By 1757, Morocco had experienced thirty years of fitna, a period of unrest that had been created by divisions within the country’s military (most notably among the slave soldiers known as Abid) as well as conflicts between the Abid and other people of influence. As different factions within the Abid grasped for power, they backed one or another of the many sons of the former sultan, Mulay Ismail, with each faction seeking to establish a government that would bend to their own wishes. Thus, the country must have breathed a collective sigh of relief when Mulay Ismail’s grandson, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (Muhammad III, r. 1757-1790), was able to create a functional administration that was not beholden to the Abid and could finally bring peace to Morocco. Muhammad III is noteworthy in Moroccan history not only for establishing a stable government after years of violent and devastating unrest, but also because the reforms he instituted laid the groundwork for another 230 years in power for the `Alawi dynasty, which is currently the oldest extant dynasty in the MENA region. The renowned Moroccan historian Abdallah Laroui goes so far as to call Muhammad III “the veritable architect of modern Morocco.” Contemporary historical sources and modern scholars present a consistent picture of Muhammad III as a pious and dedicated reformer whose policies included tax reductions, streamlining the Moroccan administration, reducing the size of the military, and improving trade relations with Western powers. It is also argued that the changes he implemented unwittingly facilitated European encroachment into Morocco during the nineteenth century. However, as Daniel Schroeter has pointed out, significant aspects of Moroccan history during the reign of Muhammad III remain understudied. Since Schroeter wrote these words in 1979, no major studies of Muhammd III’s reign have been published. My research seeks to address this gap. This paper reconsiders the reforms of Muhammad III and his influence upon modern Morocco in light of recent publications as well as a careful analysis of a variety of primary and secondary sources. It represents the initial phase of a larger research project which considers the impact of his reforms on the broader Moroccan society, religion and economy, as well as on subsequent developments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.