Moulay Rashid ibn Sheriff

Having overthrown and killed his half-brother Muhammad II in 1663-1664, Moulay Rashid ibn Sheriff became the ruler of Tafilalta - the head of the Alawites living in the territory of the Reef region. At the head of his small army, he ruled eastern Morocco, gradually expanding his influence to other regions. At the Battle of Meknes (1664), he won a decisive victory over the troops of the Sufi brotherhood of Dil, who created an independent state in northern Morocco. In 1666, Moulay Rashid captures Fez and proclaims himself the Sultan, thereby putting an end to the Saadite dynasty . After a two-year war in 1669, he managed to subdue Marrakech , which led to the spread of Alawite power throughout Morocco. However, until the end of his life, Moulay Rashid was engaged in the suppression and pacification of certain disaffected tribes. After his death in Marrakesh in April 1672, as a result of a fall from a horse, the next sultan proclaimed his half-brother Moulay Ismail Ibn Sheriff .