Muhammad III (Muḥammad) was the '' mai'' of the

Kanem–Bornu Empire The Kanem–Bornu Empire was an empire based around Lake Chad that once ruled areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, and Chad. The empire was sustained by the prosperous trans-Saharan trade and was one of the ...

in 1449–1450, ruling during a century-long chaotic period of internal and external conflict.

Life

Muhammad was the son of a woman named Matala. The name of Muhammad's father, and his connection to the ruling Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, is unknown. The German researcher Dierk Lange believes on unclear grounds that Muhammad III's father was

Bir III Othman Bir III Othman (Biri, Biri ʿUthmān, or ʿUthmān bin Idrīs) was the '' mai'' of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in 1390–1422, ruling during a century-long chaotic period of internal and external conflict. Life Bir Othman was a son of Idris I and ...

. Muhammad became ''mai'' in 1449, succeeding

Dunama V Ahmad Dunama V Ahmad (Aḥmad Dunama bin Biri) was the '' mai'' of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in 1445–1449, ruling during a century-long chaotic period of internal and external conflict. Life Dunama Ahmad was a son of Bir III Othman Bir III Othman (B ...

. He ruled very briefly, being succeeded by Amarma in 1450. Nothing is recorded of Muhammad's reign.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad 03 of Bornu Rulers of the Bornu Empire 15th-century monarchs in Africa