Rabat – A recently published document from Italian archives provides a glimpse into Italian-Moroccan relations in 1875.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation revealed through its Historical Diplomatic Archives a document containing records of meetings between the Moroccan Sultan and an Emissary from the Kingdom of Italy, dating all the way back to 1875. The documents were written by Edmondo de Amicis, an Italian travel writer in Morocco.
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The Italian kingdom sought recognition in the second half of the 19th century after it had formed in 1861, when the Sardinian King Victor Emmanuel II was crowned king of Italy. The Italian king sent an emissary in 1875 to Morocco’s sultan at the time, Hassan ben Mohammed. This emissary was accompanied by the writer Edmondo De Amicis, who documented the meeting.
The historical documents testify of the political and commercial relations between Morocco and Italy, from the first half of the 1800s, to the beginning of diplomacy with the Kingdom of Italy. The document also notes the rapid recognition of the Italian Kingdom by the Moroccan sultan.
The historical documents will be discussed during an episode of Paolo Mieli’s “Past and Present” show. The episode aired today, 11 Friday at 1:15 pm. It is scheduled to air again on Rai Storia channel at 8:30 pm.
The guests of the episode discussed diplomatic and cultural relations between Italy and Morocco with the host. They focused in particular on the Italian mission to the sultan’s court in 1875. The writer Edmondo De Amicis, accompanying the consul of Italy, drew a journalistic account from his travel experience which later became a book titled “Morocco, its people and places.”
