sultanate · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan
Wattasid Sultanate
Origins
The Banu Wattas, Zenata kin of the Marinids, governed Morocco as regents and viziers from 1420. After the last Marinid sultan was killed in Fez in 1465, a sharif ruled the city until Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Wattasi, who had just lost Arzila to Portugal in 1471, captured Fez in 1472 and proclaimed himself sultan.
Rule and society
Wattasid authority rarely reached far beyond Fez and the north. The Hintata emirate held Marrakesh, local lords ruled Chefchaouen and Tetouan, and the Kingdom of Portugal seized much of the Atlantic coast. The dynasty relied on truces with Portugal and the prestige of Fez's scholars, while Sufi brotherhoods led resistance to the Christians.
Decline and legacy
The Saadi Sultanate, leading holy war from the south, defeated the Wattasids and took Fez in 1549. Ali Abu Hassun briefly retook the city in 1554 with Ottoman help from the Regency of Algiers, but was killed the same year, ending the dynasty.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Emirate of Chefchaouen was a vassal of Wattasid Sultanate1472 CE – 1554 CE
- Tetouan under al-Mandri was a vassal of Wattasid Sultanate1484 CE – 1554 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Wattasid Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wattasid-sultanate
- MLA
- “Wattasid Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wattasid-sultanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Wattasid Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wattasid-sultanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Wattasid Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wattasid-sultanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻