Republic of Salé

Republic of Salé Republic of Bouregreg
República de Salé República de las Dos Orillas
c. 1624–1668
Flag
Rabat-Salé, where the republic was located
Capital		Kasbah
Languages		Spanish, Arabic, Spanish based lingua franca
Government		Corsair Republic
President/Governorate
•	c. 1624 – c. 1635	Jan Janszoon (Murat Reis the Younger)
History
•	Established	c. 1624
•	Disestablished	1668
Population
•	est.	20,000

Flag

The Republic of Salé was a short-lived city state at Salé (modern Morocco), during the 17th Century. Located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river, it was founded by Moriscos from the town of Hornachos, in Western Spain. Moriscos were the descendants of Muslims who were nominally converted to Christianity, and were subject to mass deportation during the Spanish Inquisition. The Republic's main commercial activities were the Barbary slave trade and piracy during its brief existence in the 17th century. The city is now part of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The republic traces its origins back to the beginning of the 17th century, with the arrival of approximately 3,000 wealthy Moriscos from Hornachos in western Spain, who anticipated the 1609 expulsion edicts ordered by Philip III of Spain. After 1609, approximately 10,000 down-and-out expelled Moriscos arrived from Spain. Cultural and language differences between the native Saletin people and the Morisco refugees led the newcomers to settle in the old Medina of Rabat, on the opposite bank of the Bou Regreg.

Pirates based on the western bank thrived and expanded their operations throughout the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1624, the Dutchman Jan Janszoon (also known as Murad Reis) became the "Grand Admiral" and President of the Corsair Republic of Salé.