'Abdallah ibn 'Aisha and the French Court, 1699-1701: An ambassador without diplomacy

This article focuses on the letters between the Moroccan ambassador to France, 'Abdallah ibn 'Aisha, and members of the French court, in the last years of the seventeenth century. The letters demonstrate that unlike the case of ambassadors from European countries who went on their diplomatic missions armed with cultural information and linguistic training, the Moroccan went with no knowledge about France or the French language. At the same time, Morocco did not have the naval power to challenge the threatening French fleets. The result was an asymmetry between the Christian and the Muslim negotiators that ended in the failure of Ibn 'Aisha's mission.