Hassan I of Morocco be an important figure in the 20th century colonial war against France. In 1887 he appointed sheikh Ma al-'Aynayn as his caid in Western Sahara. Ma al-'Aynayn too played an important role in the struggle for independence of Morocco. Moulay Hassan I died 9 June 1894 in Tadla, and is buried in Rabat. Hassan I of Morocco Hassan I of Morocco (; 1836 - 7 June 1894) was the sultan of Morocco from 1873 to 1894. He was the son of prince Abbas and succeeded to his uncle Mohammed IV. He was a member of the Alaouite dynasty. Moulay Hassan
Military history of Morocco Legion, made up Spain's elite Spanish Army of Africa. A para-military gendarmerie, known as the "Mehal-la Jalifianas" and modelled on the French goumieres, was employed within the Spanish Zone. Before the French colonization in the 19th century, parts of southern and western Algeria belonged to Morocco. In the 1930s and later in the 1950s, France had integrated into what was known as the Overseas Département of French Algeria, the areas of Tindouf and Bechar. When Morocco gained independence in 1956, it wanted to reassert sovereignty over these areas. In an effort to cut the support that the Front de Libération