Muhammad IV of Morocco

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Sīdī Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (1803 – 16 September 1873), commonly known as Muhammad IV, was the Sultan of Morocco from 28 August 1859 to 16 September 1873 as a ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was proclaimed sultan in 1859 after the death of his father, Abd al-Rahman. His reign saw a series of reforms to modern military equipment and organization and also the introduction of new technology, like the steam engine and the expansion of printing, mostly in religious instruction books, but also those in engineering and science. He aimed to counter European influence on Morocco even before his reign started; Ottoman Algeria had just been conquered by France in 1830, and military losses in the Battle of Isly (commanded by him) with France in 1844 made him realise that he needed to replicate the tactics of the Europeans. Despite important reforms, this failed during the disappointing defeat against Spain in the 1860 Battle of Tetuan, after which the resulting Treaty of Wad Ras imposed an indemnity...

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