Aissa Koli also called Aisa Kili Ngirmaramma was a queen regnant in the Kanem–Bornu Empire in 1497–1504[1][2][3] or 1563–1570.[4][5][6] She was a Magira (Queen Mother) who ruled in her own right.[7]
There are some discrepancies about the parentage and dates of her rule. The Arabic historians did not record her rule, but they are noted to have ignored female rulers; it is also noted that her successor Idris Aloma imposed a Muslim bureaucracy on the pagan population and that this Islamic records ignored her because of her sex. She is however preserved in local African tradition as her male counterparts.
Aissa Koli was reportedly the daughter of King Ali Gaji Zanani.[8] Her father ruled for one year and was succeeded by a relative, Dunama, who died the year of his succession. During Dunama's reign, he had declared that all the sons of his predecessor should be killed, and Aissa's five-year-old half-brother Idris was therefore sent away to Bulala in secret by his mother.[8] When Dunama died, Aissa succeeded him as ruler in the absence of any male heir, as she was unaware that her half-brother was still alive.[2] According to another version, Aissa was instead the daughter of King Dunama.
Queen Aissa ruled for seven years, which was the stipulated term for all rulers, as the custom was not that a monarch reign for life, but only for a fixed period and she thereby fulfilled a full term. When her term was up, she was informed of the existence of her half-brother, who was by then twelve years on age, named Idris. She called him back and had him crowned as her successor, and continued as his adviser for the first years of his reign.[2]
References
edit- ^ Commire, Anne (1999). Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Yorkin Publications. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7876-4080-4.
- ^ a b c Greenspan, Karen (1994). The Timetables of Women's History: A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in Women's History. Simon & Schuster. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-671-67150-1.
- ^ Everett Jenkins, Jr. (2015-05-07). The Muslim Diaspora (Volume 1, 570-1500): A Comprehensive Chronology of the Spread of Islam in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. McFarland. p. 337. ISBN 978-1-4766-0888-4.
- ^ Coquery-vidrovitch, Catherine; Raps, Beth (2018-10-08). African Women: A Modern History. Routledge. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-429-97104-4.
- ^ Lipschutz, Mark R.; Rasmussen, R. Kent (1986). Dictionary of African Historical Biography. University of California Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-520-06611-3.
- ^ Falola, Toyin (2000). African cultures and societies before 1885. Carolina Academic Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-89089-769-0.
- ^ Sheldon, Kathleen (2016-03-04). Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4422-6293-5.
- ^ a b Jackson, Guida Myrl (1998). Women who ruled : a biographical encyclopedia. Barnes & Noble. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0-7607-0885-9.
- Guida Myrl Jackson-Laufer: Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide
- Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia