Editing Ismail Ibn Sharif (section)

===Difficult early reign===
[[File:Mouley-Ismaël, roi du Maroc (cropped).jpg|thumb|The ''Grand Cherif Mouley Sémein ou Ismael'', by Nicolas I de Larmessin]]
After seizing power, Moulay Ismail faced several rebellions: most significant was the revolt of his nephew [[Ahmed ben Mehrez|Moulay Ahmed ben Mehrez]], son of Moulay Murad Mehrez, then the rebellions of his brothers, including [[Harran ibn Sharif]], who assumed the title of King of Tafilalt. The Tetouan warlord [[Khadir Ghaïlan]] also resisted Sultan Ismail, along with several tribes and religious groups.<ref group="L" name="Ogot 174">{{harvnb|Ogot|1998|p=174}}.</ref>

When the news of Rashid's death reached Sijilmassa, Ahmed ben Mehrez rushed to Marrakesh, to have himself proclaimed [[sultan]]. The tribes of [[Al Haouz Province|Al Haouz]], the Arabs of Souss, and the inhabitants of Marrakesh joined him and he was able to assume control of the area. He rallied the southern tribes and was proclaimed sultan at Marrakesh. In response, Moulay Ismail launched a campaign against his nephew on 27 April 1672.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 61">{{harvnb|al-Nasiri|1906|p=61}}.</ref> Ismail was victorious as a result of his artillery. He entered the city of Marrakesh and was recognized as sultan there on 4 June 1672.<ref group="L" name="Ogot 174" /><ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 61"/><ref group="ArcI" name="Volume XVIII 10">{{harvnb|id=Volume XVIII|Archives marocaines, volume XVIII|1912|p=10}}.</ref> Ahmed suffered a bullet wound and fled into the mountains.<ref group="L" name="Audiffret 376" /> Ismail pardoned the inhabitants of Marrakesh and reorganized the city's defenses.<ref group="L" name="Ben Ahmed Ezziâni 24">{{harvnb|Ben Ahmed Ezziâni|1886|p=24}}.</ref> He then went back to Fez to collect his brother Rashid's coffin and inter it in the mausoleum of Sheikh Ali ibn Herzouhm, before returning to Meknes on 25 July 1672.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 61"/>

Moulay Ismail arranged the organisation of the empire and distributed goods to the soldiers of his army in preparation for an expedition into the [[Sahara]]. The project was abandoned however after a revolt broke out in the city of Fez, during which the Caid Zidan ben Abid Elamri, the intended head of the expedition, was killed and the sultan's forces were expelled from the city, on the night of 26 August 1672. Moulay Ismail immediately arrived and was encamped outside the walls of the city. After several days of conflict, the noble clans of Fez appealed to Ahmed ben Mehrez in despair. He responded favorably to their appeal and traveled through [[Debdou]] to Taza, where he was proclaimed Sultan again. In the meanwhile, Khadir Ghaïlan sent a messenger to Fez and notified the inhabitants of his arrival by sea from Algiers to Tetouan, where he was welcomed by the Ennaqsîs family that governed the city. These events sparked serious unrest in the country. Moulay Ismail marched on Taza, which surrendered to him after a siege of several months, and forced Ahmed ben Mehrez to flee into the Sahara. While the siege of Fez continued,<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 62">{{harvnb|al-Nasiri|1906|p=62}}.</ref> Ismail turned northwest to face Khadir Ghaïlan, who had taken control of the [[Habt]] region (the [[Rharb|Gharb]] and [[Khlout]] plains and part of the [[Jebala people|Jebala]] territory) with the help of the [[Ottoman Algeria|Ottoman Regency of Algiers]]. With a force of 12,000 men, Ismail suppressed the rebellion and pacified the northern provinces,<ref group="L" name="Ogot 174" /> killing Ghaïlan on 2 September 1673 at [[Ksar el-Kebir]]<ref group="ArcI" name="Volume XVIII 63">{{harvnb|id=Volume XVIII|Archives marocaines, volume XVIII|1912|p=63}}.</ref> He returned again to Fez, which was still under siege by his forces. The heart of the city, [[Fes Jdid|Fez Jdid]], finally opened its gates on 28 October 1673, after a siege of fourteen months and eight days. Ismail granted a pardon to the inhabitants of Fez. He reorganised the city and appointed governors in charge of the suburbs of [[Fes el Bali|Fez el Bali]] and Fez Jdid.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 62"/>

[[File:Medina of Marrakech (Nov. 2008).jpg|left|thumb|[[Marrakesh]], one of the imperial capitals of Morocco, revolted against Moulay Ismail, in favor of Ahmed ben Mehrez, three times. The city was harshly punished.]]
On returning to Meknes, Moulay Ismail continued construction work and built several palaces.<ref group="H" name="Hamet 339">{{harvnb|Hamet|1923|p=339}}.</ref> He was disturbed once more by his nephew Ahmed ben Mehrez, who seized Marrakesh sometime after May 1673.<ref group="L" name="Ben Ahmed Ezziâni 26">{{harvnb|Ben Ahmed Ezziâni|1886|p=26}}.</ref><ref>Julien (1931: p.228–9); El Fasi (1992: p.114)</ref><ref name=cenival303>Cenival (1913–36: p.303; 2007: p.328)</ref> When Ismail learned of it in 1674, he first launched a campaign against the Arab tribes of the Angad region who were engaging in banditry. He severely defeated the Sgoûna tribe and then put in place the preparations for a major campaign against his nephew. Ismail marched at the head of his army into the [[Tadla]] region and encountered Ahmed ben Mehrez's army at Bou Agba, near [[Oued El Abid]]. Ismail was victorious over his nephew's army and killed its commander, Hida Ettouïri. Ahmed was chased by his uncle all the way to Marrakesh, where he entrenched himself. Ismail besieged the city and took it by force in 1674, forcing Ahmed to flee to the province of Drâa. The sultan then led a number of operations against the [[Chaouia (Morocco)|Chaouia]] tribes.<ref group="H" name="Hamet 339"/> In this same year, the [[Sanhaja]] of the High and [[Middle Atlas]] revolted and massacred the envoys of the Sultan, after having refused to pay tribute. Moulay Ismail launched the first expedition and attempted to dislodge them from the mountain strongholds where they had entrenched themselves.<ref group="Arc" name="Volume XXVIII 21">{{harvnb|id=Volume XXVIII|Archives marocaines, volume XXVIII|1931|p=21}}.</ref> The sultan's troops were repulsed by a force of 8,000 Berber infantry and 5,000 Berber cavalries. A second expedition followed, and this time the Sultan's forces inflicted a heavy defeat on the rebels, seizing substantial booty.<ref group="Arc" name="Volume XXVIII 22">{{harvnb|id=Volume XXVIII|Archives marocaines, volume XXVIII|1931|p=22}}.</ref>

In 1675, with the help of the inhabitants of [[Taroudant]], Ahmed secretly returned to Marrakesh, expelled the royal army, and reoccupied the city.<ref group="L" name="Audiffret 377" /> Ismail placed Marrakesh under siege once more. The fighting was bloody, with very high casualties on both sides, especially in June 1676.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 65">{{harvsp|al-Nasiri|1906|p=65}}.</ref> Ahmed eventually had to flee the city on 26 June 1677, heading for Souss.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 66">{{harvsp|al-Nasiri|1906|p=66}}.</ref> This time, Ismail violently sacked the city as punishment for supporting Ahmed.<ref group="L" name="Ogot 174" /><ref group="L" name="Audiffret 377" /><ref name=cenival303/><ref>Julien (1931: p.229); El Fasi (1992: p.114)</ref>

While still at Marrakesh, Ismail learned that Ahmed ben Abdellah ad-Dila'i, grandson of [[Mohammed al-Hajj ibn Abu Bakr al-Dila'i]], had gathered a large army of Sanhaja tribes from the mountains, crossed the [[Moulouya River]] and was raiding the Arab tribes of Tadla and [[Saïss]], forcing them to flee to the cities of Fez, Meknes, and Sale. Ahmed was attempting to revive the defunct Zawiya Dila'iya and was supported by the Ottomans in Algiers, who had previously given him refuge. Since Ismail was busy with Ahmed ben Mehrez at Souss, he sent an autonomous force of 3,000 cavalries. They were defeated by the Berber army of Ahmed ben Abdellah and the force's commander, Caid Ikhlef, was killed. Ismail then sent two further armies, numbering 4,000 men each, which were also beaten – the first near Meknes and the second at [[Kasba Tadla]], which was then seized and destroyed by the Sanhaja. Meanwhile, Ismail also learned that three of his brothers, Moulay Harran, Moulay Hammada, and Moulay Murad Mehrez (the father of Ahmed ben Mehrez) had revolted and attacked Tafilalt. The sultan decided to deal with the unrest at Tadla first. He personally intervened and routed the Berbers in a battle in which say 3,000 Berbers dead and several hundred soldiers of the imperial army.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 70">{{harvnb|al-Nasiri|1906|p=70}}.</ref> He retook Tadla, stabilised the Middle Atlas region with his artillery and an enveloping maneuver carried out by the guich of Oudaya.<ref group="Arc" name="Volume XXVIII 22"/> The heads of nearly 700 rebels were nailed to the walls of Fez by the Caid Abdellah Errousi.<ref group="L" name="Ben Ahmed Ezziâni 27">{{harvsp|Ben Ahmed Ezziâni|1886|p=27}}.</ref> Moulay Ismail returned to Meknes at the end of 1677 and ended his brothers' rebellion. He captured Moulay Harran but chose to spare him.<ref group="alN" name="al-Nasiri 71">{{harvsp|al-Nasiri|1906|p=71}}.</ref>