republic · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Republic of Salé

1627 CE – 1668 CE · capital Rabat

A corsair republic of Morisco exiles at the mouth of the Bou Regreg, whose ships raided from the Atlantic coasts to Iceland.

Origins

Moriscos expelled from Spain between 1609 and 1614, among them the Hornacheros from Extremadura, settled in the kasbah of Rabat opposite Salé. In 1627 they declared independence from the Saadi Sultanate, forming a self-governing corsair state.

Rule and society

The republic was ruled by a council, the divan, and an elected governor. Its corsairs, including the Dutch renegade Jan Janszoon, known as Murat Reis, raided European shipping and coasts, and in 1627 raiders reached Iceland. Captives were ransomed or sold, and European powers signed treaties and bombarded the port in turn. Feuds divided the Hornacheros and later Andalusi settlers.

Decline and legacy

From 1641 the Dila'iyya dominated Salé, and in 1668 the Alaouite ruler Moulay al-Rashid took the twin towns. Corsairing continued under the Alaouite Sultanate into the 19th century.

Lineage

Saadi Sultanate 1510 CE – 1659 CERepublic of Salé

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Salé. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-sale
MLA
“Republic of Salé.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-sale. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Salé.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-sale.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Salé’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-sale (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻