The Songhai Empire: A History of Conquest and Commerce

Today we will be discussing the history of African empires, focusing on the Songhai Empire, one of the largest in Africa. We will explore how Sunni Ali, who grew up as a hostage under Mansa Musa, learned how to lead one of the most successful rebellions in African history. Later in the video, we will uncover how one of Sunni Ali's best generals, Muhammad Ture, staged a dramatic coup to further consolidate the Songhai Empire's place in history. Check out the timeline of the video. If you want to learn more about African kingdoms, don't forget to subscribe to the channel. The earliest kings of the Songhai state were known as the Zha. The Songhai Zha ruled the kingdom during the 11th and 12th centuries. Oral tradition holds that the first 14 rulers of the Songhai state were initially centered on Kukia, approximately 80 miles southeast of Gao. The Zha were initially not Muslim. They converted to Islam under Zha Kusai. It was also at some point during this period that the political focus of the kingdom shifted from Kukia to Gao. Gao was a center in the transit of important goods like kola nuts, dates, ivory, salt, leather, and gold. It was a city where traders and merchants prospered. The incredible prosperity of Gao drew the attention of Mansa Musa. As he was preparing his famous pilgrim to Mecca, he did not want to let these rich merchants get any ideas and aim for the throne. The kingdom of Mali easily annexed Gao around 1325. Mansa Musa made sure to take hostages, and the annexation led to the capture of a young prince, Sunni Ali, and his brother. I talked about this in episode 3 of our series on the Mali Empire, so be sure to check it out. Mansa Musa solidified Mali position as the most powerful force in West Africa. The Mali emperor was known for his good treatment of hostages. Sunni Ali, still very young at the time, received a great education from Muslim scholars in the best schools of Niani, the capital of Mali. After the death of Mansa Musa, Mali was pledged in a civil war due to succession problems. Sunni Ali did not waste any time and immediately fled back to Gao with his brother. Periodic rebellions by the peoples of Timbuktu, Takeda, and Gao erupted. The Songhai people were at its base a fishing society and had a powerful navy. This allowed them to control river transport on the Niger. They were also able to move their troops extremely fast from one city to the other. Sunni Ali lead the Songhai rebels at Gao and easily took control of his hometown. He became the first king of the renewed Songhai state. From his capital at Gao, Sunni Ali immediately engaged in a war of conquest against his neighbors. He prioritized targeting cities located on the Niger River, such as Timbuktu. With his massive cavalry and fleet of war, King Sunni Ali extended his empire into the desert in the north and as far as Jena in the southwest. In the late 15th century, his army pushed southward beyond the Niger and conducted raids deep into the Volta River basin, encroaching on the Masi's territory. Sunni Ali's actions towards the Masi kingdoms were harsh and he was known for his brutal tactics. For example, in 1468, he sacked Timbuktu, driving its Amazi governor from the city, killing many of its scholars and forcing others into exile. Sunni Ali's conquest of Timbuktu earned him a reputation as a butcher and a tyrant. Sunni Ali's assault on the scholarly community at Timbuktu prompted the survivors to flee to Oualata, resulting in a significant decline in Islamic scholarship in Timbuktu. After the city's Tuareg overlords were driven out, many of the merchants who had thrived under their rule also fled. This led to a period of economic decline for the city, which did not recover until after the death of Sunni Ali. The Songhai Empire emerged victorious against the Masi kingdom. This victory led to the capture of the important city of Jena. However, this time, Sunni Ali accommodated the community of Muslim scholars at Jena, where they remained great preservers of Islamic learning and continued to produce work on Islamic philosophy and the sciences through the 17th century. Although they had lost one of their important cities, the Masi kingdoms remained a significant force in the region. They acted as trading intermediaries between the forest states in the south and the cities of the Niger. With the help of intelligent generals like Muhammad Ture and an army equipped with armored cavalry and the only naval fleet in North Africa, the Songhai king was able to conquer most of the old Mali Empire. Of the nine rulers in the Songhai Empire's history, only two Songhai kings died of old age. Sunni Ali was one of them. He died in 1492. Sunni Ali reigned for 28 years and waged 32 wars, winning every one of them. After the death of King Sunni Ali in 1492, his son Sunni Buru ascended to the throne, but only managed to reign for less than a year. General Muhammad Ture, one of Sunni Ali's most important generals and provincial governors, controlled much of the army and staged a coup to challenge the young and inexperienced Sunni Buru. The two sides clashed in battle in April 1493, and predictably, Sunni Buru was defeated. General Muhammad Ture usurped the throne and took power as Askiya Muhammad, later known as Askiya the Great. The title Askiya is believed to mean usurper ruler. Askiya the Great was the first ruler of the Askiya dynasty of the Songhai Empire, reigning from 1493 to 1528. One of Askiya's primary objectives was to control access to the major trade routes across the Sahara. Due to his large army, he rapidly succeeded in doing so. By 1512, it was chronicled that even the Mansa of Mali was paying tribute to the Songhai king. After freeing the Songhai from potential threats posed by Mali and the Masi, Muhammad expanded the empire further. He focused his energy on incorporating the Hausa state. According to historian Leo Africanus, three major cities in Hausaland, located between the Niger River and Lake Chad, were attacked. Between 1512 to 1513, the Songhai Askiya launched a war east to the Hausalands, allying with Zaria and Katsina to attack Kano, which they successfully took. Kano was the fourth major city in the region, and Askiya the Great obliged the city rulers to pay a hefty tribute to the Songhai Empire. Askiya the Great is credited with making all former Malian territories tributary to the Songhai, from the Wolof people in the west to the Hausa in the east. At its peak, the Songhai Empire extended from Kano in the southeast to Taghaza in the north, and also controlled modern-day Senegal on the Atlantic coast. It completely dominated almost the entire stretch of the Niger River, which is West Africa's trade superhighway. The only border that the Songhai king couldn't cross was with the Kanem-Bornu Empire, located to the east. The rulers of Kanem-Bornu established strong relations with the Ottoman Empire in North Africa, and gained access to Turkish mercenaries and advisors, who were brought in to train their new army in the use of firearms. In the 16th century, while the Songhai army failed to modernize, the rulers of Kanem-Bornu took advantage of new technologies. Unable to conquer Kanem-Bornu, Askiya the Great used diplomacy and maintained peace. He introduced policies that increased trade with Europe and Asia, standardized weights, measures, and currency. He replaced native Songhai administrators with Arab Muslims in an attempt to Islamicize society and encourage learning and literacy. Timbuktu, which had been destroyed by Sunni Ali, revived during the rule of Askiya Muhammad. Leo Africanus observed that the city was a prosperous one, filled with artisans and wealthy merchants. At its peak, the Songhai city of Timbuktu became a thriving cultural and commercial center, where Arab, Italian, and Jewish merchants all gathered for trade. As King Askiya Muhammad grew older, his personal power declined, and he started to rely heavily on his palace officials to manage the affairs of the empire. This caused his family members, led by his son Musa, to become resentful of the power held by Askiya's head chamberlain. In 1528, Askiya's sons revolted, deposed him, and declared Musa as the king of Songhai. However, Askiya Musa's accession was not smooth, and a civil war erupted. Musa was killed by his brothers in 1531, which deepened the crisis and further destabilized the state. Due to ineffective administration, the Songhai empire weakened. As a result, previously controlled groups, such as the Hausa and Khan-i-Bornu, began to eye an opportunity to intervene and seize control of the lucrative Trans-Saharan trade. This was especially true for the Saudi dynasty of Morocco. In 1578, the Saudi of Morocco repulsed an invasion by the Portuguese, but at an enormous cost that drained the imperial coffers. To stave off bankruptcy, Sultan Sadi started looking for new resources to the south. This happened just as a sense of stability and calm returned to Songhai under the reign of Askiya Ishak II, which began in 1588. However, this revival of Songhai's fortunes proved short-lived, as the Saudi invaded in 1591. Although the Moroccans were greatly outnumbered by the forces of Songhai, the Saudi army had an insurmountable advantage. A stockpile of guns, ammunition, and cannons supplied by Queen Elizabeth I of England, who hoped to make Morocco an ally against Spain. The Songhai did not modernize in time and were overwhelmed. Outmatched, the larger Songhai army was defeated at the Battle of Tondibi in March 13, 1591, and Askiya Ishak II was killed. The Saudi sacked and pillaged Jena, Gao, and Timbuktu, burning them to the ground. The Songhai empire's power was rendered ineffective after the looting and destruction of these cities. A decade later, the empire was shattered, its provinces divided into several smaller kingdoms and territories. I hope you enjoyed learning about the fascinating Songhai empire, from its humble beginnings in revolt to its dominance of West Africa. The Songhai kings solidified the presence of Islam in the region and were able to conquer and unify a variety of different kingdoms under one rule. In the video description, you can find the sources I used for this video. Let me know in the comments which empire you would like me to cover next. Thank you for watching. See you in the next one.