Anglo - Moroccan alliance The Anglo - Moroccan alliance was established at the end of the 16th century and the early 17th century between the kingdoms of England and Morocco . Commercial agreements had been reached by Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Moroccan leader Ahmad al - Mansur on the basis of a mutual enmity to the Spanish King Philip II . The arms trade dominated the exchange , and numerous attempts at direct military collaboration were also made . The alliance was maintained for some time by their successors . Background . The alliance between the two states developed during the 16th century on the back of regular commercial exchanges , largely thanks to the work of the Amphlett family of merchants . European trade with Morocco had been at the command of Spain , Portugal and Genoa , but in 1541 the Portuguese suffered the loss of Safi and Agadir , loosening their grip on the area . Following the sailing of " The Lion " of Thomas Wyndham in 1551 , and the 1585 establishment of the English Barbary Company , trade developed between England and the Barbary states , and especially Morocco . Sugar , ostrich feathers and saltpeter from Morocco were typically exchanged for English fabrics and firearms , in spite of the protests of Spain and Portugal . Elizabeth I had numerous exchanges with Sultan Abd al - Malik to facilitate trade and obtain advantages for English traders . The sultan was a vassal to the Ottoman Empire after his accession to the throne upon the Capture of Fez in 1576 , and could speak Spanish and Italian as well as Arabic . In 1577 he wrote to the queen in Spanish , signing himself " AbdelMeleck " in Latin script . That same year , the queen sent Edmund Hogan as ambassador to the Moroccan court . Alliance . Elizabeth was initially reluctant to develop an arms trade with Morocco , for fear of criticism by other Christian powers , as was communicated by Hogan to the Sultan in 1577 . Contacts however soon developed into a political alliance as a result of further diplomatic exchanges between Elizabeth I and Sultan Ahmad al - Mansur , after the defeat of Portugal at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578 . Anglo – Spanish War . Relations intensified with the acclamation of Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal in 1580 , and the advent of the Anglo – Spanish War in 1585 . In 1581 , Elizabeth authorized the exportation of naval - grade timber to Morocco in exchange for salpeter , a necessary ingredient in gunpowder . The establishment of the Barbary Company in 1585 further gave England a monopoly on Morocco trade for 12 years . In 1585 - 1588 , through the embassy of Henry Roberts , Elizabeth tried to obtain the Sultan ' s help in backing Dom António . In 1588 , Al - Mansur granted special privileges to English traders . In her letters to Al - Mansur , Elizabeth , over a period of 25 years , continually described the relationship between the two countries as " " La buena amistad y confederación que hay entre nuestras coronas " " ( " The great friendship and cooperation that exists between our Crowns " ) , and presented herself as " " Vuestra hermana y pariente según ley de corona y ceptro " " ( " Your sister and relative according to the law of the Crown and the Scepter " ) . In January 1589 , Al - Mansur through his ambassador to the Queen , Marzuq Rais ( Mushac Reyz ) , requested the supply of oars , carpenters and shipwrights , as well as transportation on English ships , in exchange for his a contribution of 150 , 000 ducats and his military help for an Anglo - Moroccan expedition against Spain in favour of the Portuguese claimant . He also requested English military assistance in case of a conflict with neighbouring non - Christian countries . Elizabeth could not meet these demands completely , especially the transportation of Moroccan forces , and negotiation drew on until the death of Dom António in 1595 . The 1589 English expedition to Portugal moved ahead nonetheless , and ended in failure with the English fleet hoping in vain for reinforcements from England or Morocco . Only the Moroccan ambassador Marzuq Rais was accompanying the expedition , on board the flagship of Dom António , disguised as a Portuguese nobleman , and stayed until summer 1589 . 1600 embassy . Diplomatic relations continued to intensify between Elizabeth and the Barbary states . England entered in a trading relationship with Morocco detrimental to Spain , selling armour , ammunition , timber , metal in exchange for Moroccan sugar , in spite of a Papal ban , prompting the Papal Nuncio in Spain to say of Elizabeth : " " there is no evil that is not devised by that woman , who , it is perfectly plain , succoured Mulocco ( Abd - el - Malek ) with arms , and especially with artillery " " . In 1600 , Abd el - Ouahed ben Messaoud , the principal secretary to the Moroccan ruler Mulai Ahmad al - Mansur , visited England as an ambassador to the court of Queen Elizabeth I . Abd el - Ouahed ben Messaoud spent 6 months at the court of Elizabeth , in order to negotiate an alliance against Spain . The Moroccan ruler wanted the help of an English fleet to invade Spain , Elizabeth refused , but welcomed the embassy as a sign of insurance , and instead accepted to establish commercial agreements . Queen Elizabeth and king Ahmad continued to discuss various plans for combined military operations , with Elizabeth requesting a payment of 100 , 000 pounds in advance to king Ahmad for the supply of a fleet , and Ahmad asking for a tall ship to be sent to get the money . Elizabeth " agreed to sell munitions supplies to Morocco , and she and Mulai Ahmad al - Mansur talked on and off about mounting a joint operation against the Spanish " . Discussions however remained inconclusive , and both rulers died within two years of the embassy . James I and Charles I . Morocco had been falling into a state of anarchy following the death of Ahmed al - Mansur in 1603 , and local warlords had been on the rise , making the alliance with the Sultanate less and less meaningful . James I also made peace with Spain upon his accession in 1603 , with the Treaty of London . Relations continued under James I however , who sent his ambassador John Harrisson to Muley Zaydan in 1610 and again in 1613 and 1615 in order to obtain the release of English captives in Morocco . English privateers such as Jack Ward continued to prosper in collaboration with the Barbary states , including Morocco . During the Thirty Years ' War under the rule of Charles I , England sought Moroccan military help against Spain in Tetouan and Salé . England had hoped to obtain Moroccan cooperation after the 1625 English attack on Cadíz , but the campaign proved disastrous and ruined the prestige of England . On 10 May 1627 , England passed an agreement with one of these local warlords , the Mujahidin leader Sidi Al - Ayyashi to obtain his help in releasing English captives , in exchanges for the supply of provisions and arms . England and Al - Ayyashi collaborated for a period of about 10 years , as in the attempted coordinated liberation of Al Ma ' mura . In 1632 , the city of Salé , a major harbour to piracy , was jointly taken by an English squadron and Moroccan forces , permitting the pacification of the city and the release of Christian prisoners . On May 13 , 1637 , a Convention was signed between Charles I and Sidi Mohammed el - Ayachi , master of Salé , allowing for the supply of military armament to the Sultan . Embassies of Mulay Ismail . Relations continued under the Moroccan ruler Mulay Ismail . In 1682 , he sent Mohammed bin Hadou as Moroccan ambassador sent to the English court of Charles II . Mohammed spent six months in England , in a highly commented visit . He visited Oxford , Cambridge and the Royal Society among many other places . These exchanges forty years of shifting alliances between England and Morocco , related to European conflicts , trade issues , Barbary Coast pirates and the exchange of captives . One of the high points of these contacts occurred in 1720 - 21 , when English ambassadors John Windus and Commodore Hon . Charles Stewart visited Morocco . They succeeded in signing a diplomatic treaty with Morocco for the first time , and returned home with 296 released British slaves . Moroccan ambassadors were again sent to England in 1726 ( " Mahomet " and " Bo - ally " ) , and in 1727 a new treaty was signed by John Russel with Mulay Ismail ' s successor . Impact on literature . These intense relations between England and Morocco are thought to have had a direct impact on the literary productions of the age in England , especially the works of Shakespeare , or " The Battle of Alcazar " by George Peele . These contacts possibly influenced the creation of the characters of Shylock , or the Prince of Morocco in " The Merchant of Venice " . It has even been suggested that the figure of Abd el - Ouahed ben Messaoud may have inspired the character of Shakespeare ' s Moorish hero " Othello " .