Ahmad al-Mansur (Civ5)/Civilopedia

=== History ===
As one of the most influential leaders in the history of North Africa, Ahmad al-Mansur had a pivotal impact on the future of Morocco. Serving as the sixth Sultan of the Saadi Dynasty during the 16th century AD, Ahmad al-Mansur was known as a cunning diplomat who leveraged Morocco's strategic location to position his kingdom as a major player on the world's stage during the Renaissance.
=== Early Life ===
As the fifth and youngest son of Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh, Ahmad al-Mansur's path to the throne of Morocco was not assured. His oldest brother, Abdallah al-Ghalib was the designated heir, and he ascended the throne in 1557 AD following their father's death. Unfortunately for al-Mansur, his older brother believed eliminating his siblings was the simplest means of securing his throne, and so al-Mansur and his brother Abd al-Malik fled the country, living within the Ottoman Empire for nearly two decades.
=== Rise to Power ===
Following the death of Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib in 1574, his son Abu Adallah Mohammed ascended the throne despite the rightful heir being Abd al-Malik. Raising an army with the assistance of the Ottomans (where al-Mansur and his brother had remained in exile), Abd al-Malik invaded Morocco and successfully deposed the usurper Abu Adallah Mohammed. Unfortunately for the two warring claimants to the Moroccan throne, they both died at the Battle of Ksar-el-Kabir in 1578, leaving Ahmad al-Mansur to ascend as Sultan.
Morocco's armies dealt severe losses to the opposing force, which included the armies of Portugal who had sided with the usurper king. In taking thousands of Portuguese prisoners, al-Mansur was able to deftly negotiate a steep ransom for their safe return - leaving Morocco's coffers replenished with Portuguese gold.
=== Reign ===
Once firmly established on the throne, al-Mansur enjoyed newfound prestige as the leader of an emboldened Morocco flush with wealth. He immediately began efforts to reform the administrative system of his nation, implementing new forms of taxation. He also looked to expand the reach of his empire through campaigns against neighboring Songhai, which he hoped would provide new sources of income for the kingdom. Despite victories and sacking multiple Songhai cities, the problems of administering such a distant land across the Sahara proved too much even for al-Mansur.
Unfortunately, the expenses involved in Al-Mansur's various projects - military and territorial expansion, outlays for new construction, and grand displays of cultural and artistic expression - led to the eventual depletion of Morocco's vast treasury. As the purse strings tightened, al-Mansur was forced to restrict his great ambitions for the kingdom. Morocco was also faced with a difficult task in maintaining control over the distant territories it conquered, and many of these areas eventually fell out of Moroccan control.
With Ahmad al-Mansur's passing in 1603 - being struck down by the plague - Morocco's power and influence began to wane. By 1620 the Songhai cities had been lost. Moroccan trade routes were usurped by others, and fiscal troubles plagued the sultanate. In the end, many of the advances garnered by al-Mansur's exceptional administrative and diplomatic skills were lost by his successors.
=== Judgement of History ===
Ahmad al-Mansur is widely viewed today as one of history's greatest diplomats, excelling in the art of balancing friend and foe, Christian and Muslim. Al-Mansur's carefully crafted diplomatic schemes are credited with allowing Morocco's continued independence despite the scheming of many neighboring kingdoms as well as the powerful Ottoman Empire. His reign was marked by religious tolerance, scientific learning, and an artistic flowering in North Africa not known for many decades before or after.