Republic of Salè 1619–1627 The region of Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer in Morocco, where the republic was located Capital Salè Language(s) Arabic, Dutch, English, Spanish, French Government Corsair Republic President  - 1619-1627 Jan Janszoon History  - Established 1619  - Disestablished 1627

The Republic of Salè was an independent corsair city-state on the Moroccan coast. It was a major piratical port during its brief existence in the seventeenth century.

[edit] History

The ancient harbor at the Bou Regreg, taken from Salè facing Rabat

The port city of Salè was a walled city which acted as the chief port and commercial center of medieval Morocco. During the sixteenth century and into the seventeenth, it became home to many religious refugees from Spain, and attracted the attention of Barbary pirates. The gated harbor was extremely desirable to the pirates. It was a port of call for European traders, and home to many artists, intellectuals, and religious leaders. It was controlled by the Sultan of Morocco.^[1]

[edit] Independence

In 1619, the infamous Salè Rovers, a dreaded band of Barbary pirates, declared Salè to be an independent republic free from the Sultan. They set up a government that consisted of 14 pirate leaders, and elected one as their President, who would also serve as the Grand Admiral of their navy. Their first President and Grand Admiral was Jan Janszoon, who led until 1627.^[2]

[edit] Seige by Zidan Abu Maali

In 1624, the Moroccan Sultan Zidan Abu Maali attempted to reclaim sovereignty of Salè by laying seige to it, but his efforts were eventually repelled. To obtain some satisfaction of sovereignty over the area, he appointed Salè's President as his acting Governor of the area, although it was only ceremonial.^[3] The republic would pay the Sultan for his non-interference in their future affairs.^[4]

[edit] Wealth

The republic became very prosperous and wealthy because of their main sources of income—piracy and shipping. Plundered gold, silver, spices, silks, fabrics, slaves, and many other items of value were brought back to the city-state by the pirates after raids on European shipping vessels and towns. Janszoon was credited for the business growth in the republic because of his intelligence and courage. Between 1618-1626, it was estimated that the pirates operating out of the Bou Regreg corsair republics, which included Salè and Rabat, plundered 6,000 prisoners and £15 million worth of goods, which if based on 2% inflation starting in 1750, would be equivalent to over £2 billion today.^[5][6]

[edit] Republic of Bou Regreg

In 1627, following a heated political situation, Janszoon left for Algiers, and Rabat and Salè merged to form the Republic of Bou Regreg. During this period much of the profit returned to the republic was eventually absorbed by the government, leading to its decline. In 1641, the zawiya of Dila, which controlled much of Morocco, imposed a religious hegemony over Salè and its parents republic.^[7] By the early 1660s, the republic was embroiled in civil war with the zawiya, and eventually Sultan Al-Rashid of Morocco of the Alaouite dynasty, who still rule Morocco into the twenty-first century, would seize the republic by force, ending its independence.^[5]

[edit] Popular culture

The character Robinson Crusoe, in Daniel Defoe's novel by the same name, spends time in captivity of the local pirates and at last sails off to liberty from the mouth of the Salé river.^[8]

[edit] References