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The famous Battle of Three Kings (aka Battle of Alcazar) was a hard fought affair won by the Moroccans due in large part to the military exploits of Ahmad al-Mansur. Three Kings were killed; Portugal’s Dom Sebastian, Morocco’s current ruler Abd al-Malik (al-Mansur’s brother) and deposed former ruler al-Mutawakkil (al-Mansur’s nephew who fought alongside Dom Sebastian). Ahmad al-Mansur was suddenly a national hero, the living representation of Morocco’s strength and pride. He is also believed to have been the model for Shakespeare’s prince of Morocco character in The Merchant of Venice–the work that gave us the famous line: “All that glitters is not gold.” … More>>
