chapter 25 Flashcards
africa and the atlantic world
How many times did Thomas Peters cross the Atlantic Ocean in his life?
4 times
Who were the Black Pioneers?
a company of escaped slaves who fought to maintain British rule in the colonies
Where in North America were Blacks legally free, but ruling elites still forced them to till marginal lands and live in segregated villages?
Nova Scotia
How and where did Thomas Peters die?
died of malarial fever after arriving in Sierra Leone
What was significant about Thomas Peters’ life?
he personified the links connected the lands of the Atlantic Ocean basin
What sub-Saharan African empire replaced Ghana in the 13th century as the preeminent power in west Africa?
the Mali empire
- continued Ghana policy of controlling trans-Saharan trade
What state replaced the Mali empire in the 15th century?
Songhay empire
What trading city was the Songhay empire based in?
Gao
What did the Songhay ruler Sunni Ali do that was significant towards the rejection of Mali authority and solidification of the Songhay empire?
- embarked on campaign to conquer neighbors and consolidated Songhay empire
- brought important trading cities of Timbuktu and Jenne under his control, used wealth to dominate Niger valley
Describe Sunni Ali’s elaborate administrative and military apparatus.
- appointed governors who oversaw provinces
- instituted hierarchy of command that turned army into effective military force
- created imperial navy to patrol Niger River
All Songhay emperors practiced what religion?
Islam, they were all Muslim and supported the construction of mosques, schools, and universities, valued Islam as cultural foundation for cooperation with other Islamic states without abandoning traditional beliefs
How did the Songhay empire fall?
To attack from a musket-bearing Moroccan army, and subject peoples revolted against Songhay domination
The increasing prominence of __________ ________ in west African society worked against the interests of imperial states (like Songhay and Mali) which had relied on control of _____________ ______ to finance their empires.
Atlantic trade; trans-Saharan trade
With the fall of the Songhay empire, the kingdom of Kanem-Bornu rose to dominate the region around _______ ______.
Lake Chad
Who disrupted trade patterns enough to send Swahili cities into a decline from which they never fully recovered in the early 15th century?
the Portuguese
How did Vasco da Gama contribute to the collapse of Swahili cities?
His voyages to India prompted skirmishes with local forces, and later forced payment of tribute
- with greater exertion of the power over Swahili ports, the Portuguese launched a naval expedition, and soon built administrative centers in hopes of controlling trade in east Africa
How did the Portuguese establish close political and diplomatic relations with the kings of Kongo?
- supplied kings with advisors
- provided military garrison to support kings and protect Portuguese interests
- brought tailors, shoemakers, masons, miners, and priests to Kongo
What did the kings of Kongo do to establish closer relations with the Portuguese monarchy?
Converted to Christianity
What about Christianity made it appealing to the kings of Kongo?
- religion provided strong endorsement for their monarchical rule
- saints of Roman Catholic church similar to spirits long recognized in Kongolese religion
What was King Nzinga Mbemba of Kongo also known as?
King Alfonso I (r. 1506-1542)
- changed his name to be more Catholic, and appeal to Portuguese
What was the Kongo capital?
Mbanza, known to Europeans as Sao Salvador
Why did contemporaries refer to the Kongo capital of Mbanza as “Kongo of the Bell”?
it had so many churches during the sixteenth century due to King Alfonso I’s zealous promotion of Christianity
In exchange for textiles, weapons, advisors, and artisans that they brought to Kongo, the Portuguese sought what?
high-value merchandise like copper, ivory, and most of all, slaves
How did relations between the Portuguese and the Kongo deteriorate?
- Portuguese agents began to pursue opportunities south of Kongo, colonists to the south went to war with Kongo
- Portuguese merchants withdrew from Kongo in search of more profitable business in kingdom of Ndongo to the south
By what century did the kingdom of Kongo largely disintegrate?
18th century
What did the Portuguese refer to the kingdom of Ndongo as?
Angola, from the title of the king, “ngola”
What contributed to the rise of the kingdom of Ndongo/fueled their wealth?
trading directly with Portuguese merchants rather than through Kongolese intermediaries
Why did the Portuguese campaign in Ndongo?
To establish a colony that would support large-scale trading in slaves
What was one of the reasons conquest of Angola took so long?
Queen Nzinga led spirited resistance against Portuguese forces for forty years
What were Queen Nzinga’s goals for the kingdom of Ndongo?
- drive the Portuguese from her land
- expel the Dutch
- create vast central African empire embracing entire lower Congo basin
What two factors gave the Portuguese an advantage over Ndongo and allowed them to further extend their influence in central Africa?
powerful arms and considerable wealth
What was the first European colony in sub-Saharan Africa?
Angola
In the south, as in central Africa, regional kingdoms dominated ________ ______.
political affairs
Where was the Great Zimbabwe built?
near the city of Nyanda in modern Zimbabwe
Who was an African Queen known for dressing like a male warrior, and traveling with a group of “concubines” who were men dressed as women companions?
Queen Nzinga (r. 1623-1663)
What fueled the emergence of regional kingdoms in south Africa?
kingdoms emerged as early as 11th century with influence of trade–merchants from coastal regions like Swahili cities sought gold, ivory, and slaves from interior regions of south Africa
- able to control local commerce, increase wealth, power and extend authority
Europeans became especially active in south African affairs after _______ _________ built a trading post at _______ ______ in 1652.
Dutch mariners; Cape Town
What people did Dutch mariners encounter in builing their trading post at Cape Town?
Khoikhoi people, whom they referred to as Hottentots
What allowed Dutch mariners such great advantage over the Khoikhoi people?
firearms.
- claimed land for themselves and commanded Khoikhoi labor with ease
What religion was most popular in the commerical centers of west Africa and the Swahili city-states of east Africa?
ISLAM
- merchants travel and bring their religion with them!!
What west African trading city had a prominent Islamic university and 180 schools that taught the Quran?
Timbuktu
What positive implications did African syncretic Islam have on African society?
- made a place for African beliefs in spirits and magic
- permitted men and women to associate with each other on more familiar terms (opposed to other Islamic lands that were more strictly patriarchical)
How did more devout Muslims react to the syncretic African Islam?
thought to be “impure” and “offensive”
- travelers especially shocked by the freedoms granted to women and their lack of modesty
Before they were a group of zealous Muslims who advocated for the practice of a more pure Islam, who were the Fulani?
a pastoral people who for centuries kept herds of cattle in the savannas of west Africa
How did the Fulani impose their own brand of Islam in west Africa?
- led series of military campaigns
- founded powerful states now known as Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and northern Nigeria
- promoted spread of Islam beyond the cities to countryside
- established Islamic schools in remote towns and villages
- laid foundations for further Islamic state building in 19th and 20th centuries
Describe the foundational beliefs of African religion.
- many African peoples recognized a supreme, remote creator god
- devoted most of attention to powerful spirits who were thought to intervene directly in human affairs
- associated spirits with prominent geographic features
- power of ancestors’ spirits to determine descendants’ fates
Did the Fulani stamp out African religions and/or eliminate indigenous elements from syncretic Islam practiced in west Africa?
NO
Beyond the ___________, Christian teachings blended with African traditions to form syncretic cults.
ruling courts
Describe a way in which African traditions were blended with Christian teachings.
- some Africans regarded Christian missionaries as magicians
- wore crosses and other Christian symbols as amulets to ward off danger from angry spirits
What century did the Antonian movement flourish?
early 18th century
Who started the Antonian movement and how?
movement began in 1704 when Dona Beatriz proclaimed that St. Anthony of Padua had possessed her and chosen her to communicate his messages.
Who did Dona Beatriz believe had possessed her and chosen her to communicate his message?
St. Anthony of Padua
Who was St. Anthony of Padua, and why was he important to the Antonian movement?
- born in Lisbon, died near Padua in Italy where his followers build large church in his honor
- extremely popular amongst Portuguese Christians who introduced his cult to Kongo
- Dona Beatriz believed she was possessed by him, and started Antonian movement
What did Dona Beatriz gain a reputation for as she spread St. Anthony’s messages?
working miracles and curing diseases
What was the African form of Christianity that Dona Beatriz promoted with her prominence?
- taught that Jesus Christ had been a black African man
- taught that Kongo was the true holy land of Christianity
- heaven was for Africans
How did Dona Beatriz use her African form of Christianity to influence political affairs?
- urged Kongolese to ignore European missionaries and heed her disciples instead
- sought to harness widespread popular interest in her teachings and use to end wars plaguing Kongo
Because Dona Beatriz was a serious challenge to Christian missionaries in Kongo, what did they do to Beatriz?
persuaded King Pedro IV of Kongo to arrest prophetess on suspicion of heresy in 1706
- after examination determined her a false prophet, and sentenced her to death and burned at the stake
After Beatriz’s death, how did her disciples continue her work?
1708: army of almost 20,000 Antonians challenged King Pedro (who ordered Dona Beatriz’s killing) considering an unworthy ruler
Why was the Antonian movement significant in the greater efforts of Africans blending colonial religions with their inherited paganist beliefs?
illustrated the tendency of Kongolese Christians to fashion a faith that reflected their own needs and concerns as well as the interests of European missionaries
How did European peoples bring change to African society in early modern times, in terms of the way their societies were organized?
- African societies/villages/kinship groups emphasized production and cultivation of their own goods and products
- trade brough access to European textiles and metal goods
- European products of different materials and styles became popular as complements to native African wares