King Hassan II: July 9, 1929 - July 23, 1999
Morocco, People, 7/24/1999

The Late King Hassan II, who passed away on Friday at 4.30 p.m. at the age of 70, was born on July 9, 1929.

His Late father King Mohammed V was on an official visit to France, when the prince was born. He decided to name his son Moulay Hassan after his forefather King Hassan Ist, who ruled Morocco between 1873 and 1894.

The young Prince was groomed and educated by the Late King Mohammed V. In 1934, Moulay Hassan enrolled at the Quranic school of the Royal Palace, where he learned the Holy Quran and religious education. Two years later, he started modern education. After obtaining the certificate of primary education in 1941, he started secondary education at the Imperial College that the Late King Mohammed V set up near the Royal Palace.

An elite of prominent Moroccan and foreign teachers were selected to ensure a sound education to the young Prince, who obtained his Baccalaureate degree in 1948.

Besides institutional education, the Late king Mohammed V initiated his young son to the political life, the traditions of the kingy and the rules of power. The Prince soon found himself associated to national affairs.

Various outstanding events marked the life of the young Prince. On January 22, 1943, he attended the Anfa Conference besides his father and US President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, French President Charles De Gaulle and USSR President Josef Stalin.

Prince Moulay Hassan was 15 year old, when he participated in January 1944 in the Moroccan people's demonstrations against the French occupiers on the morrow of the presentation of the Independence manifesto.

In April 1947, the Prince accompanied his father on his historic trip to Tangiers (northern Morocco), where he made a speech, marked by courage and frankness, expressing the aspirations of the Moroccan people to freedom and independence.

In the fall of 1948, Prince Moulay Hassan joined the Institute of Higher Juridical Studies in Rabat to pursue his higher education. The Institute was then part of the College of Law of Bordeaux, France.

The young Prince obtained his B.A in law in 1951 and got a Ph.D in law later on.

At that time political tension escalated between his father, the late King Mohammed V, and the French colonial authorities.

Intensive training made of Prince Moulay Hassan an ardent patriot endeavoring for Morocco's liberation from the yoke of colonialism.

The colonial authorities, having grown convinced that the young Prince would not give up his patriotic struggle, had even planned to assassinate him.

On August 20, 1953, the colonial authorities exiled the Late King Mohammed V, Prince Moulay Hassan and the entire Royal family to the Island of Corsica, wherefrom the Royal Family was taken to Madagascar in January 1954.

In exile, Prince Moulay Hassan was his father's faithful companion and political advisor and he took part in the negotiations between the Late King Mohammed V and the colonial authorities to find a solution to the problem.

In November 1955, the French occupiers were compelled by the Moroccan armed resistance to organize the return of the Late King Mohammed V and recognize the Independence of Morocco.

In May 1956, the Late King Mohammed V appointed Moulay Hassan Head of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces. On July 9, 1957, His Royal Highness Moulay Hassan was officially made Crown Prince of Morocco.

In 1958, he managed to retrieve the southern province of Tarfaya. In 1960, his father appointed him Vice-President of the Government Council. He led the Moroccan delegation to negotiations with France, Spain and the United States on the withdrawal of their troops based in Morocco.

When King Mohammed V died on February 26, 1961, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan was proclaimed King of Morocco. His enthronement was celebrated on March 3, 1961.

The new king made of Morocco's development and of the Moroccan citizen's well being his major concerns.

He organized the Kingdom in accordance with a social-democrat Constitution and saw to endowing the country with representative institutions at local, regional and national scales.

The perfection of the Kingdom's territorial integrity was also on top of King Hassan II's priorities. He retrieved Sidi Ifni in 1969 and the Western Sahara in 1975 due to the historic Green March.

Under the reign of the Late King Hassan II and due to his sustained and ceaseless action, Morocco played a dynamic role at the diplomatic level within the international organizations.

The king established close political and economic ties with all the countries of the world, while defending the just causes and peoples' freedom.

The late king stood against apartheid and Zionism. The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces fought in Sinai, the Golan Heights in 1973, in Zaire in 1960 and 1978 to safeguard the independence and territorial integrity of these regions.

Starting from the legacy of his father, the Late King Hassan II endeavored to build a new Morocco. He is the reunificator and builder of the country. Under his reign, Morocco flourished in economic, cultural, social, administrative, religious, political, architectural...fields.

King Hassan II's latest innovation was the institution of a bicameral parliament system, comprising a House of Representatives and a Chamber of Advisors. He also warded the country into 16 regions, endowed with large economic, social and cultural prerogatives.

The Late king Hassan II gave to the nation the proof of his eminently modern and democratic spirit.

Previous Stories:
  Oath of allegiance to King Mohammed Ibn Al-Hassan   (7/24/1999)
  King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan announces demise of King Hassan II   (7/24/1999)
  France hosts exhibition on Moroccan army   (4/13/1999)
  Mohammed V square to be dedicated in Paris in few coming months   (2/8/1999)
  King Hassan holds second meeting with UN secretary general   (11/11/1998)

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