Back and Next - Back and NextThe Empire of Songhai
Monday, April 28, 2008
Much of what we know about the Empire of Songhai comes from the writings of Islamic scholars both natives of the Empire and others from outside the Empire. Chief among these writers were Ibn Batuta, AlYacoubi, Leo Africanus, and the celebrated scholar Mahmud Kati.
A Sarahuke born in Timbuktu in 1968 Mahmud Kati is said to have died at the ripe old age of 125 years, in 1593, few years after the invasion of Songhai by Morocco. Thus unlike many other writers on Songhai, Mahmud Kati lived through the great days of songhai and was himself a witness of the most important events of the Empire. Serving at the Imperial court of Soghai, Mahmud Kati accompanied Askia the great on the Emperors piligrimage to Mecca. Mahmud Kati wrote about his experiences and produced a famous book, the Tarik al Fatash meaning the "Chronicle of the Seeker of Knowledge ". It is to scholars like Kati that we owe much of our knowledge of the Empire.
Early History
The Empire of Songhai probably started life in the ninth century as a small principality situated on both banks of the river Niger referred toas Al-Kaw kaw by the Islamic scholars.
Like Manding before her, this kingdom arose in a fertile area suitable for agriculture and cattle rearing. The river niger also provided opportunities for fishing. Indeed the indigenous people of the area, the Songhai, made full use of the natural resources of their region and by the time they entered on the stage of history, they were already divided into two specialised professional groups. The Sorko who were the fishermen and the Gabibi who concentrated on agriculture, cattle rearing and hunting.
Beside these two occupations, the people of Songhai soon became great traders. The area’s rich and fertile land and other resources attracted traders to the kingdom. To benefit from an expanding trade. The leaders of AL-Kaw kaw moved their capitl from Kukia to Gao. The region of Gao had became as early as the beginning of the tenth century, the terminus of three important trade routes:
The western route from Morocco and Algeria, the central route from Tunis and Tripoli via Ghat, and the very important transcontinental route from Egypt through Fezzan, Ghat, and Agadez. Some of the indigenous people of Gao, therefore, took to trading and their capital attracted merchants from many North African states.
As happened in other Sudanese Kingdos, the trans-Saharan trade brought into the expanding kingdom Islamic influences which helped in the development of the kingdom. These influences became more pronounced in Songhai from the beginning of the eleventh century, following the conversion of the king, Za Kossoi, to Islam. Furthermore, as happened in other Sudanic kingdoms, the Muslims became advisers in the royal court and influenced not only the administration, but also the social, economic, and political life of the kingdom.
While these developments were taking place in Gao, Manding was expanding its sphere of influence in the western Sudan. Indeed, in the thirteenth century, Gao was a tributary state of Manding. In 1275, however, Gao threw off Manding’s domination in a rebellion initiated by two Gaoan princes, Alikolon and Sulayman Narr.
These Princes who were employed in the services of Mansa Musa as chiefs of military expeditions, escaped and drove out the Manding army stationed at Gao was a tributary state of Manding. In 1275, however, Gao threw off Manding’s domination in a rebllion initiated by two Gaoan princes Alikolon and Sulayman Narr.
These Princes who were employed in the services of Mansa Musa as Chiefs of military expeditions, escaped and drove out the Manding army stationed at Gao and founded the Za dynasty. It took sometime, however, before Gao was able to gain its independence of Manding completely. That was to be the work of Sunni Ali, who in a region of twenty eight years starting in 1464 transformed the small kingdom of Gao into the might Empire of Songhai.
Songhai under Sunni Ali
Sunni Ali came to power at a time when the political conditions were favourable for a career of corquest. The Manding Empire was disintegrating into tiny principalities and its northern areas like Timbuctu and Walata had been captured by the Tuareg. As the Tuareg became tyrannical rulers, the people of the these regions became anxious for a saviour. Indeed the people of Timbuctu who felt Tuareg rule particularly unbearable, area said to have extended an invitation of Sunni Ali to come to their rescue soon after he became king.
Sunni Ali, like Sunjatta Keita before him, had the ambition, courage and political shrewdness to turn the situation to his advantage and also to that of Gao. Having consolidated himself on the throne of Gao and built up a strong army consisting of cavalry and infantry wings as well as a powerful fleet of ships for use on the Niger, he started on a career of conquest from the third year of his region.
Using the invitation of the people of Timbuctu as an excuse, Sunni Ali marched on that city and captured it without any difficulty. He then turned westwards and attacked the prosperous commercial town of Jenne which proved difficult to capture because of the network of water ways which acted as a natural defence.
However, after a siege said by tradition to have lasted seven years, seven months and seven days, Jenne was caputred in 1473. In 1483 Sunni Ali decisively defeated the mossi of Yatenga who had been raiding his territory. However, though he managed to keep them out of Songhai he was never able to make them tributary to him.
Having failed to reduce the mossi to subjection, he pushed on across the Niger and conquerred the Hausa state of Kebbi. Sunni Ali also went on to attack the Fulani of Massina whom, we are told he hated more than any of his other enemies because of their obstinate opposition to his rule. The wealth derived from these newly annexed vassal states contributed greatly to the prosperity of the Songhai Empire.
Besides extending the frontiers of his kingdom Sunni Ali also realised the need for an effective system of government and went on to provide one. He divided his conquerred territories into provinces. He made able war leaders governors of strategic regions. For example in the region of Hombori in the south, a mountainous territory which gave him much trouble, he created a special governor called the Tondifari.
In the relatively peaceful regions Sunni Ali allowed the native rulers a good deal of autonomy provided they showed their loyalty to the imperial through the regular payments of tributes.
A Sarahuke born in Timbuktu in 1968 Mahmud Kati is said to have died at the ripe old age of 125 years, in 1593, few years after the invasion of Songhai by Morocco. Thus unlike many other writers on Songhai, Mahmud Kati lived through the great days of songhai and was himself a witness of the most important events of the Empire. Serving at the Imperial court of Soghai, Mahmud Kati accompanied Askia the great on the Emperors piligrimage to Mecca. Mahmud Kati wrote about his experiences and produced a famous book, the Tarik al Fatash meaning the "Chronicle of the Seeker of Knowledge ". It is to scholars like Kati that we owe much of our knowledge of the Empire.
Early History
The Empire of Songhai probably started life in the ninth century as a small principality situated on both banks of the river Niger referred toas Al-Kaw kaw by the Islamic scholars.
Like Manding before her, this kingdom arose in a fertile area suitable for agriculture and cattle rearing. The river niger also provided opportunities for fishing. Indeed the indigenous people of the area, the Songhai, made full use of the natural resources of their region and by the time they entered on the stage of history, they were already divided into two specialised professional groups. The Sorko who were the fishermen and the Gabibi who concentrated on agriculture, cattle rearing and hunting.
Beside these two occupations, the people of Songhai soon became great traders. The area’s rich and fertile land and other resources attracted traders to the kingdom. To benefit from an expanding trade. The leaders of AL-Kaw kaw moved their capitl from Kukia to Gao. The region of Gao had became as early as the beginning of the tenth century, the terminus of three important trade routes:
The western route from Morocco and Algeria, the central route from Tunis and Tripoli via Ghat, and the very important transcontinental route from Egypt through Fezzan, Ghat, and Agadez. Some of the indigenous people of Gao, therefore, took to trading and their capital attracted merchants from many North African states.
As happened in other Sudanese Kingdos, the trans-Saharan trade brought into the expanding kingdom Islamic influences which helped in the development of the kingdom. These influences became more pronounced in Songhai from the beginning of the eleventh century, following the conversion of the king, Za Kossoi, to Islam. Furthermore, as happened in other Sudanic kingdoms, the Muslims became advisers in the royal court and influenced not only the administration, but also the social, economic, and political life of the kingdom.
While these developments were taking place in Gao, Manding was expanding its sphere of influence in the western Sudan. Indeed, in the thirteenth century, Gao was a tributary state of Manding. In 1275, however, Gao threw off Manding’s domination in a rebellion initiated by two Gaoan princes, Alikolon and Sulayman Narr.
These Princes who were employed in the services of Mansa Musa as chiefs of military expeditions, escaped and drove out the Manding army stationed at Gao was a tributary state of Manding. In 1275, however, Gao threw off Manding’s domination in a rebllion initiated by two Gaoan princes Alikolon and Sulayman Narr.
These Princes who were employed in the services of Mansa Musa as Chiefs of military expeditions, escaped and drove out the Manding army stationed at Gao and founded the Za dynasty. It took sometime, however, before Gao was able to gain its independence of Manding completely. That was to be the work of Sunni Ali, who in a region of twenty eight years starting in 1464 transformed the small kingdom of Gao into the might Empire of Songhai.
Songhai under Sunni Ali
Sunni Ali came to power at a time when the political conditions were favourable for a career of corquest. The Manding Empire was disintegrating into tiny principalities and its northern areas like Timbuctu and Walata had been captured by the Tuareg. As the Tuareg became tyrannical rulers, the people of the these regions became anxious for a saviour. Indeed the people of Timbuctu who felt Tuareg rule particularly unbearable, area said to have extended an invitation of Sunni Ali to come to their rescue soon after he became king.
Sunni Ali, like Sunjatta Keita before him, had the ambition, courage and political shrewdness to turn the situation to his advantage and also to that of Gao. Having consolidated himself on the throne of Gao and built up a strong army consisting of cavalry and infantry wings as well as a powerful fleet of ships for use on the Niger, he started on a career of conquest from the third year of his region.
Using the invitation of the people of Timbuctu as an excuse, Sunni Ali marched on that city and captured it without any difficulty. He then turned westwards and attacked the prosperous commercial town of Jenne which proved difficult to capture because of the network of water ways which acted as a natural defence.
However, after a siege said by tradition to have lasted seven years, seven months and seven days, Jenne was caputred in 1473. In 1483 Sunni Ali decisively defeated the mossi of Yatenga who had been raiding his territory. However, though he managed to keep them out of Songhai he was never able to make them tributary to him.
Having failed to reduce the mossi to subjection, he pushed on across the Niger and conquerred the Hausa state of Kebbi. Sunni Ali also went on to attack the Fulani of Massina whom, we are told he hated more than any of his other enemies because of their obstinate opposition to his rule. The wealth derived from these newly annexed vassal states contributed greatly to the prosperity of the Songhai Empire.
Besides extending the frontiers of his kingdom Sunni Ali also realised the need for an effective system of government and went on to provide one. He divided his conquerred territories into provinces. He made able war leaders governors of strategic regions. For example in the region of Hombori in the south, a mountainous territory which gave him much trouble, he created a special governor called the Tondifari.
In the relatively peaceful regions Sunni Ali allowed the native rulers a good deal of autonomy provided they showed their loyalty to the imperial through the regular payments of tributes.
Author: DO
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