African Precolonial History

Question 1

Extensión territorial de Africa

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Cuánto estados soberanos tiene Africa

Answer 2

54 recognized sovereign states

Question 3

Bordes de Africa

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Sahara Desert

Answer 4

Forty per cent of its landmass is desert with the Sahara Desert its largest.

Question 5

Religion in Africa

Answer 5

Christianity is first religion and Islam is second.

Question 6

Generic Africa’s history

4 historical periods

Answer 6

1. Precolonial
2. Colonial
3. Nationalist
4. Post-colonial

Question 7

Precolonial period of Africa

Answer 7

Before the expansion of European colonialism around the 18th century.

Question 8

Colonial period of Africa

Answer 8

During the period of European domination between the 18th and 20th centuries.

Question 9

Nationalist

Answer 9

During the decay of European imperialism and the emergence of independentist movement around early 20th century.

Question 10

Post-colonial

Answer 10

After the emergence of independent states in the second half of the 20th century.

Question 11

Why should we study Africa’s precolonial history?

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

Main themes in Africa’s precolonial history

Answer 12

Expansion of Islam

Empires and kingdoms

Slave trade

Question 13

Expansion of Islam

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Islamic empires in Africa

Answer 14

• Fatimid Caliphate

*Almoravid empire

*Ghana Empire

*Hammadid dynasty

*Castille and León

*Navarre y Aragon

*Banu Hilal

Question 15

Kindom of Aksum (Aksumite Empire)

Answer 15

80 BC to AD 825

Eritrea and northern Ethiopia

Dominated northeast Africa for three centuries.

Established trade links with India and Southern Mediterranean (Europe)

Question 16

The Sokoto Caliphate

Answer 16

Established in today’s Nigeria in early 1800s.

Formed by independent Muslim emirate that derive their authority from the Caliph.

Question 17

The Wassoulou (Mandika) Empire

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Which is the main overlaping point between Middle East and Africa?

Answer 18

The expansion of Islam

Question 19

Three options of the __ empire

Answer 19

 Convert to islam
 It you don’t want to convert to islam, pay a tax
 To fight against to the empire -> death.

Question 20

Nubia in southern egypt nowadays - Sudan

Answer 20

 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.

Question 21

Fatimid empire

Answer 21

 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)

Question 22

Almoravi empire

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Summary, main points of Expansion of Islam in Africa

Answer 23

Military conquest, the change of aliaces (how do we negotiate with this rules) and trade rules (access to the trade routes).

Question 24

Slave trade

Answer 24

The arrival of the portugues in coast of West Africa -> beggining of the trans-atlantic slave trade network.

European powers enslaved at least 20

Question 25

The arrival of the portuguese in coast of West Africa during mid 15th c.

Answer 25

It marked the beginning of the trans-atlantic slave trade network.

Question 26

How many people ensalved European powers?

Answer 26

20 million africans which were relocated by force to America and the Caribbean.

Question 27

Which country passed the abolish of slave trade?

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

how much lasted slavery?

Answer 28

Lasted until 19th century in many European countries and until some decades later in the US.

Question 29

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Which was the center for slave trade from Africa to Middle East and Indian during Arab/Muslim slave trade?

Answer 30

Kilwa (Tanzania)

Question 31

How many slave were traded annually during the Arab/ Muslim slave trade?

Answer 31

Year 800 to 1700: 1000 slaved people were traded annually.

18th century -> 4000 people.