Moroccan diplomat negotiates treaty with Louis XIV

In 1682, Mohammed Temim, an envoy from the Moroccan Sultan Moulay Ismail, traveled to France to negotiate ratification of a treaty signed the previous year between Morocco and France.

Moulay Ismail had recently become Sultan, consolidating power after campaigns by his brothers to unify Morocco. He launched an effort to liberate Moroccan port cities, successfully retaking Al Maamoura from Spanish control in 1681 and then signing a treaty with France against Spain and Great Britain.

Temim, the governor of Tétouan and Salé, sailed with a delegation to France to also address the issue of Moroccan citizens captured by French ships, 228 had been taken the year before. After a three-month journey, the delegation met with King Louis XIV at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and attended cultural events like operas and concerts. Artist Antoine Coypel memorialized Temim’s visit in a painting showing the ambassador and his entourage reacting to a performance.

Despite the initial agreement, Morocco did not recover any prisoners following the visit. Sources differ on the success of the diplomatic mission, with some claiming Louis XIV concealed Moroccan prisoners to falsely claim none were held in French jails. Relations between the two countries eventually deteriorated, leading to a formal break in 1708, and Louis XIV even refused to exchange Moroccan captives for French ones.

Despite this, Moulay Ismail reportedly requested the hand of Louis XIV’s daughter in marriage, a request that was denied.