Portuguese Army Defeated in Morocco

In the later sixteenth century Morocco was riven by a dynastic dispute within the ruling Saadi dynasty. The deposed sultan Abu Abdallah Muhammad, ousted by his uncle Abd al-Malik, appealed for help to King Sebastian I of Portugal, a young and ardent monarch eager to lead a crusade in North Africa.

Sebastian assembled a large army and crossed to Morocco to restore his client. On 4 August 1578 the opposing forces met at the Battle of Alcacer Quibir, also known as the Battle of the Three Kings. The Portuguese army was annihilated, and King Sebastian was killed on the field along with both rival claimants to the Moroccan throne.

The catastrophe had profound consequences. The death of the childless Sebastian led to a succession crisis in Portugal, and in 1580 the crown passed to Philip II of Spain, beginning sixty years of union with Spain. In Morocco the victor's brother, Ahmad al-Mansur, secured the throne and presided over a powerful and prosperous reign.