HIS
Mali, 1230+
Introduction: origins, Soninke, Sosso, Malinke
Origins: new source of gold at Bure in the Upper River Niger. Brought in Soninke and Malinke people to the Savannah region
Sosso, a branch of the southern Soninke people took advantage of the weakness of Ghana and the gold trade network
Sumanguru of the Kante clan led the Sosso and they established a new and separate state independent of Ghana.
Sosso state raided and conquered other territories
Sundiata a Malinke survivor of the Sosso raids, set out to organize the Malinke resistance.
1235, Sundiata led Malinke resistance against the Sosso, and defeated Sumanguru.
He took over all Soninke peoples conquered by the Sossi including much of former Ghana
Sundiata built the Mali empire, put the capital at Niani. Empire expanded significantly to include the Sahel of former Ghana
Boundaries included Timbuktu. At the height of the 14th century, empire of Mali stretched from the Atlantic south of the Senegal to the Songhay capital of Gao on the east of the middle Niger bend. To the south it reached the forest, and included gold fields of Bure and Bambuk
Religion and kingship: traditional religion of Malinke people was similar to that of other West African groups– “spirits of the land,’ determined and guaranteed the successful production of their crops.
There was ancestral worship
Malinke head was referred to as Mansa
Sundiata conquered neighboring groups and became the Mansa and eventually of the whole empire. He was an important leader, wealthy, power but not divine. Empire was prosperous
Many of the leaders after Sundiata were Muslims, some made the pilgrimage to Mecca. The most famous was Mansa Musa in 1314-37
Urban dwellers accepted Islam faster than rural areas.
Leaders never completely replaced their religion with Islam
Mansa Musa expanded empire through conquests. Niani, Gao, and Timbuktu were major commercial centers
King put together a uniform legal system, built a large army, and a more effective way to collect revenue
Mansa Musa converted to Islam
1324– Mansa Musa pilgrimage to Mecca. Was able to show wealth of his empire to others. Arrived in Cairo with an estimated 80,000 attendants carrying sacks of gold dust and gold bars. The impact of this was that the value of gold fell after his departure
1339, Mali appeared in European maps, an indication of the interest and knowledge about the place.
On his return from pilgrimage Mansa Musa brought back teachers, architects, scholars, and legal experts who assisted to develop and create educational centers in Mali
Many people in Mali converted to Islam.
Empire established diplomatic relations with countries such as Egypt, Mororcco and others.
Administration was similar to Ghana. A number of Muslims were employed at the court as scribes to carry out administrative work. In neighboring areas, things were basically left in the hands of traditional who collected tributes and sent to capital.
Army protected empire.
Main source of revenue was tax on trade
Economy was based on agriculture, both arable and pastoral agriculture
Main economic activity observed by outsiders was gold. Gold producers paid taxes.
There developed a professional class of traders known as Wangara in the west and Dyula in the east. They were Malinke, Bambara, or Soninke in origin and were practicing Muslims.
Empire began to decline because of succession problems. Inability to work it within royal family. Provinces began to separate. Finances declined. Tuaregs took over cities of Timbuktu and Walata.
Mossi, another group rebelled and created their own empire.
The empire fell by the late 1400s