THREE KINGS, BATTLE OF THE

also called Battle Of The Wadi Al-makhazin (Aug. 4, 1578), defeat dealt the invading Portuguese armies of King Sebastian by the Sa'di sultan of Morocco, 'Abd al-Malik. Sebastian, a religious zealot, wished to subject Muslim Morocco to Christian rule. Allied with the deposed Moroccan sultan, al-Mutawakkil, he landed at Tangier weighed down by much artillery and an army of 20,000 men. At the Wadi al-Makhazin near Ksar el-Kebir (Alcazarquivir), between the Loukkos River and one of its tributaries, Sebastian struck at 'Abd al-Malik and his brother Ahmad. The Muslim forces, though not as well equipped as the Portuguese, numbered 50,000 meninfantry and cavalry. They forced the Christians to retreat to Larache on the coast, but in crossing the Wadi al-Makhazin, which was then in high tide, many drowned or surrendered. Both Sebastian and al-Mutawakkil, the deposed sultan, were drowned, and 'Abd al-Malik, seriously ill from the beginning of the encounter, died the next morning; hence the European name of the battle. The victory provided the Muslim soldiery with a rich booty and the country with a new sultan, Ahmad, now known as Ahmad al-Mansur (Ahmad the Victorious); it further accorded Morocco a new prestige in Europe, which furthered its diplomatic and commercial status. The death of the young Sebastian without heir, on the other hand, brought the Portuguese empire under Spanish control for the next 60 years.