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Askia Muhammad Gao
Askia Muhammad Gao was the last ruler of the Songhai Empire. A son of Askia Daoud, he assumed power in the last months of 1591 after the defeat of Askia Ishaq II by Moroccan forces at the Battle of Tondibi and the subsequent Battle of Bamba. About forty days after taking power he was lured into a trap by Moroccans, captured, and later executed. Biography Before assuming power Muhammad Gao was one of the many sons of Askia Daoud, who ruled the Songhai from 1549 to 1582. While during Daoud's life the empire was stable and orderly, after his death, numerous descendants began to vie for power. Muhammad Gao took part in ''Kurmina-fari'' Al-Hadi's conspiracy against Askia Al-Hajj, but he changed sides along with his other brothers and turned against the rebel. During the reign of Askia Ishaq II, Muhammad Gao served as ''Balma’a'', military commander of Kabara near Timbuktu. When the Moroccans invaded Songhai in 1591, Askia Ishaq II lost the first major battle at Tondibi in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its largest ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai people. Sonni Ali established Gao as the empire's capital, although a Songhai state had existed in and around Gao since the 11th century. Other important cities in the kingdom were Timbuktu and Djenné, where urban-centred trade flourished; they were conquered in 1468 and 1475, respectively. Initially, the Songhai Empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty (–1493), but it was later replaced by the Askia dynasty (1493–1591). During the second half of the 13th century, Gao and the surrounding region had grown into an important trading center and attracted the interest of the expanding Mali Empire. Mali conquered Gao near the end of the 13th century. Gao remained under Malian command until the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gurma People
Gurma (also called Gourma or Gourmantché) is an ethnic group living mainly in northeastern Ghana, Burkina Faso, around Fada N'Gourma, and also in northern areas of Togo and Benin, as well as southwestern Niger. They might include the Bassaries who live in northern Togo and the Northern Volta of Kingdom of Dagbon, Ghana. ''Gurma'' is also the name of a language spoken by the Gurma people, which is part of the Gur language family. See Gourmanché and Oti–Volta languages for related languages spoken by the Gurma. Overview In 1985, Dr. Richard Alan Swanson wrote a book about the Gourmantché, ''Gourmantché Ethnoanthropology: A Theory of Human Being''. The book presents Gourmantché perception of 'human being' from the perspective of the people themselves, using their own language texts to illustrate concepts. Concepts of God (''Otienu''), destiny (''licabili''), the body (''gbannandi''), life (''limiali''), death (''mikuuma''), and all known terms for human body parts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ossolineum
Ossoliński National Institute (, ZNiO), or the Ossolineum is a Polish cultural Foundation (non-profit), foundation, publishing house, archival institute and a research centre of national significance founded in 1817 in Lwów (now Lviv). Located in the city of Wrocław since 1947, it is the second largest institution of its kind in Poland after the ancient Jagiellonian Library in Kraków. Its publishing arm is the oldest continuous imprint in Polish since the early 19th century. It bears the name of its founder, Polish Szlachta, nobleman, Count Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński (1748-1826). Although its origin may be traced to the foreign imposed Partitions of Poland, partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century, the institute's actual history dates from 1817 in the former Polish city of Lwów, then known as Lemberg, capital of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia, a province of Austria-Hungary (now ''Lviv'' in western Ukraine). The institute first opened its d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askia Mohammad Bani
Askia Muhammad Bani was the ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1586 to 1588. A son of Askia Daoud, he was elevated by his brothers after they had deposed Askia Al-Hajj, his predecessor. Soon after taking power, he had two of his brothers who had rebelled against Al-Hajj and been imprisoned executed. This prompted alarm among his surviving brothers, who began to plot against him. The spark for the revolt arose due to the depredations of the ''Kabara-farma'' ‘Alū, a royal eunuch slave who managed the administration of Kabara, the port of Timbuktu. He had illegally taxed the merchants and seized property from prominent clerics. When he imprisoned and whipped a slave of the ''Balma’a'' (military commander of Kabara) Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq b. Dāwūd, the prince personally confronted the royal official, stabbed him to death, and tossed his body into the street. ''Balma’a'' Muḥammad, having defied the Askia, launched a rebellion. He was joined by ''Kanfari'' Salih, but they so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askia Mohammad Benkan
Askia Mohammad Benkan, also Askiya Muhammad Bonkana Kirya, was the third ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1531 to 1537. Muhammad Bonkana Kirya was the son of Umar Komajago, the powerful '' Kurmina-fari'' who ruled the western provinces of Songhai from Tindirma under his brother Askia Mohammad I. Later legends claim that he was born by c-section, and that Sunni Ali himself had prophesied that he would be a plague on his uncle's line. He spent much of his youth studying at the Sankore mosque in Timbuktu. Mohammad Benkan took part in his cousin Askia Musa's coup against Askia Mohammed, and was appointed to the prestigious title of '' Kurmina-fari'', which his father had held before him. He later joined some of Askia Musa's brothers in plotting the emperor's assassination in the village of Mansura on Wed 12 April 1531. When the leader of the putsch, ‘Ali Wāy, returned to Gao to claim the throne they found that Mohammad Benkan had proclaimed himself Askia in their absence. Faced w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askia Ishaq I
Askia Ishaq I, also known as Ishaq Ber (Ishaq the Great), was the ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1539 to 1549, elected Askia following the death of Askia Isma'il. He was the fifth ruler of the Askiya dynasty. Rise to Power Ishaq was born the son of Askia Mohammad I and a Tuareg concubine from Dirma Kulthūm Barda. When Askia Isma'il died on campaign, the leading men in the empire peacefully agreed that Ishaq would be the next ruler. Reign Askia Ishaq was a ruthless and paranoid ruler, inspiring fear and anxiety among the Songhai people. Despite being a devout Muslim, he sent agents to Timbuktu on a regular basis to demand enormous sums of money from the merchants, which is against Islamic law. This damaged the economy of the empire and made him unpopular, thus gaining him many enemies. Askiya Ishaq I was completely ruthless as a ruler and executed any official whom he considered as a threat. The '' Tarikh al-Sudan'' gives this description: "If he imagined anyone was maki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askia Musa
Askia Musa or Askiya Musa (ruled 1529–1531) was the second Askia ruler of the Songhai Empire. Early life Musa was the son of Askia Mohammad I and Zāra Kabirun-koi, a princess from Gobir who had been captured in a campaign against Borgu in 1505. Regarded as the firstborn son, Musa was given the prominent post of ''fari-mondio'' (in charge of imperial revenue). Rise to Power Towards the end of his reign, Askia Mohammad had become blind, and thereby increasingly dependent on Ali Fulan, the Hugu-koray-koi (Master of the Palace interior). None of the Askia's sons were aware of this because Ali Fulan stuck so close to his side as aid (at this time blindness would have disqualified a ruler as he would have been expected to lead his army into battle, as well as being a bad omen). On one occasion, Ali advised that Mohammed's younger son Balla be appointed to the vacant position of Benga-farma (governor of Benga). When the older sons heard about this, they were angered at being p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askia Isma'il
Askia Ismail was the sixth ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1537 – 1539, and fourth from the Askia dynasty. He was the son of Askia Mohammad I, the founder of the Askia dynasty, and Maryam Daabu, a member of the Malian royal family captured in 1501. Dynastic Struggles Ismail, a younger son, joined an abortive rebellion against his brother Musa, and was sheltered by the ''Maghsharen-koi'', the leader of the Tuareg community of Timbuktu, in the aftermath. He was recalled to court by Askia Mohammed Benkan, given the king's sister as a wife, and made to swear a public loyalty oath. Despite this, he plotted with his father, imprisoned on an island in the Niger river, to regain power. The conspiracy came to fruition in April 1537 when Benkan was encamped at a village called Mansur, site of the murder of his own predecessor Musa. Benkan’s captains turned against him and he was deposed by the Dendi-fari, who then proclaimed Ismail as Askia. Reign Ismail's reign began inausp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amar Kamdiago
Umar Komajago, also spelled Konjaago, Komadiaga and many other variants, was the Kanfari, or ruler of the western provinces, of the Songhai Empire under his brother Askia Mohammad I from 1494 until his death in 1520. Deputized by his brother to subdue the rebellious city of Dia soon after seizing power, Umar's victory was so complete that he was given the title 'Kumadiagha', meaning 'the conqueror of Diagha ia. Askia Mohammad also created the position of ''Kurmina-fari'' (often shortened to ''Kanfari'') for him. Two years later Umar re-built the town of Tindirma to serve as his capital. During the Askia's pilgrimage to Mecca, Umar ruled the empire loyally and competently in his absence. In 1512 Umar defeated and killed the Fula leader Tenguella after a 2-month march through the desert, bringing the Kingdom of Diarra Diarra, also referred to as Kingui, Diafunu, or Kaniaga, was a Soninke state in what is now northwestern Mali, centered around the town of Diarra. Founded in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askia Muhammad I
Askia Muhammad Ture I (1443–1538), born Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi or Muhammad Ture, was the first ruler of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire, reigning from 1493 to 1528. He is also known as Askia the Great, and his name in modern Songhai is Mamar Kassey. Askia Muhammad strengthened his empire and made it the largest empire in West Africa's history. At its peak under his reign, the Songhai Empire encompassed the Hausa states as far as Kano (in present-day Northern Nigeria) and much of the territory that had belonged to the Songhai empire in the east. His policies resulted in a rapid expansion of trade with Europe and Asia, the creation of many schools, and the establishment of Islam as an integral part of the empire. Muhammad was a prominent general under the Songhai ruler Sunni Ali. When Sunni Ali was succeeded by his son, Sunni Baru, in 1492, Muhammad challenged the succession on the grounds that the new ruler was not a faithful Muslim. He defeated Baru and ascended ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dendi (province)
The Dendi (or Dandi, Dendiganda) was a former province of the Songhai Empire. It survived the fall of the Empire as a kingdom until 1901, when it was conquered by France and incorporated into French West Africa. Its centers today are the cities of Gaya in Niger, Kamba in Nigeria and Malanville in Benin. Dendi Kingdom Under the Songhai empire, Dendi had been the easternmost province, governed by the prestigious ''Dendi-fari'' ("governor of the eastern front"). Some members of the Askia dynasty and their followers fled here after being defeated by the invading Saadi dynasty of Morocco at the Battle of Tondibi and at another battle seven months later. There, they resisted Moroccan Invaders and maintained the tradition of the Songhai with the same Askia rulers and their newly established capital at Lulami. The first ruler, Askia Ishaq II was deposed by his brother Muhammad Gao, who was in turn murdered on the order of the Moroccan pasha. The Moroccans then appointed Sulayman as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songhai People
The Songhai people ( autonym: Ayneha) are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and ''lingua franca'' is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. Predominantly adherents of Islam, the Songhai are primarily located in Niger and Mali. Historically, the term "Songhai" did not denote an ethnic or linguistic identity but referred to the ruling caste of the Songhay Empire known as the Songhaiborai. However, the correct term used to refer to this group of people collectively by the natives is "Ayneha". Although some speakers in Mali have also adopted the name ''Songhay'' as an ethnic designation, other Songhay-speaking groups identify themselves by other ethnic terms such as Zarma (or Djerma, the largest subgroup) or Isawaghen. The dialect of Koyraboro Senni spoken in Gao is unintelligible to speakers of the Zarma dialect of Niger, according to at least one report. The Song ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
