His original name was Mawlay Hassan Muhammad ibn Yusuf. He was born on 09 July 1929 and died on 23 July 1999 in Rabat. He was the king of Morocco between 1961 and 1999.

Hassan completed a Law degree and earned a diploma in Advanced Civil Law Studies from the Centre of Legal Studies at the University of Bordeaux, where he absorbed western ways of life.

In 1956, Hassan presided, along with his father, Morocco´s independence proclamation events, and in May, at the age of 26, he was named Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces with the insignia of general and the order of organising a national army. On 23 May 1960, he became the vice president of the Government and the Minister of Defence.

Hassan took possession of the leadership of the Government and the State after his father passed away unexpectedly and prematurely at the age of 52 in Rabat on 26 February 1961 from a heart attack.

His first years as the nation´s leader were especially difficult due to the strong opposition of popular forces, which he faced on numerous occasions. To resolve any type of rebellion, in 1965 he decreed the state of exception, allowing him to rule without any opposition.

As of 1970, which is when the situation stabilised, he introduced slightly democratic reforms. He enacted a new constitution (1970) and established a new parliament, although equipped with few attributions. After several assassination attempts, which he survived without injuries, he personally took control of the armed forces.

In 1975, he organised what is known as the Green March through Western Sahara, forcing the Saharawi people to find refuge in Algeria and the Spanish government to withdraw from the region. This territory, located between Mauritania and Morocco, subsequently requested for a self-determination referendum supervised by the UN to be held, which Hassan II opposed from the beginning.

In terms of foreign policy, his line of action was characterised by approaching western powers, especially the United States. It´s worth mentioning that OAU abandoned Morocco in 1984 because of the agreements related to the Sahara, the monarch´s resignation as the president of the Arab League in 1986, the subsequent reconciliation with Algeria, and Morocco joining the Arab Maghreb Union in 1989.

In 1992, he called a referendum that approved a new constitution containing a slight democratisation of the political spectrum, although it marginalised (upon the request of western nations) radical Islamic groups.

Hassan II died at the age of 70 on 23 July 1999. That night, his son Sidi Mohamed was crowned as the new king of Morocco, although the festivities for his proclamation took place on July 30th, when Mohamed VI himself decreed his Throne Holiday.

Sources:

The CIDOB Foundation website

Wikipedia