Morocco–Portugal relations

History

In 711, the Umayyad Caliphate, under Berber commander Tariq ibn Ziyad, invaded the southern Iberian Peninsula. During the 8th century, Arab and Berber armies overran most of Iberia and pushed into Southern France, reaching Poitiers and the Rhône valley until the Battle of Tours in 732. The Rio Douro became the boundary between Christian and Muslim lands. The Christian County of Portucale, between the Douro and Rio Minho, became the Kingdom of Portugal under Afonso Henriques in 1139. The Almoravid and Almohad dynasties expanded Muslim empires in the 11th and 12th centuries, again affecting Iberia. The Portuguese recaptured Lisbon in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon. Portugal began invading coastal Morocco in 1415 with the conquest of Ceuta, which the Moroccans unsuccessfully besieged three years later. Under Afonso V, Portugal conquered Alcácer Ceguer (1458), Tangiers (won and lost several times between 1460 and 1464), and Arzila (1471), earning the king the nickname "the African." In 1496, Portugal and Spain agreed to zones of influence on the North African coast, with Spain restricted to territory east of Peñon de Velez. This restriction ended with the 1578 Battle of Ksar El Kebir and the dynastic union under Philip II, after which Spain occupied Larache. The Portuguese seized six Moroccan cities: Ceuta (1415–1668), Alcácer-Ceguer (1458–1550), Tangier (1471–1661), Arzila (1471–1549), Safi (1488–1541), and Azamor (1513–1541). They also built six stand-alone fortresses between the river Loukos and the river of Sous. Four had short durations: Graciosa (1489), São João da Mamora (1515), Castelo Real of Mogador (1506–10), and Aguz (1520–25). Two became permanent urban settlements: Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir, founded 1505–06) and Mazagan (founded 1514–17).