Alawi Sultanate

The Alawi Sultanate, officially known as the Sharifian Sultanate (Arabic: السلطنة الشريفة) and as the Sultanate of Morocco, was the state ruled by the Alawi dynasty over what is now Morocco, from their rise to power in the 1660s to the 1912 Treaty of Fes that marked the start of the French protectorate.

The dynasty, which remains the ruling monarchy of Morocco today, originated from the Tafilalt region and rose to power following the collapse of the Saadi Sultanate in the 17th century. Sultan al-Rashid (r. 1666–1672) was the first to establish his authority over the entire country. The sultanate reached an apogee of political power during the reign of his successor, Moulay Isma'il (r. 1672–1727), who exercised strong central rule.

After Isma'il's death, Morocco underwent periods of turmoil and renewal under different sultans. A long period of stability returned under Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdallah (r. 1757–1790). Regional stability was disrupted by the French conquest of Algeria in 1830 and thereafter Morocco faced serious challenges from European encroachment in the region.

Morocco remained independent under 'Alawi rule until 1912, when it was placed under the control of a French protectorate. The 'Alawi sultans continued to act as nominal monarchs under French colonial rule until Morocco regained independence in 1956, with the Alawi sultan Mohammed V as its sovereign. In 1957, Mohammed V formally adopted the title of "King" and Morocco is now officially known as the Kingdom of Morocco.

Morocco, since the rule of the Saadi dynasty, was sometimes referred to as the Sharifian Sultanate as a reference to the ruling dynasty's claim to noble ancestry. This was rendered in French as l'Empire chérifien (Arabic: الإيالة الشريفة; lit. 'the Sharifian empire') according to the Treaty of Fes. This name was still in official usage until 1956 when Morocco regained its independence from colonial rule. It was also referred to as Sultanate of Morocco in English, including in the Anglo-Moroccan Treaty of 1856.

The Alawi dynasty claims descent from Muhammad via Hasan, the son of Ali. The name 'Alawi (Arabic: علوي) stems either from the name of Ali, from which the dynasty ultimately traces its descent, or from the name of the dynasty's early founder Ali al-Sharif of the Tafilalt.

The ruling dynasty of the Sultanate, the Alawis (lit. 'descendants of Ali'; sometimes rendered Filali Sharifs), rose from the settlement of Sijilmassa in the eastern oasis of Tafilalt. Little is known of their history prior to the 17th century, but by this century they had become the main leaders of the Tafilalt.

The Alawis are believed to have been descendants of immigrants from Yanbu in the Hejaz who settled in North Africa during a drought that affected the region in the 13th century. The dynasty claims descent to the Prophet Muhammad through his grandson Hasan, the son of Ali and Muhammad's daughter Fatima.