Emergence and Decline of the Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire was one of the largest empires in West Africa.
Beginning in what is now Mali, the empire eventually moved east reaching
the Atlantic ocean. The Songhai Empire began in the Mali Empire at it's point of decline. During this decline, many people left for Gao,the Songhai capital.
In 1375, Suleiman-Mar helped the Songhai state gain independence from the Mali Empire. The military leader, Sunni Ali, took the throne in 1464. Sunni Ali used his military power to expand the Empire and establish Timbuktu, which eventually became one of the largest trade route cities. This expansion brought fortune into the Songhai Empire, and eventually became wealthier than Mali. Sunni Ali's son failed at being a great leader, and Muhammad Toure became ruler and enforced Islamic law into the empire. Toure placed learning centers in Timbuktu and allowed educators from Sankore University to come into the empire and educate the people. During this time,
Songhai became the largest empire in Central Sudan. Muhammad Toure eventually became Muhamma Askia, and at an old age, he was dethroned and sent into exile.
During a 21 year period four kings, predominantly decendents of Muhammad Askia's family, ruled and were assassinated or removed from the throne. Askia Daud managed to rule for 35 years during which time the empire began to weaken. Some time after Daud's death in 1582, Morocco, invaded Songhai. The sultan of Morocco at the time was Ahmad al-Mansur, and Songhai fell under his control.
Songhai Politics
Politics within the Songhai Empire evolved very quickly from a
decentralized, loose structure of city states into a very strong centralized empire. The early stages of this centralization effort were accomplished by Sunni Ali. Ali had the image of an Islamic leader, and indeed wanted his country to be an “Islamic State”, but he was more focused on his empire concerning population, both civilian numbers and number of conquered peoples. Ali revolutionized the way he controlled his expanding empire. His expansion, like most aggressive states, was dependent upon military conquest. But after he conquered surrounding states, he would separate them into many provinces, each with its own appointed governor. Along with the new way of governing an expansive empire, Sunni Ali also implemented many new schools, learning centers, and universities. This new reliance upon education, along with new techniques for farming and the construction of an immense navy were the main reasons Ali’s Songhai Empire grew so large and so fast. Sunni Ali drowned in 1492, and because the empire was a monarch, his son, Sunni Baru, inherited the throne. He was nowhere near the politically savvy leader that his father was, and very soon was eliminated from office. Songhai soon fell under the control of Askia Muhammad Toure, who was a general under Sunni Ali. He revamped the empire, mainly with his implementation of Islamic law over any previous standing Songhai law. Askia Muhammad created 180 Koranic schools and eventually required that all high reigning officials be of Islamic faith. Under Askia’s reign,the Songhai built a bureaucracy that lasted some 100 years, no easy feat when there were no simple means of transportation or communication. After Askia’s reign, rivalries arose between different clans and groups, and the Songhai Empire could never fully recuperate.
Religion throughout the Empire
The Songhai Empire was located at a crucial intersection of the Trans-Saharian trade
route, which brought the advantages of cultural and religious differences. The major urban cities of the Songhai empire was perdominatley of Islamic faith. During the 15th century, Sonni Ali, and Islamic monarch, still belived and relied on his ancestors belief in the power of magic. In time of war, Ali believed that he could render his soldiers invisible to their enemies. Even though the Islamic religion was spreading throughout West Africa, there was still a belief of past religious views such as magic. As noted previously, the Songhai Empire was expanding the Islamic world. Sunni Ali brought a strict Islamic state into being which was only strengthened by Mohammed Askia. The conquered areas near the Empire were heavily Islamic and were advanced, culturally, compared Songhai itself. Mohammed Askia allied himself with Muslim clerics and once in office he gave much of his attention, gifts and titles to Muslim nobles, particularly those in the newly conquered western areas. Although Mohammed viewed Islamic religion as the logical counterpoint in Songhai to the power of the traditional priesthood and political leadership, there was no evidence of persecution of unbelievers, especially within Goa which became a haven for Jewish refugees during the 16th Century. The Muslim religion combined governors with Mohammed, but most of these governors were of royal bloodlines. Islam brought new communications with the outside world as well as cultural unity to the region.
Songhai Culture
The Songhai Empire was an African state of west Africa. The Songhai state has be around in one form or another for over a thousand years. Most of the people lived on roughly 10 acres of agricultural land. At its peak, the Songhai city of Timbuktu became a thriving cultural and commercial center. The Arabs, Halian, and the Jewish merchants all gathered for trade. Safe trade existed throughout the Empire due to standing armies stationed in provinces. The Songhai Empire would also trade with near by gold fields; salt was so precious in the region that the people of west Africa would sometimes be prepared to trade gold for salt. Therefore, the Trans-Saharian trade consisted primarily of gold and salt.
Songhai Trade
In the 14th Century the Songhai Empire had trade routes across the Sahara where Niger settlers lived in the mid region of the Niger river. These settlers known as the Sorko (masters of rivers) and the Gabibi (masters of soil) protected the trade routes with war canoes. The river itself provided rich soil for farming and raising cattle. The first of the trading states emerged in the Niger as well along the coast. Ghana traded with the Muslim merchants that brought textiles, horses, metal and salt to trade for gold and iron products; Ghana had exported ivory, ostrich feathers, hides and slaves. Silent trade was also used. This concept was use becaise outsiders were not allowed within the era. Therefore, a boundary line was set where the product would be left and in return Ghana would replace the new goods with their payments of gold. Ghana also traded diamonds and bauxite, then Mali replaced Ghana by the establishment of Sundiato Keita who built power on salt and gold trade. Slaves became the main source of income for the West African kings. The Europeans traded the ivory for the gold of Africa, Senegal traded phosphate and fertilizers and then the Ivory coast traded the tusk of elephants. The trade of Ivory greatly depeleted the population of elephants within the region.
The Fall of the Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire reigned for almost 100 years until being invaded by the Moroccan
army in 1578. The Songhai never introduced a solid structured system of government to bring stability to their region which left them disunited. Tribes such as the Bambara, Fulani and Tuareg fought internally for many years. Several rulers held power but none were able to fully bring the disparate factions within the Empire together.
The first ruler, Muhammed Askia held power for 35 years before being overthrown by his own children. His son, Askia Musa, ruled for just five years before being assassinated. Askia The Great's nephew did not have public support and reigned for only four years before being removed. Askia Ishak I ruled for 10 years, and was perhaps the most successful. He was able to reign in out-of-control states and reclaimed salt mines from Morocco in the north. Askia Daud succeeded Ishak, and made one of the last efforts to restore the Songhai territories. It would prove to be too late, and after his death in 1582 a series of three final kings preceded an invasion by Morocco. Songhai was in disarray, with states unwilling to work together, and with some actually associated themselves with the Moroccans to expedite the fall of the empire.
Askia Tomb
Information contributed by: Rebecca Price, Michelle Dockery, Michelle Ryan, Tramell Bonner, Erin Davis, Katie Ferguson and Jesse Payne
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