Caid Ahmed Ben Adel

Caid Ahmed Ben Adel was a Moroccan diplomat.[1]

Career

Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour sent Caid Ahmed Ben Adel to England in 1595 to establish the foundations for the Anglo-Moroccan alliance against Spain.[2] By 1600, the alliance was formalized with the assistance of Moroccan Ambassador Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud, Rais Merzouk Ahmed Benkacem, and Caid Ahmed Ben Adel.[2]

Subsequently, Al Mansour appointed Caid Ahmed Ben Adel as Morocco's ambassador to England.[2] In 1595, Ben Adel led a diplomatic mission to England, accompanied by two other caids (corsair leaders) and a delegation of 25 to 30 individuals. Similar to Abdelouahed Anoun, Ben Adel's presence influenced William Shakespeare's work.[2] Gitanjali Shahani posits that the character "the Prince of Morocco" in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice was inspired by Caid Ahmed Ben Adel.[2]

References

  1. ^ مُـلين, محمّد نبيل (October 17, 2016). السلطان الشريف – الجذور الدينية والسياسية للدولة المخزنية في المغرب. Centre Jacques-Berque. pp. 199–236 – via OpenEdition Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Moroccan diplomats #10 : Ahmed Ben Adel aka Shakespeare's «Prince of Morocco»". Yabiladi.

Further reading

  • Matar, Nabil (2000). Turks, Moors, and Englishmen in the Age of Discovery
  • Shahani, Gitanjali (2016). Emissaries in Early Modern Literature and Culture: Mediation, Transmission, Traffic, 1550–1700
Flag of MoroccoBiography icon

This Moroccan biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.