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Why did Spain establish a protectorate in northern Morocco in 1912?

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Spanish soldiers operate artillery cannons in a desert landscape near Melilla, with smoke billowing as a cannon fires during a 1930s battle. — Rif War Spanish artillery firing outside Melilla during the Rif War.

Spain established a protectorate in northern Morocco in 1912 primarily as the result of long-standing diplomatic agreements between European powers regarding their respective spheres of influence in North Africa.12

Following the 1904 secret treaty between France and Spain, the two nations agreed to partition Morocco into zones of influence. This arrangement was part of a broader series of international negotiations—including the Algeciras Conference of 1906—that sought to resolve colonial rivalries and manage the decline of the Moroccan sultanate.21

When France formally established its protectorate over Morocco via the Treaty of Fez in March 1912, it was obligated to honor its prior commitments to Spain. Consequently, a Franco-Spanish treaty was concluded on November 27, 1912, which officially defined the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. This protectorate allowed Spain to formalize its presence in a region where it had already held long-standing possessions, such as the ports of Ceuta and Melilla.123