A Highlander in Barbary
In the days of European Imperialism, writes Alastair Hirst, a notable Scotsman played a large part in the history of Morocco.
In September 1876, Lieutenant Harry Maclean resigned from the British Army at the age of twenty-eight, to take up a new position that was to win him a knighthood, bring him a personal fortune, and place him for the rest of his life at one important focus of international politics. In that year his regiment, the 69th Foot, was part of the Gibraltar garrison, and Lieut.
Maclean, who had already become known to the British Minister in Tangier during his trips over the Straits on hunting expeditions, accepted the post of Instructor in Artillery to the Army of the Sultan of Morocco.
What kind of country was Morocco in these pre-imperial days? Territorially it was much the same as Morocco of today, although its frontiers were less well defined. There was the desert in the interior, the Atlas mountain ranges, and then the long Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal plains. It was a sovereign state, ruled by the Sultan, at that time Moulay al-Hassan. He divided his time between the four ‘capital’ cities: Meknes, Rabat, Fez and Morocco City, now known as Marrakesh.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
