Speaking of the emperors of ancient China, they all sat in the three palaces and six courtyards, enjoying three thousand beautiful women, but although the emperor had many women, there were not many children. The sons and heirs of ancient emperors were normally a dozen or dozens, a few less, and even a late emperor.
This is really a small witch compared to the person we are going to talk about today, who has a total of 867 children, an average of nearly 20 children per year, more children than many emperors in ancient China in a lifetime, he is the second sultan of the Alawite dynasty in Morocco, Mulay Ismail.
Born in 1647, Moulay Ismail became the second sultan of the Alawite dynasty in Morocco in 1672, during which time Morocco was politically stable and economically prosperous, recovering most of the coastal strongholds occupied by Europeans, and maintaining independence under the attack of European colonists and the Ottoman Empire, laying the foundation for the long-term rule of the Alawite dynasty in Morocco, known as the "King of Warriors" by the people.
Ismail amassed a great deal of gold and silver treasure through his plundering of the South, the taxation of trade, and the looting of the people, and the bolts and kitchen utensils of the gates of his palace were made of pure gold. He lived an indulgent life, raising more than 500 wives and concubines of various colors and origins in the harem, and gave birth to a total of 525 sons and 342 daughters, a record that no one has been able to break. What is the concept of 867 children?
All the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty combined were no more than Ismail alone, and what is even more surprising is that Ismail lived to the age of 80 so indulgently.
Ismail was a knowledge-loving man, often inviting Christian priests into the palace to discuss theological issues, and wrote a book preaching the Islamic faith to King James II of England in an attempt to convert him to Islam. Ismail is good at sports activities, loves to ride horses, and when he is young, he often holds his son in one hand and swings with the other hand, galloping on the battlefield, and he can still jump on the horse when he is nearly a year old.
Ismail raised more than five hundred horses and built luxurious stables, which he visited every day. One of his particularly beloved movements was to perform three movements in one instant: leaping onto his horse, drawing his knife out of its sheath, and cutting off the head of the slave who was supporting him.
After learning that Versailles was famous for its architectural majesty, Ismail began to create the "Versailles of Morocco". He chose Meknes, who towered majestically in the air and lush vegetation of the highlands, and recruited thousands of European prisoners, domestic criminals, and rebels to build for him.
The entire complex of Meknes consists of walls, royal palaces, mosques, gardens, arcades, etc., although not as magnificent as the Palace of Versailles, but also a solemn layout. Today, visitors can still imagine the abundance of the entire building at that time from the ruins of the historic city of Meknes "Agdal Palace". Unfortunately, until Ismail's death, the entire project was not completed.