Kingdoms of Africa
Anthropologists believe humanity originated in East Africa (Lucy)
Read more about skeletons found in East Africa here...
Rise of Egyptian Society affected other African Cultures along the NileKush
Iron producersAlso sold ivory, ebony, wood, slaves
AxumEthiopia later adopted its own Christianity
Kingdoms of Africa
North Africa is mainly Sahara desert
South of the Sahara are grasslands known as the savanna
The savanna is home to large groups of pastoral peoples that herd cattle and sheep
The Gold-Salt Trade
• These peoples also smelted iron, grew crops and had complex communities with craftspersons, warriors and traders.
Sahara Desert acted as a barrier between people of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean World
Trade was, however, never cut off completely
Sahara contains oases with fresh water
Camels helped merchants cross the desert once they knew where the oases were located
Muslim merchants from Mediterranean also made this journey
The Gold-Salt Trade
Merchants were motivated to make the journey across the Sahara because of the gold and other riches they could obtain from West Africa
Parts of West Africa lacked Salt Salt is vital for human survival
Merchants in camel caravans picked up salt on their journey to trade for gold
Ideas, Islamic Beliefs and various goods were exchanged in this way
The Gold-Salt Trade
Compare the African Gold-Salt Trade with that of the Silk Road?
Why was the Sahara a trade barrier?
How was that barrier conquered?
Apply it!
West Africa saw the rise of many powerful kingdoms based on the control of trade routes
Civilizations dominated West Africa for the next thousand years
This lead to an exchange of ideas, rise of cities and increased wealth
The Rise of West African Kingdoms
Developed in West Africa between the Senegal and Niger Rivers
People of Ghana made iron swords, spears and lances to subdue neighboring peoples and gain control of major trade routes
Needed Salt…trade it for Gold (which they had)
Kingdom of Ghana 750-1200
Kings of Ghana taxed trade passing through the regions
With this revenue, they raised a large army with a cavalry
Rulers built a capital city and governed a wide area with officials and nobles
Kingdom of Ghana
Kings appointed nobles to govern the provinces in return for paying taxes to the central government
System had similarities to European Feudalism
Rulers and nobles were further enriched by using captives of war as slaves
Ghana was invaded by Muslims from North Africa.Muslims brought Islam to the area
Ghana never recovered from this invasion and dissolved into smaller states
Kingdom of Ghana
How did Ghana benefit from the trade in the area?
How is the political system of Ghana similar to that of Medieval Europe?
Apply it!
In 1240, the people of Mali conquered the old capital of Ghana and established a new empire
The rulers brought gold and salt mines under their control.
Mali’s rulers converted to IslamBut most people stayed loyal to traditional
beliefs and rejected Islam
Kingdom of Mali 1240-1400
Kingdom of Mali
Mali’s most famous ruler was Mansa Musa (click) Mansa Musa was the main Muslim man of Mali who went many miles to the main
Muslim mosque in Mecca with a magnificent menagerie and meaded out much money to many men, maybe millions and brought back many Muslim scholars for much
learning.
Expanded the kingdom greatly
Took religious pilgrimage to Mecca Also visited Cairo
Observers were impressed with his wealth
He brought back Muslim scholars and architects to Mali
Kingdom of Mali
Mansa Musa commissioned a palace and giant mosque to be built in Timbuktu, a thriving trade center on the Niger River
Kingdom of Mali
•Muslim scholarship in Mali flourished
•Timbuktu became an important center of universities and attracted students from Europe, Asia and Africa
•Many of his subjects studied the Qur’an and learned to read and write
Ibn Battuta was an arab traveler
Impressed by Mali’s wealth, respect for law and power of it’s ruler
Ibn Battuta traveled extensively and wrote about the various kingdoms of the area
It is through his writings that scholars know much about the life in Africa and the Middle East
Kingdom of Mali
In 1465, Sultan Sunni Ali, ruler of the Songhai, captured Timbuktu and brought the Upper Niger River under his control
Kingdom of Songhai 1464-1600
• Kingdom of Songhai became the largest of West Africa’s three trading kingdoms
• Like Ghana and Mali, Songhai grew rich from trade across the Sahara Desert
• Expanded trade routes as far as Europe and Asia
The Songhai established a system of taxation and communications
Timbuktu flourished as a center of Muslim scholarship
Despite its riches and power the Kingdom of Songhai lasted only 130 years
Kingdom of Songhai
In 1591, the ruler of Morocco, hearing of Songhai’s wealth, invaded West Africa
Although Songhai army was larger, Moroccans used gunpowder and muskets to defeat the Songhai who fought only with arrows and spears
Despite their military success, Moroccans were unable to govern from a distance
West Africa split into large number of independent areas
The fall of the Songhai marked the end of the great West African Kingdoms
Kingdom of Songhai
What parallel can you see when looking at both the control of Songhai by Morocco and subsequent fall and that of the American colonies?
Apply it!
Ife and BeninThese Kingdoms developed in the rainforests of
West AfricaFamous for the copper and bronze scultputresBenin became involved in the slave trade
Took captured persons from other tribes and exchanged them with Europeans for guns and iron goods
Other African States
Was the slave trade a European invention?
Why or why not?
Apply it!
Zimbabwe
Gold deposits near Zimbabwe was crucial to the rise of this state
Zimbabwe traded gold, copper and ivory with Muslim traders along the east coast
Other African States
Coastal Cities of East Africa
A number of independent city-states arose around the 10th Century
Gold from the African interior was sent down the Zambia River to these cities where it was sold to merchants from Arabia and India
Other African States
What did all the trade in Africa inevitably lead to?
How do the Kingdoms of Africa compare to Classical and Post Classical societies we’ve already discussed?
Apply it!
In traditional African Societies, both boys and girls were separated from the community and underwent special ceremonies at puberty
Marriages were arranged Groom paid a dowry to his bride’s family
Under Islam, women were limited to running the household while the husband represented the family outside it
“A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it.”
Family Roles in Africa
Apply it!
600 700 800 900 1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
Gha
na
Foun
ded G
hana
Inva
ded
by
Mus
lims
Mal
i
Foun
ded
Man
sa
Mus
a’s
Trip M
ali
Colla
psed
Song
hai
Foun
ded
Mor
occo
Conqu
ere
d So
ngha
i
Top Related