The Regent's Gambit: Moulay Abd al-Malik's Short, Shattering Reign

In 1576, a prince who had spent fifteen years as a guest of the Ottoman sultan returned to Morocco to claim a throne that wasn't his. Moulay Abd al-Malik's victory at the Battle of al-Rukn was just the beginning: in just two years he overhauled the Makhzen, brought the Saadian army into the gunpowder age, and forged an alliance with England that would have changed the Mediterranean — had he lived. This episode follows his improbable rise from exile in Algiers to the catastrophe of Alcácer Quibir, where he died of illness just as his army annihilated the Portuguese invasion. Drawing on Spanish and Ottoman accounts, we piece together the man who nearly redrew the map of North Africa, and whose reign has been overshadowed by his more famous successor, Ahmad al-Mansur. Join Lucas and Luna as they explore the regent's gamble: a life lived on the edge of empires, and a death that saved his kingdom. #MoulayAbdAlMalik #Saadian #AlcacerQuibir #Morocco #Ottoman #BattleOfAlRukn #AlMansur #SebastianOfPortugal #Qarawiyyin #Makhzen #Gunpowder #16thCentury #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #War #Royalty Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo