Askia Daoud (also Askia Dāwūd, Askiya Dawud) was the ruler of the
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 lar ...
from 1549 to 1582. His rule saw the empire rise to a peak of peace and prosperity following a series of succession disputes and short reigns.
["Songhai empire." ''Britannica Academic'', Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2019. academic-eb-com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu/levels/collegiate/article/Songhai-empire/68696. Accessed 30 Nov. 2019.]
Background and rise to power
Dawud was one of many sons of
Askia Muhammad Ture, the first ruler of the
Askia dynasty. Under his rule, the Songhai economy thrived and developed a profoundly Islamized society, with the government promoting trade, education, and literacy. Dawud and his brothers received a good Islamic education. Beginning with his father's deposition in 1528, the Songhai empire was shaken by a series of succession disputes until his brother
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 ...
was peacefully elected Askia in 1539.
[Root, Mario. "Songhay Empire." ''Encyclopedia of Black Studies'', edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, SAGE Reference, 2005, pp. 435-436. ''Gale eBooks'', Accessed 29 Nov. 2019.] Dawud was appointed ''
Kurmina-fari'', a very powerful position ruling over the western half of the empire. When
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 ...
was on his deathbed in 1549, close allies summoned Dawud from
Tindirma so that he could be in
Gao as the moment of succession. There was only one other claimant, who was supposedly killed by the intercession of a Muslim sorcerer.
Reign
Immediately after taking the throne, Dawud placed his sons in positions of power in the empire, sidelining his half-brothers, sons of Askia Muhammad.
Military campaigns
Daoud continued to expand the empire, but less aggressively than some of his predecessors.
He reorganized the army and led at least 20 military campaigns, most of them successful, projecting Songhai power throughout the region and bringing massive quantities of booty and slaves back to Gao. These included attacks against the
Mossi in 1549 and 1561-2,
Borgu
Borgu is a region and former country split between north-west Nigeria and the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between British Empire, Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as B ...
in 1558-9 and 1563, and the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...
in 1550 and 1558. The 1558 attack on Mali concluded with a marriage between Daoud and the ''
Mansas daughter. He also brought large numbers of caste artisans from Mali to Gao.
Daoud's son Mohammad Bonkana and the ''Huku-kuri-koi'' (palace vizier) Yāsī led a series of campaigns against the
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. They speak the Dogo ...
of the
Bandiagara Escarpment which re-established some limited Songhai authority there that had weakened since Askia Muhammad's time.
The Songhai army under Daoud failed to modernize by adopting firearms, and relied on spears, arrows and guerrilla warfare.
Domestic policy
Stability, security and religion were some of the main focuses for the Askia. Daoud used strategic marriages to promote loyalty and unity, both political and religious, on the part of vassal chiefs, religious leaders, and the merchants.
He established branches of the government treasury in the provinces as well as public libraries to promote literacy and Islamic education. He also refurbished numerous mosques, notably the all three constituent mosques of the
University of Timbuktu
The University of Timbuktu (French language, French: ''Université de Tombouctou'') is a collective term for the teaching associated with three mosques in the city of Timbuktu in what is now Mali: the mosques of Sankoré Madrasah, Sankore, Djingu ...
.
The omnipresence and importance of
slavery
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
in the Songhai empire reached new heights under Askia Daoud. He personally owned dozens of massive plantations throughout the empire, a significant expansion of similar earlier systems. These were worked and managed by slaves. The managers, while still technically property of the Askia, often became massively wealthy and influential themselves. His military reforms increased central control over soldiers as well, turning them into quasi-slaves of the Askia.
Relations with Morocco
In 1556–1557 troops of
Mulay Muhammad al-Shaykh, the sultan of
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...
, captured the extremely lucrative and economically important
salt mines of
Taghaza but then withdrew. Soon after his accession in 1578
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Ahmad I al-Mansur of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
demanded the tax revenues from the salt mines. Askia Daoud responded by sending a large quantity of gold as a gift. The generosity amazed al-Mansur, and relations improved for a time, but the bribe signaled weakness.
Death and succession
Askia Daoud died in Tondibi, on one of his numerous estates, in 1582. His body was brought downriver to
Gao for burial. After his death, succession disputes among his sons would severely weaken the empire. This, along with the disparity in arms, would ultimately prove Songhai's undoing in 1591 when the empire was finally conquered by the Moroccan forces.
["Fabled Land of Ancient Glories." ''allAfrica.com'', 13 Sept. 2010. ''Gale OneFile: Economics and Theory'', https://link-gale-com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A236981894/PPBE?u=cuny_queens&sid=PPBE&xid=d2100c0e. Accessed 30 Nov. 2019.]
Personality
Dawud is described as an eloquent and magnanimous leader who was feared and respected but could also be a practical joker. He was renowned for his devotion to Islam. He was well-versed in
Islamic law
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
and memorized the
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, and he respected and donated generously to Islamic scholars in
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census.
...
. Nevertheless, pre-Islamic beliefs remained influential in Gao and other weakly Islamized parts of the empire.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Daoud, Askia
1582 deaths
Songhai emperors
16th-century monarchs in Africa
Year of birth unknown
Zarma-Songhai people