Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi

In all but name Morocco has not one but two royal dynasties. Since twenty years past almost all power formally held by the Marinid dynasty has in fact been wielded by their formidable Wattasid vizier Abu Zakariya Yahya.\nInsanely popular after his victory over the Portuguese in 1437 and his patronization of the Idrisid cult in Fez, Abu Zakariya Yahya has ensured that the royal bureaucracy is both well functioning and imbued with Wattasid family members. As the Wattasids are related to the Marinid rulers this is in itself perhaps not a worrying development. Now that Abu Zakariya Yahya lies on his deathbed, however, we cannot but wonder what the future will bring. The great man has seemingly left nothing to chance and has already arranged for his cousin to succeed him as Vizier but what remains unclear is what the Wattasid family will do in the future with the network Yahya has built them.