Muhammadu Attahiru II () was the thirteenth

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 ...

of the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (, literally: Caliphate in the Lands of Sudan), also known as the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fula jihads, Fulani jihads ...

from 1903 to 1915. Attahiru II was the great-grandson of

Usman dan Fodio Shehu Usman dan Fodio (; full name; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817). (Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Saalih ibn Haarun ibn Muhammad Ghurdu ibn Muhammad Jubba ibn Muhammad Sambo ibn Maysiran ibn Ayyub ibn Buba Baba ibn Musa Jokolli ibn ...

, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate and son of Ali Babba bin Bello, the fourth Sultan. Upon the death of the eleventh sultan Abderrahman dan Abi Bakar in 1902, Attahiru II was the primary challenger to the candidacy of Muhammadu Attahiru I, with the later being selected as the Sultan. After losing this selection to Attahiru I, it is claimed that Attahiru II became largely uninterested in the affairs of the Caliphate. In 1903, British forces conquered

Sokoto Sokoto (Hausa language, Hausa: ; Fulfulde, Fula: , ''Leydi Sokoto'') is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country. It is bounded by Niger, Republic of the Niger to the north and west for 363 km (226 m ...

leading Attahiru I to flee from the city with many supporters. British Commander

Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong Kong (1907� ...

appointed Muhammadu Attahiru II the new Sultan of Sokoto on March 21, 1903. However, at the same time Lugard stripped much of the political power of the office of Sultan. Attahiru's reign consisted of balancing his need to both serve the people he ruled and satisfy the British colonial authorities. In 1906, a

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

st rebellion broke out outside the city of

in the village of Satiru. Elements of the

Royal West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the British West Africa, West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast, Sierra Leone ...

were dispatched to suppress the rebellion; upon hearing news of what had transpired, Attahiru dispatched a mixed force of 300 Sokoto cavalry and infantry led by Mallam Isa to join them. The combined force successfully suppressed the rebellion, which marked the last instance of armed resistance to British rule in the region.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attahiru II, Muhammadu Year of birth missing 1915 deaths Sultans of Sokoto 20th-century monarchs in Africa Honorary companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from colonial Nigeria Dan Fodio family Nigerian warriors Sons of sultans