Morocco Timeline -- Part 2: Arrival of Europeans to the Green March
A Chronology of Key Events in Morocco
By Alistair Boddy-Evans, About.com
| 1415 | Portuguese take Ceuta, first European colony in Africa. |
| 1459 | Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq, the Marinid caliph, massacres the Wattasids (a related family). |
| 1465 | Wattasid dynasty succeed the Marinids following a Wattasid led rebellion in Fez. Only the north of Morocco is under their direct control, southern Morocco consists of several principalities. The Wattasids follow a policy of co-existence with Portuguese and Spanish settlers on the coast. |
| 1471-1505 | Portugal founds several enclaves along the Moroccan coast, including Tangier in the north and Agadir in the south. |
| 1497 | Christians from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) take Melilla. |
| 1540s | The Saadi are spurred into rebellion by encroaching Christian colonies on the coast, especially the Portuguese at Agadir, and their peaceful coexistence with the Wattasids. |
| 1541 | The Saadis, under the command of Muhammad al-Mahdi, take Agadir. The majority of Portuguese enclaves are evacuated. |
| 1550 | Saadis take Fez. |
| 1554 | Saadi dynasty succeed the Wattasids after the Battle of Tadla. |
| 1578 | Saadi Ahmad al-Mansur takes power following the Battle of Alcazarquivir (al-Kasr al_Kahbir). |
| 1591 | Timbuktu (part of the Songhay Empire) is captured by forces of Saadi sultan Ahmed al-Mansur. |
| 1603 | Death of Ahmad al-Mansur. Country falls into conflict in power vacuum caused by his death and splits into several principalities. |
| 1666 | Alawi dynasty formed when Moulay al-Rashid proclaimed sultan and seizes control of Fez from the last of the Saadi dynasty. |
| 1672 | Moulay al-Rashid dies, region again falls into disorder. |
| 1677 | Moulay al-Rashid's son Moulay Ismail regains control of the region. With a large slave based army, the 'Abid al-Bukhari, he reclaims many of the Spanish conclaves, except for Ceuta and Melilla. |
| 1727 | Moulay Ismail dies. Internal conflict amongst his heirs again leads to disorder in region. |
| 1757 | Morocco begins a period of stability under the rule of Sultan Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah (1757-90) and Sultan Mawlay Sulayman (1792–1822). |
| 1756 | Mulai Muhammad founds the town of Mogador in order to increase trade with Europeans. |
| 1810-22 | Berber uprisings in the Middle Atlas mountains. Moroccans forbidden by the sharifs to have contact with Europeans or to leave the country. |
| 1830 | French occupy neighboring Algeria. |
| 1844 | Franco-Moroccan war initiated by French subjugation of neighboring Algeria. Moroccan forces defeated by French at Battle of Wadi Isly. |
| 1859 | Bani Znasen campaign, as the French patrol the border of Morocco and Algeria. |
| 1860 | Moroccan forces defeated by Spain at the Battle of Tetuan (Tétouan). Spain takes the port of Santa Cruz del Mar Pequena (now Ifni). |
| 1884 | Spain claims protectorate over Atlantic coast to the south of Morocco from Cape Bojador to Cape Blanco -- it is named Rio de Oro (now Western Sahara) -- as well as coastal enclaves in Morocco. |
| 1894 | Rebellion by tribal groups in Rif/Atlas mountains leads to an invasion by Spain. |
| June 1900 | Border between Spanish Sahara and French Morocco are agreed. |
| October 1904 | Secret Franco-Spanish treaty partitions Morocco, giving Spain a Sphere of Influence over the north. |
| 15 January-7 April 1906 | France and Spain promise to respect Morocco's independence at the Algeciras Conference whilst being given powers over Morocco's police and customs control. |
| 1911 | Germany sends a gunboat to Agadir (the Agadir incident) ostensibly to protect German interests against French expansion. It is ultimately a ploy to get concessions over Cameroon in exchange for recognizing France's rights over Morocco. |
| March 1912 | Sultan Abd ul-Hafiz is granted the aid of French troops to quash his rivals. Under the resultant Treaty of Fez Morocco becomes a French protectorate. Spain creates protectorates over northern Morocco and to the south. |
| 1921 | Start of the Rif Rebellion led by Abd el-Krim. Krim defeats the Spanish at the battle of Annual. A Berber republic is set up in the Rif mountains. |
| 1926 | Rif Rebellion is put down by French and Spanish army. Guerrilla campaign continues. |
| 1927 | Sidi Mohammed ibn Yousif becomes Sultan Mohammad V of Morocco. |
| 1933 | Rif guerrilla campaign brought to an end. |
| June 1940 | Morocco under control of pro-Axis, Vichy, French government following the fall of France. |
| November 1942 | Operation Torch landings in Morocco. |
| 1944 | Istiqlal (Independence) party formed. |
| 1953 | Sultan Mohammed V is forced to abdicate by France (as a response to his support for independence). |
| 7 December 1955 | Mubarak El Bakkai becomes prime minister. |
| 16 November 1955 | Mohammed V returns from exile and enters negotiations for independence. |
| 2 March 1956 | Morocco gains independence with restoration of Sultan Mohammed V. |
| April 1956 | Spanish zone, except for enclaves of Ceuta and Melila, and Tangiers (previously a Free Zone) are restored to Morocco. |
| 14 August 1957 | Mohammed V becomes King (rather than Sultan). |
| 12 May 1958 | Mohammed Ahmed Belafrej for Istiqlal (Independence Party) becomes prime minister. |
| 16 December 1958 | Abdallah Ibrahim for the Union Nationale des Forces Populaires (UNFP, National Union of Popular Forces) becomes prime minister. |
| 20 May 1960 | King Mohammed V takes on role of Prime minister. |
| 26 February 1961 | King Mohammed V dies and is succeeded by his son Hassan II. |
| 17 May 1963 | Parliamentary elections held for the first time. |
| 13 November 1963 | Mohammed Ahmed Bahnini takes over as prime minister (from King Hassan II) for Front pour de la Défense des Institutions Constitutionnelles - Parti Social et Démocratique (FDIC-PSD, Front for Defence of Constitutional Institutions - Social and Democratic Party). |
| 7 June 1965 | King Hassan II assumes direct control of the country (which had been a constitutional monarchy) after riots in Casablanca cause the declaration of a state of emergency. |
| 7 July 1967 | Mohammed Benhima appointed as prime minister. |
| 1969 | Ifni is returned to Morocco by Spain. |
| 24 July 1970 | New constitution approved by referendum. |
| 21 August 1970 | King Hassan's group gains 218 out of 240 seats in the new Chamber of Representatives under legislative elections. |
| 10 July 1971 | Attempted coup by members of the army fails. Thirteen army officers are sentenced to death after being found guilty in court. |
| 17 September 1971 | Trial of almost 200 Union Nationale des Forces Populaires (UNFP, National Union of Popular Forces) members results in five being sentenced to death. |
| 17 February 1971 | King Hassan II announces proposed changes to the constitution. |
| 29 February 1972 | Trial of 1,082 army officers implicated in the July '71 attempted coup ends with all but 75 acquitted. |
| 1 March 1972 | King Hassan's proposed changes to the constitution are approved by a 98.9% vote in a referendum. The new constitution gives even more power to the monarchy. Proposals to increase elected seats in the chamber of Representatives is approved but ignored. |
| 16 August 1972 | In another attempted coup, air force jets attempt to shoot down the King's aircraft. Another attempt is made after he lands at Rabat airport and the Royal Palace. Eleven men are found guilty in court. |
| 17 August 1972 | General Muhammed Oufkir, the chief of Staff and Defense Minister implicated in the previous day's coup, dies. The official version is that he committed suicide. |
| 19 August 1972 | Following several coup attempts, King Hassan II takes direct control of the army. |
| 1973 | Formation of the Polisario (Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro, Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro) which wants to create an independent state in the Spanish Sahahra. Polisario is supported by Algeria. |
| March 1973 | Diplomatic relations with France are stretched when King Hassan II announces a policy for the Moroccanization of the economy. He also announces an increase in the extent of territorial waters to 100 km, annoying Spain. |
| October 1973 | Moroccan troops sent to Egypt for the 'Yom Kippur' war. |
| July 1974 | King Hassan and his government advisors start to investigate plans to annex the Spanish Sahara. |
| October 1974 | Morocco's claims to the Spanhis Shara are debated by the UN. Back in Morocco, the prospect of annexing the territory leads to policial infighting and the creation of several new political parties. A breakaway group, the Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires (USPF, Socialist Union of Popular Forces) is formed out of the Union Nationale des Forces Populaires (UNFP, National Union of Popular Forces). |
| The Moroccan and Mauritanian governments hold secret negotiations on how to partition the Spanish Sahara. | |
| 1975 | International Court of Justice grants rights of self determination to Western Sahara when Spain announces its intention to leave the colony (Rio de Oro). |
| 6 November 1975 | King Hassan II orders the Green March -- 350,000 unarmed civilians are encouraged to take possession of the Spanish Sahara. They travel several kilometres into the country before being halted by Spanish authorities. The Green March is abandoned on the 9th of November. |
Timeline of Morocco
• Morocco Timeline -- Part 1: Prehistory to Arrival of Europeans
• Morocco Timeline -- Part 3: The Green March to Present Day
History of Morocco
• A Very Short History of Morocco
Africa and the Causes of World War I
• Entente Cordiale
• First Moroccan Crisis
• Algeciras Conference
• Second Moroccan Crisis
• Treaty of Fez
