[57], Modern oral traditions also related that the Mandinka kingdoms of Mali or Manden had already existed several centuries before Sundiata's unification as a small state just to the south of the Sonink empire of Wagadou, better known as the Ghana Empire. [60] In return for their submission, they became "farbas", a combination of the Mandinka words "farin" and "ba" (great farin). [11][12] The version recorded by medieval Arab geographers is Mali (Arabic: , romanized:Ml). [10], Mali, Mand, Manden, and Manding are all various pronunciations of the same word across different languages and dialects. [118] Mahmud sought support from several other rulers, including the governor of Kala, Bukar. The value of the salt was chiefly determined by the transport costs. Still, when Ibn Battuta arrived at Mali in July 1352, he found a thriving civilisation on par with virtually anything in the Muslim or Christian world. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. [5] In c. 1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. The Songhai Empire had fallen to the Saadi Sultanate of Morocco eight years earlier, and Mahmud sought to take advantage of their defeat by trying to capture Jenne. It was cut into pieces and spent on goods with close to equal buying power throughout the empire. [12][h] Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali during the reign of Musa's brother Sulayman, said that Musa's grandfather was named Sariq Jata. Oral tradition states that he had three sons who fought over Manden's remains. [120] Each ruler used the title of mansa, but their authority only extended as far as their own sphere of influence. Sergio Domian, an Italian scholar of art and architecture, wrote of this period: "Thus was laid the foundation of an urban civilization. Ibn Khaldun recorded that in 776 A.H or 1374/1375 AD he interviewed a Sijilmasan scholar named Muhammad b. Wasul who had lived in Gao and had been employed in its judiciary. Mali's domain also extended into the desert. Cairo and Mecca received this royal personage, whose glittering procession, in the superlatives employed by Arab chroniclers, almost put Africas sun to shame. He's especially famous for his hajj to Mecca, during which he sponsored numerous mosques and madrases, and supposedly spent so much gold along the way that the metal was severely devalued, which for many people was not a very good thing. He also states that Djata or "Jatah" means "lion". Imperial Malian architecture was characterised by Sudano-Sahelian architecture with a Malian substyle, which is exemplified by the Great Mosque of Djenne. Sadly for Sundjata, this did not occur before his father died. At the local level (village, town and city), kun-tiguis elected a dougou-tigui (village-master) from a bloodline descended from that locality's semi-mythical founder. Mansa Musa is potentially the richest person to ever live; as ruler of Mali from 1312 to 1337, he came into power after his brother, King Abu Bakr the Second, vanished on an oceanic voyage. In search of a status discourse for Mande". [20] For the later period of the Mali Empire, the major written primary sources are Portuguese accounts of the coastal provinces of Mali and neighboring societies.[21]. That same year, after the Mandinka general known as Sagmandir put down yet another rebellion in Gao,[93] Mansa Musa came to Gao and accepted the capitulation of the King of Ghana and his nobles. The earliest document mentioning the mosque is Abd al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan, which gives the early history, presumably from the oral tradition as it existed in the mid seventeenth century. Gao had already been captured by Musa's general, and Musa quickly regained Timbuktu, built a rampart and stone fort, and placed a standing army to protect the city from future invaders.[70]. [93] Mansa Souleyman's generals successfully fought off the military incursions, and the senior wife Kassi behind the plot was imprisoned. Al-Umari reported that Mali had fourteen provinces. According to Musa's own account, his predecessor as Mansa of Mali, presumably Muhammad ibn Qu,[31] launched two expeditions to explore the Atlantic Ocean (200 ships for the first exploratory mission and 2,000 ships for the second). [66], Timbuktu soon became the center of trade, culture, and Islam; markets brought in merchants from Hausaland, Egypt, and other African kingdoms, a university was founded in the city (as well as in the Malian cities of Djenn and Sgou), and Islam was spread through the markets and university, making Timbuktu a new area for Islamic scholarship. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musas developments. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the ruler of the kingdom of Mali from 1312 C.E. [24] The empire's total area included nearly all the land between the Sahara Desert and coastal forests. Mansa Ms left a realm notable for its extent and richeshe built the Great Mosque at Timbuktubut he is best remembered in the Middle East and Europe for the splendour of his pilgrimage to Mecca (1324). 1312 is the most widely accepted by modern historians. Many houses were built by hand and during the hot weather some houses would melt so they had to be very secure, The dating of the original Great Mosque's construction is obscure (the current structure, built under French Colonial Rule, dates from 1907). Duties of the farba included reporting on the activities of the territory, collecting taxes and ensuring the native administration didn't contradict orders from Niani. Mahmud Keita, possibly a grandchild or great-grandchild of Mansa Gao Keita, was crowned Mansa Maghan Keita III in 1390. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. They also used flaming arrows for siege warfare. The kingdom of Mali reached its greatest extent around the same time, a bustling, wealthy kingdom thanks to Mansa Musas expansion and administration.Mansa Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. Salt was as valuable, if not more valuable, than gold in sub-Saharan Africa. Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. Mansa Ms, whose empire was one of the largest in the world at that time, is reported to have observed that it would take a year to travel from one end of his empire to the other. Musa Keita I (c. 1280 - c. 1337), or Mansa Musa, was the ninth Mansa of the Mali Empire, one of the most powerful West African states. In the interregnum following Sunjata's death, the jomba or court slaves may have held power. The Mali Empire reached its largest area under the Laye Keita mansas. Musa I (Arabic: , romanized:Mans Ms, N'Ko: ; r.c.1312c.1337[a]) was the ninth[4] mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. [123] Segou, defended by Bitn Coulibaly, successfully defended itself and Mama Maghan was forced to withdraw. [98] Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds. The new Songhai Empire conquered Mema,[93] one of Mali's oldest possessions, in 1465. The Venetian explorer Alvise Cadamosto and Portuguese traders confirmed that the peoples of the Gambia were still subject to the mansa of Mali. (2020, October 17). Mansa Musa returned from Mecca with several Islamic scholars, including direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad and an Andalusian poet and architect by the name of Abu Es Haq es Saheli, who is . Musa's reign is often regarded as the zenith of Mali's power and prestige. Online articles in the 21st century have claimed that Mansa Musa was the richest person of all time. Corrections? Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. They camped for three days by the Pyramids of Giza, before crossing the Nile into Cairo on 19 July. [e] After the loss of the first expedition, Muhammad led the second expedition himself. By 1350, the empire covered approximately 478,819 square miles (1,240,140km2). Although this time in the kingdom was prosperous, Mali's wealth and power soon declined. [56] Musa and his entourage lingered in Mecca after the last day of the hajj. Log in, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). In that year he succeeded his father, Abu Bakr II, to the throne and thus gained the hereditary title of mansa. To his parents' dread, the prince did not have a promising start. While Mansa Musa's grandfather, Abu-Bakr, was a nephew of Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Malian Empire, neither he nor his descendants had a strong claim to the throne. The farba could also take power away from the native administration if required and raise an army in the area for defence or putting down rebellions.[130]. He became emperor in 1307. [102] The text of Ibn Khaldun says "Gao, at this time is devastated". Masuta the Descended is a miniboss in The Shadow Reef. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. The ancient kingdom of Mali spread across parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. Through the oral tradition of griots, the Keita dynasty, from which nearly every Mali emperor came, claims to trace its lineage back to Lawalo, one of the sons of Bilal,[60] the faithful muezzin of Islam's prophet Muhammad, who was said to have migrated into Mali and his descendants established the ruling Keita dynasty through Maghan Kon Fatta, father of Sundiata Keita.[61]. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. [114] However, the Songhai do not maintain their hold on the Malian capital. But more reasoned analysis suggests that his role, if any, was quite limited. In the first millennium BC, early cities and towns were created by Mande peoples related to the Soninke people, along the middle Niger River in central Mali, including at Dia which began from around 900 BC, and reached its peak around 600 BC,[52] and Djenne-Djenno, which lasted from around 250 BC to 900 AD. Traveling from his capital of Niani on the upper Niger River to Walata (Oualta, Mauritania) and on to Tuat (now in Algeria) before making his way to Cairo, Mansa Ms was accompanied by an impressive caravan consisting of 60,000 men including a personal retinue of 12,000 enslaved persons, all clad in brocade and Persian silk. [122] They targeted Moroccan pashas still in Timbuktu and the mansas of Manden. We care about our planet! Gold dust had been weighed and bagged for use at least since the time of the Ghana Empire. Among these are references to "Pene" and "Malal" in the work of al-Bakri in 1068,[53][54] the story of the conversion of an early ruler, known to Ibn Khaldun (by 1397) as Barmandana,[55] and a few geographical details in the work of al-Idrisi. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Baah noted that it took about four months to travel from the northern borders of the Mali empire to Niani in the south. Mansa Mss prodigious generosity and piety, as well as the fine clothes and exemplary behaviour of his followers, did not fail to create a most-favourable impression. Sandaki likely means High Counsellor or Supreme Counsellor, from san or sanon (meaning "high") and adegue (meaning counsellor). [99] Mosques were built in Gao and Timbuktu along with impressive palaces also built in Timbuktu. Mansa Souleyman Keita (or Suleiman) took steep measures to put Mali back into financial shape, thereby developing a reputation for miserliness. Also, Sundiata divided the lands amongst the people assuring everyone had a place in the empire and fixed exchange rates for common products[127]. Rulers of West African states had made pilgrimages to Mecca before Mansa Ms, but the effect of his flamboyant journey was to advertise both Mali and Mansa Ms well beyond the African continent and to stimulate a desire among the Muslim kingdoms of North Africa, and among many of European nations as well, to reach the source of this incredible wealth. In the event of conquest, farins took control of the area until a suitable native ruler could be found. Different oral traditions conflict with each other, as well as Ibn Khaldun, about the transfer of power following Sunjata's death. No single Keita ever ruled Manden after Mahmud Keita IV's death, resulting in the end of the Mali Empire. Under his reign, Mali conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Songhai. Mansa means (King or Emperor) and he was ruling the Mali kingdom from C.E 1312 to 1337 for around 25 years. [128] Nevertheless, the mansa managed to keep tax money and nominal control over the area without agitating his subjects into revolt. The most common measure for gold within the realm was the ambiguous mithqal (4.5grams of gold). Emperors and Empresses from Around the (Non-Roman) World Quiz, Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal et duc de Richelieu, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali, World History Encyclopedia - Mansa Musa I, Musa - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). [43] Perhaps because of this, Musa's early reign was spent in continuous military conflict with neighboring non-Muslim societies. He brought back with him descendants of Mohammed, Islamic scholars, and architect Abu Es Haq es Saheli, who went on to create the Djinguereber mosque. Mansa Musa Keita's crowning achievement was his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, which started in 1324 and concluded with his return in 1326. Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History. [111] This envoy from the Portuguese coastal port of Elmina arrived in response to the growing trade along the coast and Mali's now urgent request for military assistance against Songhai. In 1324, while staying in Cairo during his hajj, Mansa Musa, the ruler of the Mali Empire, told an Egyptian official whom he had befriended that he had come to rule when his predecessor led a fleet in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean and never returned. During his monarchy Musa or Musa, I was highly powered and the richest individual king Mansa Musa the . Mansa Musa even built the Great Mosque of Djenn, one of the most famous mosques in Mali, to recognize his pilgrimage. Hamana (or Amana), southwest of Joma, became the southern sphere, with its capital at Kouroussa in modern Guinea. His skillful administration left his empire well-off at the time of his death, but eventually, the empire fell apart. Arabic sources omit Faga Leye, referring to Musa as Musa ibn Abi Bakr. Mansa Musa (1280-1337) Mansa Musa, fourteenth century emperor of the Mali Empire, is the medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa. A kl-koun led free troops into battle alongside a farima ("brave man") during campaign. Mansa Musa was the great-great-grandson of Sunjata, who was the founder of the empire of Mali. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa By Patricia McKissack, Fredrick McKissack Page 60, "The richest person who ever lived had unimaginable wealth. Grades 5 - 8 Subjects Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History Image Timbuktu, Henrich Barth Painting The fame of Mansa Musa and his phenomenal wealth spread as he traveled on his hajj to Mecca. In Ibn Khaldun's account, Sundjata is recorded as Mari Djata with "Mari" meaning "Amir" or "Prince". the descendants of the nearly 1,000-year-old objects made in Africa. [70] The mansa lost control of Jalo during this period. Therefore, Arabic visitors may have assigned the "capital" label merely to whatever major city the mansa was based out of at the time of their visit. Musa embarked on a large building program, raising mosques and madrasas in Timbuktu and Gao. [93] Sandaki Keita should not however be taken to be this person's name but a title. [93] Dyamani-tiguis had to be approved by the mansa and were subject to his oversight. Ag-Amalwal. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali. [120], The old core of the empire was divided into three spheres of influence. It may have been located close to modern Kangaba. The child of this marriage received the first name of his mother (Sogolon) and the surname of his father (Djata). In 1324 Musa embarked on a hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, traveling with an entourage that included 8,000 courtiers, 12,000 servants and 100 camel loads of . Niane, D. T.: "Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali". [18][16], Another hypothesis suggests that the name Mali is derived from Mand mali "hippopotamus", an animal that had special significance to the Keitas, and that Mand means "little manatee". Eventually, due to Muhammad's failure to return, Musa was recognized as mansa.[89]. Stories of his fabulous wealth even reached Europe. Mansa Souleyman Keita died in 1360 and was succeeded by his son, Camba Keita. Mama Maghan, mansa of Kangaba, campaigned against the Bamana in 1667 and laid siege to SegouKoro for a reported three years. Three bowmen supporting one spearman was the ratio in Kaabu and the Gambia by the mid-16th century. [89] This claim is often sourced to an article in CelebrityNetWorth,[89] which claims that Musa's wealth was the equivalent of US$400 billion. World History Encyclopedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The growing trade in Mali's western provinces with Portugal witnessed the exchange of envoys between the two nations. Lange, Dierk (1996), "The Almoravid expansion and the downfall of Ghana", Der Islam 73 (2): 313351. [70][141] With the help of the river clans, this army could be deployed throughout the realm on short notice. He brought a large entourage with him which impressed people everywhere they went. He stopped in Cairo along the way, and his luxurious spending and gift giving was so extensive that he diluted the value of gold by 10 to 25 percent and impacted Cairos economy for at least 12 years afterward. The architectural crafts in Granada had reached their zenith by the fourteenth century, and its extremely unlikely that a cultured and wealthy poet would have had anything more than a dilettante's knowledge of the intricacies of contemporary architectural practice. In 1542, the Songhai invaded the capital city but were unsuccessful in conquering the empire. An army was required to guard the borders to protect its flourishing trade. This trend would continue into colonial times against Tukulor enemies from the west.[121]. [41] Given the grandeur of his subsequent hajj, it is likely that Musa spent much of his early reign preparing for it. By the beginning of the 14th century, Mali was the source of almost half the Old World's gold exported from mines in Bambuk, Boure and Galam. After unsuccessful attempts by Mansa Mama Maghan to conquer Bamana, the Bamana in 1670 sacked and burned the capital, and the Mali Empire rapidly disintegrated and ceased to exist, being replaced by independent chiefdoms. She or he will best know the preferred format. [122] This campaign gutted Manden and destroyed any hope of the three mansas cooperating to free their land. The Manding languages were spoken in the empire. These oral stories . Rather, authority would rest with the mansa and his court, wherever he went. A city called Dieriba or Dioliba is sometimes mentioned as the capital or main urban center of the province of Mande in the years before Sundiata, that was later abandoned. The mansa also made a successful hajj, kept up correspondence with Morocco and Egypt and built an earthen platform at Kangaba called the Camanbolon where he held court with provincial governors and deposited the holy books he brought back from Hedjaz. Barring any other difficulties, the dyamani-tigui would run the province by himself collecting taxes and procuring armies from the tribes under his command. As soon as Sassouma's son Dankaran Touman took the throne, he and his mother forced the increasingly popular Sundjata into exile along with his mother and two sisters. The entire nation was mobilised, with each clan obligated to provide a quota of fighting-age men. [25] The empire also reached its highest population during the Laye period ruling over 400 cities,[26] towns and villages of various religions and elasticities. published on 17 October 2020. [78] There was evidently a power struggle of some kind involving the gbara or great council and donson ton or hunter guilds. Intro animation: Syawish Rehman. The farimba operated from a garrison with an almost entirely slave force, while a farima functioned on field with virtually all freemen. . Musa expanded the borders of the Mali Empire, in particular incorporating the cities of Gao and Timbuktu into its territory. Mansa Mari Djata Keita II became seriously ill in 1372,[93] and power moved into the hands of his ministers until his death in 1374. While spears and bows were the mainstay of the infantry, swords and lances of local or foreign manufacture were the choice weapons of the cavalry. His equipment furnishings were carried by 12.000 private slave women (Wasaif) wearing gown and brocade (dibaj) and Yemeni silk []. In addition, the moral and religious principles he had taught his subjects endured after his death. Mansa Mari Djata, later named Sundiata Keita, saw the conquest of several key locals in the Mali Empire. The date of Mahmud's death and identity of his immediate successor are not recorded, and there is a gap of 65 years before another mansa's identity is recorded. The Mansa led the second expedition himself, and appointed Musa as his deputy to rule the empire until he returned. Mansa Musa was an important ruler of the golden age of the Malink kingdom, based on the upper Niger River in Mali, West Africa. [9] Upon Leo Africanus's visit at the beginning of the 16th century, his descriptions of the territorial domains of Mali showed that it was still a kingdom of considerable size. [29] Al-Umari, who visited Cairo shortly after Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca, noted that it was "a lavish display of power, wealth, and unprecedented by its size and pageantry". Mss rule defined the golden age of Mali. Using the reign lengths reported by Ibn Khaldun to calculate back from the death of Mansa Suleyman in 1360, Musa would have died in 1332. Hunters from the Ghana Empire (or Wagadou), particularly mythical ancestors Kontron and Sanin, founded Manding and the Malink and Bambaras hunter brotherhood. King Mansa Musa is famous for his Hajj journey, during which he stopped off in Egypt and gave out so much gold that the Egyptian economy was ruined for years to come. As a result of this the empire fell. [97] Though this has been described as having "wrecked" Egypt's economy,[85] the historian Warren Schultz has argued that this was well within normal fluctuations in the value of gold in Mamluk Egypt. [140], The Mali Empire maintained a semi-professional, full-time army in order to defend its borders. During the height of Sundiata's power, the land of Manden (the area populated by the Mandinka people) became one of its provinces. Watch the map animation on From Nothing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOexUoPc6YUBe sure to subscribe to From Nothing for more African History:https://www.. U UsefulCharts 0 followers More information Mansa Musa Family Tree Rich Man He had first-hand information from several sources, and from a second-hand source, he learned of the visit of Mansa Musa. [15] Leo Africanus said that the capital city was called Melli. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely . He was an extremely successful military leader Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [70] Two noble brothers from Niani, of unknown lineage, went to Dioma with an army and drove out the Fula Wassoulounk. A manuscript page from Timbuktu showing a table of astronomical information. [124] Following this disastrous set of events, Mansa Mama Maghan abandoned the capital of Niani. They founded the first village of the Manding, Kirikoroni, then Kirina, Siby, Kita. World History Encyclopedia. He belonged to the Keita Dynasty and came to power after Abu-Bakra-Keita II left on an expedition to explore the Atlantic Ocean, leaving Musa as his deputy and never returned.