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  • The Idrisid Dynasty: Morocco's First Islamic Kingdom

    The Idrisid Dynasty: Morocco's First Islamic Kingdom
    2026/07/17
    Long before the Almoravids, Almohads, and Alawites, there was Idris ibn Abdallah — a great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who fled the Abbasid massacre of his family and found refuge among the Berbers of the Volubilis region. In 789 CE, he founded what became Morocco's first Islamic dynasty: the Idrisids. This episode traces Idris I's escape from the Battle of Fakh, his alliance with the Awraba Berbers, and the founding of Fez as a city of faith and learning. We explore how his son Idris II consolidated the kingdom, the role of the Qarawiyyin mosque as a seed of scholarship, and the dynasty's fragmentation after Idris II's death. The Idrisids also minted Morocco's first distinctly Islamic coinage and established a model of sharifian rule — leadership through descent from the Prophet — that would echo through Moroccan history for over a thousand years. We also touch on the mysterious disappearance and likely poisoning of Idris I, and the legacy of his tomb in Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, still a pilgrimage site today. #IdrisidDynasty #IdrisI #IdrisII #Morocco #NorthAfrica #Fez #Volubilis #Qarawiyyin #AwrabaBerbers #SharifianRule #IslamicHistory #BattleOfFakh #MoulayIdrissZerhoun #Berbers #History #FexingoHistory #MedievalAfrica #MoroccanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • The Regeneration of Marrakech Under Moulay Mohammed

    The Regeneration of Marrakech Under Moulay Mohammed
    2026/07/16
    After Moulay Ismail's death in 1727, Morocco descended into decades of civil war between the Black Guard, the Fassi makhzen, and provincial chieftains. Sijilmasa was sacked, Meknes fell into ruin, and Marrakech was abandoned to squatters. This episode follows the unlikely restoration of the southern capital under Sultan Moulay Mohammed ben Abdallah, who systematically rebuilt Marrakech's walls, its water supply via the khettara underground canals, and its Jewish mellah after it had been destroyed. We explore his controversial decision to move the makhzen from Meknes to Marrakech, his negotiations with European powers—Britain, France, Spain—and his revival of the port of Essaouira as a commercial hub. Along the way, we look at how he managed to placate the fierce Abid al-Bukhari slave soldiers who had destabilised the country for decades, and how his reforms laid the groundwork for the Alaouite dynasty's survival into the nineteenth century. #MoulayMohammed #Marrakech #Alaouite #Morocco #Makhzen #AbidalBukhari #Khettara #Essaouira #Meknes #Sijilmasa #Mellah #18thCentury #NorthAfrica #Berber #Sultan #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • Moulay Ismail's Meknes: The Versailles of North Africa

    Moulay Ismail's Meknes: The Versailles of North Africa
    2026/07/16
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the colossal building project of Sultan Moulay Ismail, the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty, who turned Meknes into a sprawling imperial city in the late 17th century. We walk through the massive walls, gates, and granaries of Heri es-Souani, the vast stables built to house 12,000 horses, and the intricate underground prison cells. Lucas explains how Ismail's ambition rivaled Louis XIV's Versailles, using forced labor from Christian captives and enslaved Africans to create a city of power and wonder. We also uncover the engineering marvels of the water supply system, the opulent reception halls, and the sultan's mausoleum, which remains a pilgrimage site today. Along the way, we touch on the sultan's controversial legacy, including his use of the Black Guard (Abid al-Bukhari) and his diplomatic outreach to European monarchs. This episode paints a vivid picture of a ruler who sought to build a capital befitting his absolute authority, leaving a mark on Morocco that still stands. #MoulyIsmail #Meknes #Alaouite #Makhzen #HeriEsSouani #Morocco #NorthAfrica #17thCentury #ImperialCity #Architecture #Engineering #Slavery #BlackGuard #AbidAlBukhari #Versailles #History #FexingoHistory #MoroccanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 分
  • Morocco's Fassi Elite: The Merchant Families Who Ruled Fez

    Morocco's Fassi Elite: The Merchant Families Who Ruled Fez
    2026/07/15
    Lucas and Luna explore the merchant-aristocrat families of Fez — the Fassi elite — who wielded immense power behind the Makhzen throne for centuries. From the 16th to the 19th century, families like the Kettani, Fasi, and Benjelloun controlled trans-Saharan trade, banking for sultans, and the prestigious Qarawiyyin University. Lucas explains how these 'Fes elite' leveraged marriage, religious scholarship, and exclusive trade networks to become the true power brokers of Morocco, often rivaling the Alawite sultans themselves. The episode covers the rise of the Fassi notables during the Saadian era, their golden age under Moulay Ismail, and their gradual decline as European powers disrupted Morocco's economy in the 19th century. Lucas also highlights the unique institution of the 'amin' — the guild master — and how Fassi families maintained monopolies on goods like leather, silk, and sugar. Tensions between the Makhzen and the Fassi elite, including the 19th-century 'Bou Hmara' revolt and the Fassi role in the 1912 Treaty of Fez, reveal a complex story of collaboration and resistance. No previous episode has focused on this influential social class. #FassiElite #Fez #Makhzen #Alawite #Saadian #Qarawiyyin #TransSaharanTrade #MoroccanHistory #Kettani #Benjelloun #FasiFamily #Amin #BouHmara #TreatyOfFez #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #Morocco Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • Alaouite Restoration: Moulay al-Rashid and the Unifying of Morocco

    Alaouite Restoration: Moulay al-Rashid and the Unifying of Morocco
    2026/07/15
    After the chaos of the Saadian collapse and the Dila'iyya revolt, Morocco fragmented into warring regions. This episode follows Moulay al-Rashid, the Alawite sultan who reunified the country from his base in Tafilalt. We discuss his sieges of Fez and Marrakech, his rivalry with the Dila'iyya zawiya, and how he built a new Makhzen. Learn about his strategic use of sharifian legitimacy, his military campaigns against the Tazerwalt and other southern powers, and the foundation of Meknes as a capital. We also touch on the role of the 'Alawite lineage, the Zawiya of Tafilalt, and the challenges of ruling a fractured land. A story of ambition, faith, and the making of modern Morocco. #MoulayAlRashid #AlaouiteDynasty #MoroccoHistory #Tafilalt #Fez #Marrakech #Meknes #Dila'iyya #Tazerwalt #Sharifian #Makhzen #Sijilmasa #NorthAfrica #17thCentury #IslamicHistory #Berber #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • The Battle of Legnano: Lombard Leagues and Barbarossa's Humiliation

    The Battle of Legnano: Lombard Leagues and Barbarossa's Humiliation
    2026/07/14
    In 1176, the Lombard League faced Frederick Barbarossa at Legnano. This episode explores the battle that shattered imperial ambitions in Italy, the Carroccio war wagon, the role of the Lombard cavalry militia, and the Peace of Constance that followed. We discuss how this defeat forced Barbarossa to recognize communal autonomy, reshaping Italy's political map. Lucas and Luna walk through the tactics, the key figures like Alberto da Giussano (legendary or real?), and the aftermath that left the Holy Roman Empire weakened north of the Alps. #BattleOfLegnano #FrederickBarbarossa #LombardLeague #HolyRomanEmpire #MedievalItaly #Carroccio #AlbertoDaGiussano #PeaceOfConstance #Comuni #Milan #Papacy #AlexanderIII #GuelphsAndGhibellines #MedievalWarfare #ItalianHistory #History #FexingoHistory #NorthItaly Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • Moulay Slimane and Morocco's Plague Years

    Moulay Slimane and Morocco's Plague Years
    2026/07/14
    In the early 19th century, Morocco faced a series of devastating plague epidemics that killed perhaps a third of its population. Sultan Moulay Slimane, an Alawite ruler known for his piety and austerity, struggled to maintain control as the Makhzen crumbled. This episode explores the waves of bubonic plague that struck between 1799 and 1818, their impact on trade, cities, and the countryside, and how the sultan's response—closing ports, imposing quarantines, and blaming divine wrath—shaped Morocco's trajectory. We also look at the parallel collapse of the Makhzen's tax base and the rise of regional strongmen, setting the stage for later European intervention. #MoulaySlimane #Plague #BubonicPlague #Morocco #Alawite #Makhzen #EpidemicHistory #19thCentury #NorthAfrica #Sultan #Pandemic #Quarantine #Fez #Marrakech #Meknes #TradeCollapse #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • Morocco's Makhzen Tax System: How the Sultan Funded Empire

    Morocco's Makhzen Tax System: How the Sultan Funded Empire
    2026/07/13
    The Makhzen — Morocco's central state apparatus — wasn't just a political idea; it was a vast, intricate tax machine that extracted wealth from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the origins of Islamic taxation in Morocco, from the Quranic 'ushr and jizya to the more controversial mokhazni levies that sparked tribal revolts. They explore how Saadian and Alaouite sultans used tax farming, the 'qaid' system of rural strongmen, and the infamous 'na'iba' emergency taxes to fund armies, build palaces like El Badi, and control the trade routes. Along the way, they unpack the 'harka' tradition — the sultan's annual military tax-collection expedition — and how it both sustained and strained the Makhzen's grip on a diverse land. This is the hidden ledger behind Moroccan imperial power. #Makhzen #MoroccanHistory #Taxation #NorthAfrica #Saadian #Alaouite #Ushr #Jizya #Harka #Qaid #ElBadiPalace #SultanMoulayIsmail #TaxFarming #FexingoHistory #History #IslamicHistory #BerberHistory #Morocco Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 分