1.0 The Sahelian Empires of the Western Sudan Flashcards
What were the different kingdoms in West Africa c.1480?
The Sahelian region included powerful kingdoms such as Ghana, Mali, and Songhay.
What is the definition of ‘Chieftaincies’?
The position of a leader of a group of people, often related to families who live together.
What does ‘hierarchal’ mean?
A system in which members of an organisation or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.
What is the significance of ‘Kinship’ in societies?
A web of social relationships that form an important part of the people in all societies – it is a blood relationship.
Define ‘Monopolisation’.
The act or process of taking control of the largest part of something so that other people are prevented from sharing it.
Who are the Amazigh?
The indigenous people of North Africa.
What is a ‘Caravan’?
Groups of sometimes thousands of camels transporting goods across the Sahara, led by Amazighs.
What title is given to an emperor in the Ghanaian empire?
Mansa.
What was the time period of the Kingdom of Ghana?
9th to the 13th century CE.
What two primary sources inform us about the Kingdom of Ghana’s history?
- Writings of Al-Bakri
- Archaeological finds.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Ghana?
Kumbi.
How did the Kingdom of Ghana establish its power?
Through the control of trade, especially the gold trade, and a strong economic base.
Fill in the blank: Ghana is often called the ‘_________ of gold’.
land.
What role did iron play in the development of West African kingdoms?
The use of iron to make tools and weapons helped expand control and contributed to the formation of centralized empires.
True or False: The Ghanaian king and court converted to Islam.
False.
What was the significance of the Almoravid in 1054?
They took control of Awadaghast and later Kumbi, leading to the decline of the Ghanaian empire.
What marks the beginning of the Kingdom of Mali?
The emergence of the kingdom around 1235, ruled by the Keita clan.
Who was the founder of the Kingdom of Mali?
Sundiata Keita.
What characterized Mali’s economy?
Monopolisation of the north-south gold trade and control over salt trade.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Mali?
Niani.
How did Mansa Musa impact Mali’s reputation?
His hajj to Mecca brought fame and economic influence, and he spent gold that caused inflation in Cairo.
What role did Islam play in the Kingdom of Mali?
It became a unifying factor and led to the establishment of significant cultural and educational centers.
What was the main factor for the collapse of the Mali Empire?
State-sponsored persecution and military tyranny bred resentment and instability.
What was Gao’s significance in the context of trade?
It became a major trading center along the Niger River, attracting Muslim merchants and scholars.
What was the time period of Mansa Musa’s reign?
1312-1337.
Fill in the blank: The Kingdom of Mali was the second largest empire in the world after the ________ Empire.
Mongolian.
What were the two main components of the economy in the Kingdom of Ghana?
- Gold trade
- Salt trade.
Who were the Songhay people?
A group that established Gao as a significant trading center and later became part of the Mali Empire.
What was a major cultural impact of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage?
It established Mali as a center of Islamic learning and culture.
What was a significant consequence of Mali’s expansionist military force?
It bred resentment due to violence and tyranny
This resentment contributed to internal divisions and rebellions.
What led to the internal divisions within the Mali Empire?
Hierarchical power structures and deep inequalities
These factors fostered serious rebellion.
Who were the Gao princes and what was their significance?
Prince Ali Kolon and Prince Sulayman Nar, royal hostages who later founded the Songhay dynasty
Their escape and subsequent rise to power significantly weakened Mali.
What did Ali Kolon do after returning to Gao?
He ousted the last ruler of the Dia dynasty and declared Gao independent
This act defied Mali and was a devastating blow to its power.
What event marked the beginning of Mali’s decline in power?
The death of Mansa Sulayman in 1359
This led to further civil war and internal strife.
Which external forces attacked Mali during its decline?
Desert nomads and the Mossi people
The Mossi overwhelmed Timbuktu, contributing to Mali’s weakening.
What was one of the key economic factors in Mali’s decline?
The shift of the gold trade eastward to new goldfields
This shift diminished Mali’s wealth and influence.
What were the consequences of succession quarrels within the Keita dynasty?
They caused fatal weaknesses in the government
Resulted in civil war and further disintegration of Mali.
Fill in the blank: The effective rule of the Malian Empire was limited to the _______ by the mid 15th century.
Mande-speaking centre
True or False: The arrival of the Portuguese in the mid 15th century strengthened Mali’s control over western trading routes.
False
The Portuguese presence further weakened Mali’s control.
List some factors that eroded Mali’s hold on the region.
- Repeated attacks on Timbuktu by the Mossi
- Escape of the Gao princes
- Succession quarrels
- Rebellion by the Fulani and Songhay people
- Decline of the western trans-Saharan trade
- Shift of demand for gold and enslaved persons eastward
- Arrival of the Portuguese
