King Hassan II l-hasan uth-thânî, dial. (Mar.) el-hasan ett(s)âni); July 9, 1929–July 23, 1999) was
KingA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy, a form of government in which the country or entity usually ruled or controlled by an individual who usually rules for life or until abdication...
of
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was the eldest son of
Mohammed V, Sultan, then King of MoroccoMohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
and his wife
Lalla Abla bint TaharLalla Abla bint Tahar , was the wife of king Mohammed V of Morocco, the mother of king Hassan II and daughter of Moulay al-Tahar ben Hasan. She married Mohammed V in 1929 and died in Rabat on 1 March 1992....
.
Youth and education
King Hassan was educated at the Imperial College at
RabatRabat , population 2 million , is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region....
and earned a
lawLaw is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets...
degree from the
University of BordeauxThe present University of Bordeaux is a grouping of institutions of higher education and research , established 21 March 2007...
.
He was exiled to
CorsicaCorsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
by
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
authorities on 20 August 1953, along with his father Sultan
Mohammed VMohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
. They were transferred to
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
in January 1954. Prince Moulay Hassan acted as his father's political advisor during the exile. Mohammed V and his family returned from exile on 16 November 1955.
Prince Moulay Hassan participated in the February 1956 negotiations for Morocco's independence with his father, who later appointed him Chief of Staff of the newly founded Royal Armed Forces in April 1956. In the unrest of the same year, he led army contingents battling rebels in the mountains of the
RifThe Rif is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Moulouya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Ouargha in the south.It is part of the Cordillera Bética that also...
. Mohammed V changed the title of the Moroccan sovereign from
SultanSultan is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power"...
to
KingA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy, a form of government in which the country or entity usually ruled or controlled by an individual who usually rules for life or until abdication...
in 1957. Hassan was proclaimed
Crown PrinceA Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
on 19 July 1957, and became King on 3 March 1961, after his father's death.
Rule
Hassan's
conservativeConservatism is the diverse political and social philosophy that supports tradition and the status quo, or that calls for a return to the values and society of an earlier age, the status quo ante. However, the term has been used by politicians and political commentators with a variety of meanings...
rule, one characterized by a poor human rights record , strengthened the
Alaouite dynastyThe Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan royal family. The name Alaouite comes from the ‘Alī of its founder Moulay Ali Cherif who became Sultan of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay r-Rshid was able to unite and pacify the country...
. In Morocco's first constitution of 1963, Hassan II reaffirmed Morocco's choice of a multi-party political system, the only one in the
MaghrebThe Maghreb , also rendered Maghrib , meaning "place of sunset" or "western" in Arabic, is a region in North Africa. The term is generally applied to all of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but in older Arabic usage pertained only to the area of the three countries between the high ranges of the...
. The constitution gave the King large powers he eventually used to strengthen his rule, which provoked strong political protest from the UNFP and the
IstiqlalIstiqlal means independence. It may refer to:*Istiqlal Party, a political party of Morocco.*Hizb al-Istiqlal, a Palestinian nationalist party in the British Mandate of Palestine....
parties that formed the backbone of the opposition. In 1965, Hassan dissolved Parliament and ruled directly, although he did not abolish the mechanisms of
parliamentary democracyA parliamentary system is a system of government where in the ministers of the executive branch are drawn from the legislature, and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined...
. When elections were eventually held, they were mostly rigged in favor of loyal parties. This caused severe discontent among the opposition, and protest demonstrations and riots challenged the King's rule.
In the early
1970sThe 1970s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1970, to December 31, 1979.In the Western world, social progressive values that began in the 1960s, such as increasing political awareness and political and economic liberty of women, continued to grow...
, King Hassan survived two
assassination attemptAn Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure.Assassinations may be prompted by ideological, political, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, personal public recognition, or mental illness....
s. The first, in 1971, was
coup d'étatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
attempt supported by
LibyaLibya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa...
and organized by General Madbouh and Colonel Ababou and carried out by cadets during a function at the King's
summer palaceThe Summer Palace or Yihe yuan is a palace in Beijing, China.The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water. The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometers was entirely man made...
in
RabatRabat , population 2 million , is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region....
during his forty-second birthday party where large guests, including the
BelgianThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
Ambassabor Marcel Dupert were taken to house arrest, the King was taken to a small
pavilionIn architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
and Rabat's main
radio stationRadio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication or simulcast or both...
was taken over which broadcast
propagandaPropaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience...
that the King has been murdered and a
republicA republic is a form of government in which the head of state is not a monarch and the people have an impact on its government. The word 'republic' is derived from the Latin phrase res publica which can be translated as "a public affair".Both modern and ancient republics vary widely in their...
has been founded. The coup ended the same day when
royalistA royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
troops took over the palace in combat against the rebels. On August 16, 1972, during a
second attemptIn August 1972 a coup was attempted against Hassan II of Morocco.The attempt was orchestrated by General Mohamed Oufkir, a close advisor to King Hassan. On August 16, three Northrop F-5 jets, acting on Oufkir's orders, intercepted Hassan's Boeing 727 as returned from France. They then opened fire...
, four F-5 military jets from the
Royal Moroccan Air ForceThe Royal Moroccan Air Force is the air force branch of the Moroccan Armed Forces.- The beginnings:...
fired upon the King's
Boeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner. The first Boeing 727 flew in 1963 and for over a decade it was the most produced commercial jet airliner in the world. When production ended in 1984, a total of 1,831 aircraft had been produced...
while he was traveling back to
RabatRabat , population 2 million , is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region....
from
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, but they failed to bring it down. General
Mohamed OufkirGeneral Mohammad Oufkir was a Moroccan Berber politician.As the right hand man of king Hassan II in the 1960s and early 1970s, Oufkir led government supervision of politicians, unionists and the religious establishment...
, Morocco's defense minister, was the man behind the coup and was officially declared to have committed
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
after the attack. His body, however, was found with several bullet wounds.
In the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
era, Hassan II allied Morocco with the West generally, and with the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in particular. There were close and continuing ties between Hassan II's government and the CIA, who helped to reorganize Morocco's security forces in 1960.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,515405,00.html Hassan served as a back channel between the Arab world and
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
, facilitating early negotiations between them. This was made possible due to the presence in Israel of a large Moroccan Jewish community.
During his reign, Morocco recuperated the
SpanSpan may refer to:* Span , the width of a human hand* Span , a section between two intermediate supports* Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraftIn mathematics:...
ish-controlled area of
IfniIfni was a Spanish province on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, south of Agadir and across from the Canary Islands.It had a total area of 1,502 km² , and a population of 51,517 in 1964...
in 1969, and seized two thirds of
Spanish SaharaSpanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975. The territory represented one of the last remnants of the Spanish Empire, and was abandoned under internal pressures from native populations and the external...
(now
Western SaharaWestern Sahara is a territory of North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of...
) through the "
Green MarchThe Green March was a strategic mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government, to force Spain to hand over the disputed, autonomous semi-metropolitan Spanish Province of Sahara to Morocco.-The Green March:...
" in 1975. The latter issue continues to dominate Moroccan foreign policy to this day. Relations with
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
have deteriorated sharply due to the
Western SaharaWestern Sahara is a territory of North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of...
affair, as well as due to Moroccan claims on Algerian territory, which unleashed the brief 1963
Sand WarThe Sand War or Sands War occurred along the Algerian-Moroccan border in October 1963, and was a Moroccan attempt to claim the Tindouf and the Bechar areas that France had annexed to French Algeria a few decades earlier.- Background :...
.
Economically, Hassan II adopted a market-based economy, where
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
,
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
, and
phosphateA phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
s mining industries played a major role.
The period from the
1960sThe 1960s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1960, to December 31, 1969.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends in the west, particularly United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France,...
to the late
1980sThe 1980s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1989.The time period saw social, economic and general change as wealth and production migrated to newly industrializing economies...
was labelled by the Moroccan opposition as the "
years of leadThe Years of Lead is the term used especially by former opponents to the rule of King Hassan II of Morocco to describe a period of his rule marked by state violence against dissidents and democracy activists....
" and saw many dissidents jailed, killed,
exileExile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return...
d or
forcibly disappearedA forced disappearance occurs when force is used to cause a person to vanish from public view, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty , thereby placing the victim outside the protection of law.According to the Rome Statute of the International...
.
King Hassan II had extended many parliamentary functions by the early
1990sThe 1990s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1999, the last decade of the 20th century. It was the first decade following the effective end of the Cold War...
and released hundreds of political prisoners in 1991, and allowed the Alternance, where the opposition assumed power, for the first time in the
Arab WorldThe Arab World refers to Arabic-speaking countries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast...
. He set up a Royal Council for Human Rights to look into allegations of abuse by the State.
Family
King Hassan II had five children with his wife
Lalla Latifa HammouLalla Latifa Hammou is the widow of king Hassan II and the mother of Princess Lalla Meryem, King Mohammed VI, Princess Lalla Asma, Princess Lalla Hasna and Prince Moulay Rachid....
, a member of the Zaiane tribe, whom he married in 1961 :
- HRH Princess Lalla Meryem
Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco is first daughter and eldest child of the late King Hassan II of Morocco and his wife Lalla Latifa Hammou....
(b.1962)
- HM King Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco. He was born on 21 August 1963 and ascended to the throne in July 1999.-Education:His father, the late King Hassan II, was keen on giving him a religious and political education from an early age...
(b.1963)
- HRH Princess Lalla Asma
Princess Lalla Asma of Morocco is the daughter of Hassan II of Morocco and his wife Lalla Latifa Hammou.Lalla Asma married Khalid Bouchentouf and they have two children, a daughter, Lalla Nuhaila Bouchentouf , and a son, Moulay Yazid Bouchentouf .She is Hon President in Morocco of SPANA ....
(b.1965)
- HRH Princess Lalla Hasna
Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco is the youngest daughter of the late King Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa Hammou. She is sister to the current king, Mohammed VI and Prince Moulay Rachid....
(b.1967)
- HRH Prince Moulay Rachid
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, also known as Prince Moulay Rachid ben al-Hassan was born on June 20, 1970 in Rabat as the youngest child of the late King Hassan II...
(b.1970)
The king also had one other wife, Lalla Fatima bint Qaid Amhourok. Married also in 1961, they had no children.
The father of Hassan II was
Mohammed V of MoroccoMohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
, his mother was
Lalla Abla bint TaharLalla Abla bint Tahar , was the wife of king Mohammed V of Morocco, the mother of king Hassan II and daughter of Moulay al-Tahar ben Hasan. She married Mohammed V in 1929 and died in Rabat on 1 March 1992....
.
King Hassan II had five sisters and one brother:
- Lalla Fatima Zahra, born June 29, 1929, (from the first marriage of Mohammed V of Morocco
Mohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
)
- Lalla Aicha
Lalla Aicha is the eldest sister of former king Hassan II of Morocco. She was born in Rabat 17 June, 1930. Her father was king Mohammed V of Morocco, her mother Lalla Abla bint Tahar....
, born June 17, 1930 in Rabat (from the second marriage of Mohammed VMohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
, with Lalla AblaLalla Abla bint Tahar , was the wife of king Mohammed V of Morocco, the mother of king Hassan II and daughter of Moulay al-Tahar ben Hasan. She married Mohammed V in 1929 and died in Rabat on 1 March 1992....
)
- Lalla Malika, born March 14, 1933 in Rabat (from the second marriage of Mohammed V
Mohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
)
- Moulay Abdallah
Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco was the brother of former king Hassan II of Morocco and the son of former king Mohammed V of Morocco....
, born July 30, 1935 in Rabat, died in 1983 (from the second marriage of Mohammed VMohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
)
- Lalla Nuzha, born 1940 in Rabat, died in 1977 (from the second marriage of Mohammed V
Mohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
)
- Lalla Amina, born in Madagascar, April 8, 1954 (from the third marriage of Mohammed V of Morocco
Mohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953, exiled from 1953-55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
, with Lalla BahiaLalla Bahia was a third wife of Mohammed V of Morocco, who reigned from 1927 until 1961. Bahia was also the mother of Princess Lalla Amina....
, died in September 2008)
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