Morocco's Black Sultan: Moulay Ismail and the Empire of Slaves

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Moulay Ismail, the second ruler of Morocco's Alaouite dynasty, who built a powerful empire through an unprecedented reliance on enslaved soldiers and laborers. They discuss his creation of the 'Abid al-Bukhari army, recruited from sub-Saharan Africans, and his construction of the vast imperial capital at Meknes, which rivaled Versailles. The episode also examines the sultan's brutal methods of control, his diplomatic overtures to Louis XIV, and the moral complexities of a state built on forced labor. Specific figures like Thomas Pellow, a British captive who escaped after 23 years, and the repurposing of Roman ruins at Volubilis for Meknes's walls illustrate the human cost. The conversation challenges the listener to consider how power, enslavement, and ambition intersected in early modern Morocco. #MoulayIsmail #AbidAlBukhari #Meknes #Morocco #AlaouiteDynasty #Sultan #Slavery #ThomasPellow #Volubilis #LouisXIV #BlackGuard #Makhzen #Tafilalt #17thCentury #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #EmpireOfSlaves #Almoravid #Almohad Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo