Mohammed al-Shaykh

Mohammed al-Shaykh (c. 1490–1557), son of a Saadi leader, became the first sultan of the Saadian dynasty. After his father died in 1517 he and his brother Ahmad led the war against the Portuguese, taking Marrakesh in 1524.

By the Treaty of Tadla in 1527 the Saadians and Wattasids divided their territories, but the brothers later fell into conflict. He captured Agadir in 1541, forcing the Portuguese from their coastal towns, then seized Fez in 1549 and overthrew the Wattasids.

He lost Fez in 1554 but retook it after defeating the Wattasids at Tadla. While preparing an alliance with Spain against the Ottomans, he was assassinated by their agents in 1557.