African Precolonial History Flashcards
Extensión territorial de Africa
Africa is the world’s second-largest continent at around 11.7 million square miles.
*It covers more than 20 per cent of the earth’s total land area.
Cuánto estados soberanos tiene Africa
54 recognized sovereign states
Bordes de Africa
It is bordered by the Mediterranean in the north, the Atlantic in the west and the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian and Red Seas in the east
Sahara Desert
Forty per cent of its landmass is desert with the Sahara Desert its largest.
Religion in Africa
Christianity is first religion and Islam is second.
Generic Africa’s history
4 historical periods
- Precolonial
- Colonial
- Nationalist
- Post-colonial
Precolonial period of Africa
Before the expansion of European colonialism around the 18th century.
Colonial period of Africa
During the period of European domination between the 18th and 20th centuries.
Nationalist
During the decay of European imperialism and the emergence of independentist movement around early 20th century.
Post-colonial
After the emergence of independent states in the second half of the 20th century.
Why should we study Africa’s precolonial history?
Challenging colonial historiography of Africa.
Rescuing precolonial history from colonialism: colonial history is no a bunch of lies, but a particular way of looking at things.
Main themes in Africa’s precolonial history
Expansion of Islam
Empires and kingdoms
Slave trade
Expansion of Islam
Prophet Muhammad (until 632): Islam consolidated in the Arabian Peninsula.
Rashidum caliphs (until 661): Islam expanded into Egypt-
Ummayad caliphate (until 750): expanded in Northen Africa and Spain.
Since late 7th century, Islam expanded into Subsaharan Africa.
By 1880, Islam was Africa’s third religion.
Islamic empires in Africa
- Fatimid Caliphate
*Almoravid empire
*Ghana Empire
*Hammadid dynasty
*Castille and León
*Navarre y Aragon
*Banu Hilal
Kindom of Aksum (Aksumite Empire)
80 BC to AD 825
Eritrea and northern Ethiopia
Dominated northeast Africa for three centuries.
Established trade links with India and Southern Mediterranean (Europe)
The Sokoto Caliphate
Established in today’s Nigeria in early 1800s.
Formed by independent Muslim emirate that derive their authority from the Caliph.
The Wassoulou (Mandika) Empire
Established in present-day Mali from 1878 to 1898.
They resisted the French army in their expansion through West Africa by the end of the 19th century.
Which is the main overlaping point between Middle East and Africa?
The expansion of Islam
Three options of the __ empire
Convert to islam
It you don’t want to convert to islam, pay a tax
To fight against to the empire -> death.
Nubia in southern egypt nowadays - Sudan
It was a christian kindom because it was connected to the bizantine empire.
They was disconected to the medditeranean and its trade.
* In orden to have access to the mediterranean the converted into the islam.
Fatimid empire
Shia empire -> ali should be the succesor.
Cartago was a Roman City before islam (nowadays tunicia)
* It has its own army.
* Very powerfull
* It was able to push back to the arab expansion.
o It fall to the omayan caliphate in the late 7th century.
* It’s know Al-Maghreb to de arabs because Ghars (west).
* Morocco the far west (Al-marghreb Al-Aqsa)
Almoravi empire
1054-1147
Was a powerful Berber dynasty that originated in the Sahara Desert in the 11th century.
The Almoravid Empire was founded by Abdallah ibn Yasin, a Berber preacher and warrior, in the 1040s. Initially, the empire was a small tribal confederation that expanded rapidly through the Sahara region, conquering many neighboring tribes and cities.
In 1062, the Almoravids captured the city of Aghmat, which became their capital.
The Almoravid Empire began to decline in the 12th century, due to internal conflicts and external pressures
Summary, main points of Expansion of Islam in Africa
Military conquest, the change of aliaces (how do we negotiate with this rules) and trade rules (access to the trade routes).
Slave trade
The arrival of the portugues in coast of West Africa -> beggining of the trans-atlantic slave trade network.
European powers enslaved at least 20
The arrival of the portuguese in coast of West Africa during mid 15th c.
It marked the beginning of the trans-atlantic slave trade network.
How many people ensalved European powers?
20 million africans which were relocated by force to America and the Caribbean.
Which country passed the abolish of slave trade?
UK parliment in 1807
It took 3 centuries to passed the prohibition of trading.
This act made it illegal for British ships to engage in the slave trade, and it prohibited British subjects from participating in the slave trade anywhere in the world.
Slavery itself was not abolished until 1833, with the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act.
how much lasted slavery?
Lasted until 19th century in many European countries and until some decades later in the US.
Indian Ocean Slave Trade
Also known as “East African slave trade”.
Arab/ Muslim slave trade -> All the caliphates, engaged into slavery.
Back to ancient times -> Byzantine and Sassanian empires in the 6th c.
By 9th c. Muslim-Arab and Swahili traders controlled Swahli coast -> Zanzibar
Which was the center for slave trade from Africa to Middle East and Indian during Arab/Muslim slave trade?
Kilwa (Tanzania)
How many slave were traded annually during the Arab/ Muslim slave trade?
Year 800 to 1700: 1000 slaved people were traded annually.
18th century -> 4000 people.
