Mulay Ismail

Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif
Portrait of Ismail ibn Sharif
King of Morocco
Reign	1672–1727
Coronation	14 April 1672
Predecessor	Al-Rashid
Successor	Abu'l Abbas Ahmad
Born	1634 Rissani, Emirate of Tafilalt
Died	22 March 1727 Meknes, Morocco
Spouse	1) Khnata bent Bakkar 2) Lalla Aisha Mubarka 3) Lalla Umm al-Iz at-Taba [Umelez Ettaba] (d. after 1721) 4) Lalla Bilqis 5) Lalla Halima as-Sufianiya [Hazezas] 6) a lady from the al-Taligiyya clan 7) Lalla Alwa 8) Mrs. Shaw, an Irishwoman
Issue	525 sons and 342 daughters
House	Alaouite Dynasty
Father	Sharif ibn Ali
Religion	Sunni Islam

Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif (Arabic: مولاي إسماعيل بن الشريف ابن النصر‎‎) (1634– 22 March 1727), reigned 1672–1727, was the second ruler of the Moroccan Alaouite dynasty. He is also known in his native country as the "Warrior King".

He ruled from 1672 to 1727, succeeding his half-brother Moulay Al-Rashid who died after a fall from his horse. At the age of twenty-six, Moulay Ismaïl inherited a country weakened by internal tribal wars and royal successions. After al-Rashid's death on April 9, 1672, the city of Marrakesh refused to swear allegiance to Ismail, who at the time served as viceroy in Meknes. Instead, the people of Marrakesh opted for his nephew Ahmad ibn Muhriz. This prompted Ismail to march south where he defeated Ahmad and entered Marrakesh in June 1672. But Ibn Muhriz escaped and fled to the Sous region in southern Morocco, whence he would return in 1674 and retake Marrakesh. Once in control he set about fortifying the city.

Ismail was forced to return and lay a two-year siege on the city. Marrakesh finally fell to assault in June 1677, and this time Ismail sacked the city. Ibn Muhriz, however, again escaped to the Sous. In the following years he would make several more attempts to retake Marrakesh, before he was finally tracked down and killed in 1687.

He has been given the epithet "The bloodthirsty" for his legendary cruelty. In order to intimidate rivals, Ismail once ordered that his city walls be adorned with 10,000 heads of slain enemies. Legends of the ease in which Ismail could behead or torture laborers or servants he thought to be lazy are numerous. During the half century of Ismail's rule, it is estimated he killed 30,000.

During Moulay Ismaïl's reign, Morocco's capital city was moved from Fez to Meknes where he carried out an extensive building program that resulted in the construction of numerous gates, mosques, gardens and madrases. Some of the stones were taken from the ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis.

Moulay Ismaïl is noted as one of the greatest figures in Moroccan history. He fought the Ottoman Turks in 1679, 1682 and 1695/96. After these battles Moroccan independence was recognized. Another problem was the European occupation of several seaports where in 1681 he retook al-Mamurah (La Mamora) from the Spanish, which he renamed the city al-Mahdiya. His representative Kaid Omar had told the Spaniards that they would not be sold into slavery if they surrendered unconditionally "Although they would be captives they would spend their days without working, until the first redemption." However Moulay Ismaïl saw no reason to honour Kaid Omar's promises and had no intention of allowing the 2,000 Spanish captives from al-Mamurah to be redeemed so they, including fifty "poor girls and women", were forced to walk to Meknes as booty along with their possessions, arms and artillery (88 bronze cannon, 15 iron cannon, fire-pots, muskets and gunpowder) which was wrote Germain Mousette "more than he had in the rest of his kingdom".