Sultanate of Morocco (1665–1912)

The History of Morocco under the Alaouite Dynasty starts when Sharif Ibn Ali became Prince of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay Al-Rashid was able to unite and pacify the country which established the Sultanate of Morocco.

The Alaouite Sultanate of Morocco was preceded by the Saadi Dynasty who remained in power since the 17th century. After the death of Ahmad Al Mansur, the country was divided amongst his sons.

In 1631, Morocco was reunited by the Alaouite Dynasty, who have been the ruling house of Morocco ever since. Morocco was facing aggression from Spain and the Ottoman Empire (Mainly Ottoman Algeria) allies pressing westward. The Alaouites succeeded in stabilising their position and the sultanate remained quite wealthy. Against the opposition of local tribes Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727) began to create a unified state. With his Jaysh d'Ahl al-Rif (the Riffian Army) he re-occupied Tangier from the English who had abandoned it in 1684 and drove the Spanish from Larache in 1689. Portuguese abandoned Mazagão, their last territory in Morocco, in 1769. However, the Siege of Melilla against the Spanish ended in defeat in 1775.

Morocco was the first nation to recognise the fledgling United States as an independent nation in 1777. In the beginning of the American Revolution, American merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean were subject to attack by the Barbary pirates. On 20 December 1777, Moroccan Sultan Mohammed III declared that American merchant ships would be under the protection of the Sultanate and could thus enjoy safe passage. The Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship, signed in 1786, stands as the U.S.'s oldest non-broken friendship treaty.