Hassan II

Hassan II was King of Morocco from 1961 to his death. He was the eldest son of Mohammed V, Sultan, then King of Morocco and his wife Lalla Abla bint Tahar (a.k.a Um Sidi), whom he married in 1926.

He was exiled to Corsica by French authorities on 20 August 1953, along with his father Sultan Mohammed V. They were transferred to Madagascar in January 1954. Prince Moulay Hassan acted as his father's political advisor during the exile. Mohammed V and his family returned from exile on 16 November 1955. Hassan participated with his father in the February 1956 negotiations for Moroccan independence.

Hassan was appointed Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces in April 1956 by his father. In the unrest of 1956, he led army contingents battling Berbers in the mountains of the Rif. Mohammed V changed the title of the Moroccan sovereign from Sultan to King in 1957. Hassan was proclaimed Crown Prince on 19 July 1957, and became King on 3 March 1961, after his father's death.

His conservative rule strengthened the Alaouite Dynasty. During his reign, Morocco recovered Western Sahara from Spain in the "Green March" of 1975. Also, Morocco saw the beginnings of directly-elected parliamentary government in the kingdom.