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This seventeenth century French man was unfortunate enough, when sailing to the French colonies in the Americas, to stumble upon the corsairs of Salé. Germain Mouette, also known as Sieur Mouette, was aboard a warship called La Royale when he was captured by Moroccan pirates in October 1670.
Like other foreign captives, Sieur Mouette was taken to Salé, described as the «‘pirate capital of Morocco’», by Gillian Weiss. In her book «Captives and Corsairs: France and Slavery in the Early Modern Mediterranean», (Stanford University Press, 2011), the historian refers to Mouette as one of the few «chronicler of Moroccan captivity».
Indeed, during the eleven years he spent in Morocco, Mouette made sure to record, write down and memorize everything he witnessed. After he was sold into captivity in Salé, where he labored among slaves that were refurbishing the walls of the city, he was sent to Fes.
Sieur Mouette and the «Doctor of the Alcoran»
The sufferings he endured while in captivity and the travels he made with his masters «enabled [him] to give a good account of the Kingdoms of Fez and Morocco», as he wrote in his own account «The Entertaining travels of the Sieur Mouette in Fez and Morocco, during his Eleven Years of Captivity in these Parts».
«It may nevertheless be objecte, that being a captive or slave, he had not leisure to see and inform himself as travelers do : But a man, that has anything of curiosity, though in the depth of misery, never fails to observe what is remarkable», Mouette wrote.
In most of his other accounts that gave details about the first sultans of the Alaouite dynasty, the political situation of the Kingdom during the seventeenth century and the traditions of Moroccans, Mouette showed great respect and gratefulness for a government official he worked for.
The latter is called Bougiman, a «taleb» or a «Doctor of the Mohomatan law», as Mouette used to call him. To the French captive, Bougiman was the man who «informed [him] of many particulars [he] could not come to the knowledge of [himself]».
He recalls that Bougiman was a secretary of a Caid called Cidan, who was one of Moulay Rachid’s chief favorites. «When Cidan was murdered by the great men of the kingdom, Bougiman’s goods at old Fez were plundered, and he was expelled by the inhabitants, which obliged him to retrieve to new Fez, where he fell for painting, and making fret-work in plaster», wrote Mouette.
It is during this harsh period that Mouette met Bougiman, who became his master. After spending around two years in Fes, the two men left for Meknes, where the Moroccan «Taleb» was hired by the sultan.
A seventeenth century map of Morocco
In Meknes, Bougiman «gained great reputation for his good life, being a fair and sincere man», recalled Mouette. The latter worked for Bougiman, became very close to him and «enquired into many things», he explained in his writings.
«He fully informed me of the manner of government, and politics of the kings of Fez and Morocco», he recalled. But that was not the only thing that interested him as Bougiman had a lot to offer. In fact, Mouette was able to draw a detailed map of Morocco's Northern provinces with the help of Bougiman.
A map of Morocco by Germain Mouette. / DR
The Taleb «also drew [Mouette] a map of all the countries (regions and provinces) he had been in with Muley Rachid, with the description and provinces, towns and rivers, the beasts, product and commodities of every country», wrote Mouette in his account that contained a copy of said map.
Sieur Mouette’s relation with Bougiman, a man that he appreciated and respected, was able to shape his ideas about the country even when his years of captivity were over. According to historians Gerald MacLean and Nabil Matar, in his writings Germain Mouette «called for diplomacy and trade with his former captors».
In their book «Britain and the Islamic World, 1558-1713», (OUP Oxford, 2011), Maclean and Matar recall that «having spent eleven years, with freedom from mistress to roam around, the Frenchman wrote specifically about the conditions and the treatment of captives-and also about the opportunities for commercial treaties».
The two historians further explain that in one of his accounts, titled «Relation de la Captivité du Sr. Mouette dans les Royaumes de Fez et du Maroc (1682)», Mouette «illustrates how captivity and trade could converge», publishing it with the caption : «Avec privilege du Roy».
A map of Morocco by Bougiman. / DR
Maclean and Matar concluded that «just as the English captivity narratives sought to inform, so Mouette included ‘a treaty on commerce and a glossary of Arabic terms and regional geography, which could prove useful to merchants and ambassadors alike».
After his long years of captivity in Morocco, Mouette was finally set free after he was purchased through the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, for the redemption of Christian captives enslaved by Moroccan pirates.
