Baol or Bawol was a kingdom in what is now central

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. Founded in the 11th century, it was a vassal of the

Jolof Empire The Jolof Empire (), also known as Great Jolof or the Wolof Empire, was a Wolof state in modern-day Senegal, that ruled portions of Mauritania and Gambia from the mid-14th centuryFage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland; "The Cambridge History of Africa." Vo ...

before becoming independent in the mid-16th century. The ruler bore the title of Teigne (or Teeň) and reigned from the capital in Lambaye. The kingdom encompassed a strip of land extending east from the ocean and included the towns of

Touba Touba (Hassaniya Arabic: , 'Felicity'; Wolof: Tuubaa) is a city in central Senegal, part of Diourbel Region and Mbacké district. With a population of 1,120,824 in 2023, it is the second most populated Senegalese city after Dakar. It is the h ...

Diourbel Diourbel (; Serer language, Serer: ''Jurbel'', Wolof language, Wolof: ''Njaaréem'') is a town and urban commune in Senegal lying east of Thiès. It is known for its mosque and local peanut, groundnut industry and is the capital of the Diourbe ...

, and Mbacke. It was directly south of the Kingdom of

Cayor The Cayor Kingdom (; ) was from 1549 to 1876 the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. The Cayor Kingdom was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom ...

and north of the

Kingdom of Sine The Kingdom of Sine (or Siin in Serer, variations: ''Sin'' or ''Siine'') was a post-classical Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. Toponymy and Demonym During the Guelowar Era the region was named a ...

History

There are no written sources for the early history of Baol, and even oral traditions are sparse. The earliest recorded

Teigne Teigne (Serer language, Serer:Teeñ, alternate spellings include Teñ, Teen, Teign, Tègne, Tin, or Tinou) was the title of the monarchs of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Baol, now part of present-day Senegal. Etymology and Origin The title "Teigne ...

of Baol was named Kayamangha Diatta and was a member of the Soninke Wagadu matrilineage, reflecting influence emanating from the

Ghana Empire The Ghana Empire (), also known as simply Ghana, Ghanata, or Wagadu, was an ancient western-Sahelian empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali. It is uncertain among historians when Ghana's ruling dynasty began. T ...

.Institut Fondamental de l'Afrique Noire. Musée Historique de Gorée Exhibit (August 2024).

Serer people The Serer people (''Serer language, Serer proper'': Seereer or Sereer) are a West African ethnoreligious groupGastellu, Jean-Marc, ''Petit traité de matrilinarité. L'accumulation dans deux sociétés rurales d'Afrique de l'Ouest'', Cahiers ORST ...

moved into the region in the 11th or 12th century, fleeing Islamization in the

Senegal river The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

valley. Wolof groups gradually arrived later. The Wagadu dynasty integrated them into the Baol government. Some early Serer kings included: Kolki Faye; Mbissine Ndoumbé Ngom; Massamba Fambi Ngom; Fambi Langar Ngom; Patar Xole Joof (great-grandson of

Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof ( Serer : Maad Ndaah Njeeme Juuf or ''Mad Ndaah Njeeme Juuf'') is one of the patriarchs of the Joof family, himself the medieval King of Laah (or ''Lâ'') in Baol now part of independent Senegal. ''La famille Juuf'' n« ...

). At some point early in its history, Baol was integrated into the

. The legend of Ndiadiane Ndiaye, the first ''Buurba Jolof'', claims that the ruler of Baol voluntarily submitted to him, but this is likely a later invention to celebrate the unity of the empire. Many of the earliest ''buurba''s came from maternal lineages native to Baol, perhaps benefiting from the prestigious historical memory of Ghana. Some even used Lambaye as an imperial residence. The Portuguese began trading on the coast of Baol in the 15th century, bringing primarily horses and iron.

Amary Ngoné Sobel Fall Amary Ngoné Sobel Fall – (or Amari Ngoneh Sobel Faal, or ''Amari Ngóone Sobel'' in Wolof) was the second Damel of the independent Kingdom of Cayor in modern-day Senegal. He was responsible for breaking Cayor's vassalage under the Jolof Empire ...

, Damel of

, and his cousin Maguinak Joof of Baol fought together at the

Battle of Danki The Battle of Danki was a conflict fought in 1549 between the Jolof Empire and Cayor, a rebellious vassal. The decisive Aajor victory and the death of the reigning ''Buurba'' of the empire signaled the end of Jolof hegemony over Cayor, Baol, Sa ...

(1549), where they defeated the Emperor of Jolof and won independence.Fall, Tanor Latsoukabé, ''Recueil sur la Vie des Damel.'' Introduit et commenté par Charles. Becker et Victor. Martin, BIFAN, Tome 36, Série B, n° 1, janvier 1974 Fall became the first ''Damel-Teign'', reigning over both kingdoms in a personal union and founding the Fall dynasty. This arrangement resurfaced periodically throughout the history of the two states, with frequent wars between them. Fall was son of

Lingeer Lingeer (also: ''Linger'' or Linguère) was the title given to the mother or sister of a king in the Serer kingdoms of Sine, Saloum, and previously the Kingdom of Baol; and the Wolof kingdoms of Cayor, Jolof, Baol and Waalo in pre-colonial S ...

Ngoneh Sobel Njie and the maternal grandson of

Sobel Joof, making him a descendant of the ancient Baol royal house of

. Around the turn of the 16th century, Baol, still largely Serer and animist and under the reign of

Mafane Thiaw, was invaded by the nominally Islamic

. Defeated in battle, some of the priests of Baol took refuge with the Maad Saloum, founding the city of Kaolack. ArrestationBrue

In 1697 Teigne Lat Sukaabe Fall conquered Cayor and built a powerful, centralized state backed by a military armed with firearms. Upon his death, however, he deeded each kingdom to a separate son, and the rivalry between them continued. During the 18th century, Damel Maïsa Teindde Ouédji of Cayor annexed Baol, but the kingdom was embroiled in a succession dispute after his death. Baol regained its independence in 1756. The French conquest of Baol began in 1859 under Governor Louis Faidherbe. Most of Baol was conquered by 1874, but complete control of the former kingdom was only established in 1895 when it was divided into two provinces. Under colonialism,

Mouridism The Mouride brotherhood (, ''aṭ-Ṭarīqat al-Murīdiyyah'' or simply , ''al-Murīdiyyah'') is a large ''tariqa'' (Sufi order) most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia with headquarters in the city of Touba, which is a holy city for the order ...

, whose founder

Amadou Bamba Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1853–1927), also known to followers as the Servant of Muhammad, the Messenger () and Serigne Touba or "Sheikh of Touba", was a wali, Sufi saint and religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the Mouride Brotherh ...

was a Baol-Baol, spread widely in the region.

Government

The social and political systems were basically the same as those of its larger neighbor,

. The government was composed of the great electors who selected the Teigne, a crown-slave bureaucracy directly under the king, and representatives of each of the dependent communities (pastoralists, fishermen, clergy, castes and women). Baol was ruled by a mixed dynasty: the Wagadu maternal lineage (from the

) along with the Serer paternal dynasties of N'Gom (or Ngum), Thiaw, Joof or Diouf, and Faye. Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire, ''Bulletin: Sciences humaines, Volume 38'' (1976), pp. 452-458 The heir to the throne was given the title of ''Thialao'', and ruled over the province of Salao.

Economy and Society

Baol was famous for its horses. It had unique breeds, which were faster and more robust than most of the horses on the plain. The kingdom's primary seaports were at Saly Portudal and Mbour, giving the nobles access to imported luxuries and firearms that they purchased with slaves raided from outlying villages or in war. Baol was a Wolof kingdom, but included large communities of Serer-Safen and other Serer groups. Natives of Baol are known as 'Baol-Baol', a common formulation in Senegal (e.g.

Saloum The Kingdom of Saloum ( Serer: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer kingdom in present-day Senegal and parts of Gambia. The precolonial capital was the city of Kahone. Re-established in 2017, Saloum is now a non-sovereign traditional monarch ...

-Saloum,

Waalo Waalo () was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what is now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirates; to the ...

-Waalo, etc.)

List of kings

Rulers marked (DT) reigned as Damel-

over both Baol and

.Names and dates taken from: and the Goree Historical Museum. * Niokhor (c. 1550–c. 1560) * Amary Ngone Sobel Fall (c. 1560–1593) (DT) * Mamalik Thioro (1593–c. 1605) (DT?) * Lat Ndella Parar (c. 1605–c. 1620) * Tié N'Della (c. 1620–c. 1665) * Tié Kura (short reign) * M'Bissan Kura (short reign) * Tiande (short reign) * M'Bar (c. 1669–c. 1690) * Tié Yaasin Demba (c. 1690–c. 1693) * Tié Tieumbeul (c. 1693–1697) * Lat Sukaabe (1697–1719) (DT) * Mali Kumba Dyaring (1719) * Ma-Kodu Kumba (1719–1749) (DT) * Mawa (1749–c. 1752) (DT) * M'Bissan N'Della (c. 1752–c. 1758) * Ma-Kodu Kumba (c. 1758–1777) * Amari Ngone Ndela Diaring (1778-87, 1790-1809) * Biram Fatim Penda (1787-1790) (DT) * Amari Ngone Ndela Diaring (1778-87, 1790-1809) * Tié-Yaasin Dieng (1809–1815) * Amadi Dyor (1815–c. 1822) * Birayma Fatma (c. 1822–1832) (DT) * Isa Tein-Dyor (1832–1855) * Tié-Yaasin N'Gone (1855–c. 1857) * Ma-Kodu Kodu Kumba (c. 1857–1859) * Mali Kumba N'Gone (1859–1862) * Tié-Yaasin Gallo (1862–1890) * Tanor Gogne (1890–3 July 1894)

Bibliography

Sources