Early reign Upon the accession of Mohammed III, peace and stability were restored. Aware of the disastrous
Black Guard, he restored the significance of the
Arab guich. He also pacified the
Berbers of the mountains who attacked the plains during the succession crisis, while the power of the 'Abid declined as they abandoned their military positions.
Mashra' al-Raml, the former town built for the 'Abid, was pillaged and left in ruins by the neighboring tribes.
Restoration of authority 1182–1189), minted in
Essaouira.In 1760, Mohammed witnessed a revolt by the
Wadaya against his authority, who had supported his father. Mohammed then marched with an army to
Fes where he defeated the Wadaya contingents and arrested their leaders. After this, the Wadaya were split up and were garrisoned in
Meknes instead. Later, in 1775, he tried to distance the
Black Guard from power by ordering their transfer from
Meknes to
Tangier in the north. The Black Guard resisted him and attempted to proclaim his son
Yazid as sultan, but the latter soon changed his mind and was reconciled with his father. After, Sidi Mohammed dispersed the Black Guard contingents to garrisons in
Tangier,
Larache,
Rabat,
Marrakesh and the
Sous, where they continued to cause trouble until 1782. These disturbances were compounded by
drought and severe
famine between 1776 and 1782 and an outbreak of plague between 1779 and 1780, which killed many Moroccans and forced the sultan to import wheat, reduce taxes, and distribute food and funds to locals and tribal leaders in order to alleviate the suffering. By now, however, the improved authority of the sultan allowed the central government to weather these difficulties and crises. Mohammed was interested in scholarly pursuits and also cultivated a productive relationship with the
ulama, or Muslim religious scholars, who supported some of his initiatives and reforms.
Conflicts with the Europeans On 25 June 1765, a French fleet of 16 warships and several vessels arrived in front of
Larache, however due to heavy seas and conditions, the attack was delayed until the next day. The next day, the French fleet bombarded Moroccan fortifications and batteries which could not retaliate. The bombardments continued throughout the next day, however by 28 June, several Moroccan vessels encircled the French fleet and inflicted heavy losses upon it, defeating the French expedition. The Moroccans only had casualties of 30 men, while the French had casualties of 200 killed, 49 captured, and 300 lost. In 1769, threatened by an invasion by Sidi Mohammed, the Portuguese governor of
Mazagan received orders from
Lisbon to immediately evacuate the city. The city was renamed
al-Jadīda (الجديدة; "the new") soon after. The later sultan
Abd al-Rahman (1822–1859) restored the city. negotiating the treaty with Mohammed III to end the
Dutch-Moroccan War (19th-century illustration) He declared war on the
Dutch republic, known as the
Dutch–Moroccan War (1775–1777) but eventually lost due to a frustrating blockade imposed by the Dutch, and the loss of his best 2 ships. On 9 December 1774, Sidi Mohammed assembled an army of 30,000 to 40,000 men and powerful artillery and began a bombardment of
Melilla. Spanish reinforcements disembarked in Melilla, and 117 new guns and mortars were installed. Part of the civilian population of Melilla was escorted on 16 December by a French ship which brought reinforcements from
Iberia. With
Britain's promise of
subsidies, two Spanish squads blocked the Strait of Gibraltar to prevent any British support from aiding the Moroccan troops. In 1775, a British convoy carrying war material on the way to Melilla was intercepted and captured by the Spanish Navy. At the same time, the troops of the
Ottoman Empire began to encroach on Morocco's eastern borders. Spanish troops resisted the attack over a period of 100 days, over which time some 12,000 projectiles were lobbed onto the city.General
Sherlock of the
Ultonia Regiment began to break the siege, a situation exacerbated by the desertion of Sidi Mohammed's
Algerine mercenaries. The siege ended on 19 March with the Spaniards suffering casualties of 600 killed or wounded. With the
Treaty of Aranjuez in 1780, Morocco recognised Spanish rule over Melilla, however Spain ceded territories to Morocco in return.
Relations with the United States to Mohammed bin Abdallah in appreciation of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed in Marrakech in 1787.|leftOn 20 December 1777, Morocco became the first nation to recognize the
United States of America as an independent nation. (Treaty of Marrakesh), 1786 Due to the continued delays of the American government in negotiating a treaty with Morocco, Sidi Mohammed issued the
Moroccan seizure of the Betsey, and on 11 October 1784, the Moroccans captured the
Philadelphia merchant ship
Betsey after it left
Cádiz on its way back to the United States. The treaty has withstood transatlantic stresses and strains for more than 236 years, making it the longest unbroken treaty relationship in the
history of the United States. == Marriages, concubines and children ==