Abdallah I al-Ghalib

Abdullah I al-Ghalib ( Arabic: عبد الله الغالب ) is the second Sultan of Morocco from the Saadite dynasty , who ruled from 1557 to 1574 .

The founder of the Saadite dynasty, Mohammed al-Sheikh, had three sons from their first wife, but the elder two died in 1550 and 1551. The only remaining son from his first wife, Abdullah I al-Ghalib, became the Sultan of Morocco after the death of his father as a legitimate heir, at that time he was already 40 years old, and he held public posts as Viceroy of Marrakesh and Governor of Fes .

After Abdullah I al-Ghalib became a sultan, his three younger brothers Abdulmumen, Abu Marwan and Ahmad were forced to flee Morocco on the territory of the Ottoman Empire ^[1] . Abu Marwan and Ahmad will subsequently become Sultans of Morocco.

At this time, Morocco was an arena of rivalry between the interests of the Ottoman Empire and Spain . During a fairly peaceful reign, Abdullah I al-Ghalib managed to lag behind Morocco's independence from both empires. In 1558, Abdullah I al-Ghalib opposed the Turks who attacked Morocco and defeated them in the battle of Al-Laban Gorge ( Arabic. معركة وادي اللبن ). In the fight against the Turks, Abdullah I al-Ghalib relied on the help of the Spaniards. He even temporarily occupied the large Algerian city ​​of Tlemcen , which was under the protectorate of Turkey ^[2] . In 1568, Abdullah I al-Ghalib supported the Moriski uprising in Spain.

Abdallah I al-Ghalib died on January 22, 1574 from an asthma attack. During the reign, Marrakesh was his residence. Abdallah I al-Ghalib built in it a mosque, maristan (hospital at the mosque) and Ben Youssef Madrasah .

Abdallah I al-Galibu was succeeded by his eldest son, Abu Abdullah Mohammed II , although Abdallah's younger brother Abu Marwan claimed the throne, who two years later overthrew his nephew Abu Abdullah.