Askia Ishaq I, also known as Ishaq Ber (Ishaq the Great), 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 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
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.
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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 making the least move against the throne, he would, without exception, have him killed or banished. This was his consistent practice."
In the early 1540's, Askia Ishaq invaded Bendougou (modern-day
Segou region), looking to root out
Askia Muhammad Benkan, a predecessor who had taken refuge there. Benkan died during Ishaq's invasion of unknown causes. Soon thereafter he exiled a conspiratorial ''
Kurmina-fari'' and replaced him with his half-brother
Dawud, who later invaded 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 ...
, briefly occupying the capital in 1545 and 1546.
After a request from the
Moroccan sultan
Mohammed al-Shaykh, to cede the
salt mines of
Taghaza, Ishaq I sent a group of 2000 mounted men to raid a market town in the
Dara valley of southern Morocco with instructions to avoid killing anyone. This was intended as a show of strength.
Askiya Ishaq I died in the town of Kukiya
[The town of Kukiya is believed to have been near the modern village of Bentiya on the eastern bank of the Niger, north of the Fafa rapids, 134 km south east of Gao. Bentiya is located at ] and was buried there. He was succeeded by his brother
Askiya Dawud.
Notes
References
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1549 deaths
Songhai emperors
16th-century monarchs in Africa
Year of birth unknown
Zarma-Songhai people
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