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Merinid dynasty; a Berber dynasty in Morocco (1244-1465)
Rulers:
- Abdalhaqq I. (1195-1217)
- Uthman I. (1217-1240)
- Muhammad I. (1240-1244)
- Abu Yahya Abu Bakr (1244 - 1258)
- Umar (1258 - 1259)
- Abu Yusuf Yaqub (1259 - 1286)
- Abu Yaqub Yusuf (1286 - 1306)
- Abu Tabil (1307 - 1308)
- Abu l-Rabia (1308 - 1310)
- Abu Said Uthman II. (1310 - 1331)
- Abu l-Hasan (1331 - 1348)
- Abu Inan Faris (1348 - 1358)
- Muhammad II. as Said (1359)
- Abu Salim Ali II. (1359 - 1361)
- Abu Umar Taschufin (1361)
- Abu Zayyan Muhammad III. (1362 - 1366)
- Abu l-Fariz Abdul Aziz I. (1366 - 1372)
- Abu l-Abbas Ahmad (1372 - 1374)
- Abu Zayyan Muhammad IV. (1384 - 1386)
- Muhammad V. (1386 - 1387)
- Abu l-Abbas Ahmad (1387 - 1393)
- Abdul Aziz II. (1393 - 1398)
- Abdullah (1398 - 1399)
- Abu Said Uthman III. (1399 - 1420)
- Abdalhaqq II. (1420 - 1465)
The Banu Marin/Merinids were Zanata-Berbers who immigrated in the 12th century from Ifriqiya to south-east Morocco. As early as 1145 there were battles with the Almohads, who defeated them.
Under Abu Yahya Abu Bakr (1244-1258) began the conquest of northern Morocco. Fez became the Merinid capital in 1248. Abu Yusuf Yaqub (1259-1286) in 1269 completed the defeat of the Almohads and the conquest of Morocco with the defeat of Marrakech. At the same time he went to Andalucia to support the Nasrids of Granada in their fight against Castille.
Internal power struggles among the Merinids followed, which didn't however prevent Abu Said Utman II. (1310-1331) from substantial construction work in Fez. Several madrassas for the education of public servants were founded, in order to support the centralisation of administration and to reduce the influence of the not always reliable Marabuts.
Under Abu l-Hasan (1331-1348) another attempt to reunite the Maghreb was made. In 1337 the empire of the Abdalwads in Algeria was conquered, followed in 1347 by the empire of the Hafsids in Ifriqiya/Tunisia. However in 1340 the Merinids suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Castille at the Battle of Salado, and finally had to withdraw from Andalucia. Abu l-Hasan was deposed by his son Abu Inan Faris (1348-1358). He tried once again to reconquer Algeria and Tunisia. Despite several successes, the dynasty began to decline after the murder of Abu Inan Faris.
Unruly Bedouin and Berber tribes increasingly spread anarchy in Morocco, which accelerated the fall of the empire. The support of the Marabuts also declined, after the Merinids reduced their financial support in the 15th century due to a financial crisis.
Merinid rulers after 1358 came under the control of the Wattasids which exercised the real power in the empire as viziers. They rotated Merinid sultans, often still children, in quick succession to ensure a strong viziership. The Wattasids were however equally unable to consolidated the empire, so that in 1415 Portugal occupired the town of Ceuta and by 1513 had occupied all important harbours on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. After Abdalhaqq II. (1421-1465) tried in vain to break the power of the Wattasids, they finally toppled the dynasty of the Merinids.
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