, would be equivalent to over £2 billion today.
of the Alaouite dynasty
, who still rule Morocco into the 21st century, would seize the republic by force, ending its independence.. It indeed ended up being controlled by the Sultan of Morocco, after 1668, when Moulay al Rashid
finally vanquished the Dilaites.
, in Daniel Defoe's
novel by the same name, spends time in captivity of the local pirates and at last sails off to liberty from the mouth of the Salé river.
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
on the Moroccan coast
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It was a major piratical port during its brief existence in the 17th century.
History
History
The early history of this region is rich with PhoeniciaPhoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n colonisation and Roman settlement at the ancient site of Chellah
Chellah
Chellah, or Sala Colonia is a necropolis and complex of ancient Roman Mauretania Tingitana and medieval ruins at Rabat, Morocco. It is the most ancient human settlement on the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.-History:...
, which was eventually overtaken by native Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
tribes.
The origins of the republic back to the year 1610, with the arrival of Moriscos from Hornachos
Hornachos
Hornachos is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 3,840 inhabitants.- History :...
(Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), who settled Salé after expulsion of the Moriscos ordered by Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
.
Cultural differences between the natives and the Morisco refugees, together with language differences, led to the rejection of the newcomers, so a group of about 3,000 hornacheros settled in a small settlement across the mouth of Bou Regreg
Bou Regreg
The Bou Regreg is a river located in western Morocco which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean between the cities of Rabat and Salé. The estuary of this river is termed Wadi Sala....
, then known as Sala Al Jadida (New Salé), which then became the city of Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
.
The strife between the two communities reached its climax in 1627, when the Moriscos proclaimed their independence from the Republic of Bou Regreg, founding the Republic of Salé, which was then recognized by some European kingdoms, eventually annexing Old Salé. The new Republic of Bou Regreg also included the Kasbah of Mehdya
Kasbah of the Udayas
The Kasbah of the Udayas is a kasbah in Rabat, Morocco located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river opposite of Salé. It was built during the reign of the Almohads....
, known by the Moriscos as the Fortalesa.
The Republic became an active commercial centre which became a beam for other Andalusian refugees
Expulsion of the Moriscos
On April 9, 1609, King Philip III of Spain decreed the Expulsion of the Moriscos . The Moriscos were the descendants of the Muslim population that converted to Christianity under threat of exile from Ferdinand and Isabella in 1502...
, all Kinds of European, Jewish and Christian merchants. Mainly devoted to piracy in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
, harassing the coasts of Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
and Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, often in collusion with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
The Republic was ruled by a council or Diwan
Divan
A divan was a high governmental body in a number of Islamic states, or its chief official .-Etymology:...
, whose members elected every year during the month of May a Governor and a Captain General of the Fortalesa. The first governor was called Brahim Vargas
Vargas (surname)
Vargas is a Spanish, Portuguese and South American surname stemming from old nobility with two branches, de Vargas and de Vargas-Machuca, and may refer to the following:-Actors and TV personalities:* Vivian Vargas, Filipino actor....
, the son of one of the first Morisco settlers. The administrative language of the Republic was Andalusian Spanish
Andalusian Spanish
The Andalusian varieties of Spanish are spoken in Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla and Gibraltar. They include perhaps the most distinct of the southern variants of peninsular Spanish, differing in many respects from northern varieties, and also from Standard Spanish...
.
The port city of Salé
Salé
Salé is a city in north-western Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town...
was a walled city which acted as the chief port and commercial center of medieval Morocco. During the 16th century and into the seventeenth, it became home to many religious refugees from Spain, and attracted the attention of Barbary pirates. The gated harbor was extremely desirable to the pirates. It was a port of call for European traders, and home to many artists, intellectuals, and religious leaders.
Independence
In 1619, the infamous Salé RoversSalè Rovers
The Salé Rovers, also Sale Rovers or Salle Rovers, were a dreaded band of Barbary corsairs who eventually formed the Republic of Salé on the Moroccan coast. The most famous of the rovers was Jan Janszoon....
, a dreaded band of Barbary pirates, declared Salé to be an independent republic free from the Sultan. They set up a government that consisted of 14 pirate leaders, and elected one as their President, who would also serve as the Grand Admiral of their navy. Their first President and Grand Admiral was Jan Janszoon
Jan Janszoon
Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Murat Reis the younger was the first President and Grand Admiral of the Corsair Republic of Salé, Governor of Oualidia, and a Dutch pirate, one of the most notorious of the Barbary pirates from the 17th century; the most famous of the "Salé...
, who led until 1627.
Siege by Zidan Abu Maali
In 1624, the Moroccan Sultan Zidan Abu MaaliZidan Abu Maali
Mawlay Zidan Abu Maali, sultan of Morocco of the Saadi Dynasty , son of Ahmad al-Mansur, residing in Marrakech.-Civil war:...
attempted to reclaim sovereignty of Salé by laying siege to it, but his efforts were eventually repelled. To obtain some satisfaction of sovereignty over the area, he appointed Salé's President as his acting Governor of the area, although it was only ceremonial. The republic would pay the Sultan for his non-interference in their future affairs.
Wealth
Bou Regreg
The Bou Regreg is a river located in western Morocco which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean between the cities of Rabat and Salé. The estuary of this river is termed Wadi Sala....
corsair republics, which included Salé and Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, plundered 6,000 prisoners and £15 million worth of goods, which if based on 2% inflation starting in 1750, would be equivalent to over £2 billion today.
After 1627
In 1627, following a heated political situation, Janszoon left for Algiers, and Rabat and Salé merged to form the Republic of Bou Regreg. During this period much of the profit returned to the republic was eventually absorbed by the government, leading to its decline. In 1641, the zawiya of Dila, which controlled much of Morocco, imposed a religious hegemony over Salé and its parents republic. By the early 1660s, the republic was embroiled in civil war with the zawiya, and eventually Sultan Al-Rashid of MoroccoAl-Rashid of Morocco
Moulay al-Rashid was Sultan of Morocco from 1666 to 1672. He has been called the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty.It was his father Moulay Ali Cherif who took power in Tafilalt around 1630. In 1635 al-Rashid's brother Moulay Mohammed ould Moulay Cherif succeeded their still living father...
of the Alaouite dynasty
Alaouite Dynasty
The Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan royal family. The name Alaouite comes from the ‘Alī of its founder Moulay Ali Cherif who became Prince of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay r-Rshid was able to unite and pacify the country...
, who still rule Morocco into the 21st century, would seize the republic by force, ending its independence.. It indeed ended up being controlled by the Sultan of Morocco, after 1668, when Moulay al Rashid
Al-Rashid of Morocco
Moulay al-Rashid was Sultan of Morocco from 1666 to 1672. He has been called the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty.It was his father Moulay Ali Cherif who took power in Tafilalt around 1630. In 1635 al-Rashid's brother Moulay Mohammed ould Moulay Cherif succeeded their still living father...
finally vanquished the Dilaites.
Popular culture
The character Robinson CrusoeRobinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
, in Daniel Defoe's
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
novel by the same name, spends time in captivity of the local pirates and at last sails off to liberty from the mouth of the Salé river.