Castelo Real

Castelo Real was a Portuguese castle established in Mogador, now Essaouira in Morocco, by the Portuguese in 1506.^[1]

Castelo Real of Mogador
Castelo Real of Mogador, by Adriaen Matham, 1641.
Castelo Real of Mogador Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 31°30′34″N 9°46′30″W
Country	Morocco
Region	Marrakesh-Safi
Province	Essaouira

Castelo Real of Mogador, by Théodore Cornut 1767.

Location of the Castelo Real ("Chateau") at the northern edge of the bay of Mogador, where the harbour of Essaouira is located today.

Construction (1506)

Main article: Moroccan–Portuguese conflicts

The Portuguese king Dom Manuel ordered Diogo de Azambuja, the founder of Castello da Mina, to build a castle on a small island, now called "La Petite Ile", in the Moroccan locality of Mogador.^[1] The role of the castle was to serve as a relay on their routes along the Moroccan coast, between Safi, where the Portuguese were established since the end of the 15th century, and Agadir, which had just been occupied in 1504. The castle could also easily receive supplies from Madeira.^[1]

The construction process was accompanied by constant attacks from the Beni Regraga tribe, strongly motivated by Jihad and supported by the Saadian Sheriffs. On several occasions, the garrison was helped by troops sent from Portugal, one of which was a detachment of 350 men sent from Madeira. The Beni Regraga, a sub-tribe of the Masmuda, were the dominant force in the region together with two other sub-tribes originating from the Jebel Hadid, the Iron Mountain, the Haha, and the Chiadma. The tribes blockaded the fortress and in October or November of 1510, they successfully managed to capture the castle under unknown circumstances.^[2][3]

The castle appears in various subsequent documents, as late as 1767 with the map of Théodore Cornut. Soon however the fortifications of Essaouira were updated to become what they are today, and all traces of the Castelo Real have disappeared.

Destruction (18th century)

The Castelo Real was located at the end of the 18th-century fortifications called "Scala del Mar" (in red).

The Castelo Real was totally demolished in the 18th century, following the plans to build the Essaouira city and fortifications by Mohammed ben Abdallah.

In its place are now 18th-century fortifications, called the "Scala del Mar". Nothing remains of the Castelo Real, but judging from old maps, its location was at the end of the Scala del Mar.

Other Portuguese fortresses in Morocco

Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized 6 Moroccan towns, and built 6 stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, between the river Loukos in the north and the river of Sous in the south. Four of them only had a short duration: Graciosa (1489), São João da Mamora (1515), Castelo Real of Mogador (1506–10) and Aguz (1520–25). Two of them were to become permanent urban settlements: Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir, founded in 1505-06), and Mazagan founded in 1514-17. The Portuguese had to abandon most of their settlements between 1541 and 1550, although they were able to keep Ceuta, Tangier and Mazagan.^[4]

See also

• Morocco-Portugal relations

Notes

1. "By 1506, at Mogador, his Castelo Real had risen firm and strong, in spite of opposition from fierce fanatical Berbers" The reign of the fortunate king, 1495-1521 Elaine Sanceau Archon Books, 1970 p.89
2. O Castelo Real de Mogador WordPress. Consultado em 1 de Março de 2015.
3. E.J. Brill (1993), E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936, Vol I. p, 549.
4. City walls: the urban enceinte in global perspective James D. Tracy p.352