Ismail Ibn Sharif

Ismail Ibn Sharif was an Alaouite sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727. He consolidated Alaouite authority, expanded the state, and built a powerful royal army.

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Alaouite dynasty: The Moroccan royal dynasty founded by Moulay Ali Cherif in the seventeenth century and still ruling Morocco. Ismail strengthened this dynasty’s control and established Meknes as its principal capital.
Makhzen: Morocco’s system of central government and political authority, historically organized around the sultan and his administration. Ismail used the Makhzen to extend royal authority beyond the court and capital.
Moulay al-Rashid: An Alaouite sultan who ruled Morocco from 1666 to 1672 and established the dynasty’s control over much of the country. Ismail succeeded his brother and inherited the foundations of Alaouite unification.
Moulay Ahmed al-Dhahabi: An Alaouite prince and son of Ismail Ibn Sharif who briefly ruled Morocco after his father’s death. His short accession illustrates the unstable succession among Ismail’s sons.
Rif: A mountainous region in northern Morocco inhabited by Amazigh communities. Ismail campaigned to bring the Rif more firmly under central authority.
Meknes: A city in northern Morocco that served as the Alaouite capital under Ismail Ibn Sharif. Ismail transformed Meknes into a monumental imperial capital and royal residence.
Abid al-Bukhari: A corps of enslaved Black soldiers and their descendants who served Morocco’s sultans, especially under Ismail. Their recruitment and allegiance formed the core of Ismail’s standing army.
Moulay Ali Cherif: The seventeenth-century founder of the Alaouite dynasty in Tafilalt, in southeastern Morocco. Ismail’s legitimacy rested on his place in the dynasty Ali Cherif founded.
Zidan ibn Ismail: An Alaouite prince and son of Ismail Ibn Sharif who took power during the succession struggles after 1727. His rise shows how Ismail’s many heirs competed for the throne.
Tangier: A Moroccan port city at the Strait of Gibraltar, held by England from 1661 to 1684. Its capture from the English in 1684 marked a major success for Ismail’s forces.