Mansa Mahmud II, also known as Muhammad or Mamadou, was mansa ("king of kings") of the Mali Empire from 1481 to 1496.[citation needed] He was the son, but not necessarily the immediate successor, of Mansa Uli II.[1]

Mahmud
Mansa of Mali
Reign1490s
PredecessorUli II?
Names
Mamudu Keita
DynastyKeita
FatherUli II
ReligionIslam

Mansa Mahmud II's rule was characterized by crisis. The rise of Tenguella in the 1480s and 90s put pressure on Mali's western provinces, particularly Futa Jallon that was occupied by Koli Tenguella.[2]

The growing trade in Mali's western provinces with Portugal witnessed the exchange of envoys between the two nations. Mansa Mahmud II received the Portuguese envoy Pedro da Évora in 1484.[3] In the letter he sent back to King John II of Portugal, Mahmud claimed to be exceeded in power by only the sultans of Yemen, Baghdad, Cairo and Takrur.[4]

Meanwhile, Songhai seizes the salt mines of Taghazza in 1493. That same year, Mahmud II sent another envoy to the Portuguese proposing alliance against the Fulas. The Portuguese decide to stay out of the conflict and the talks conclude by 1495 without an alliance.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Person 1981, p. 643.
  2. ^ Person 1981, p. 622.
  3. ^ Niane, D.T.: "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen âge". Presence Africaine. Paris, 1975
  4. ^ M. Ly-Tall, "The Decline of the Mali Empire", in D. T. Niane (ed.), General History of Africa, IV: Africa from theTwelfth to the Sixteenth Century (UNESCO, 1984), pp. 182–83.

Sources

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  • Person, Yves (1981). "Nyaani Mansa Mamudu et la fin de l 'empire du Mali". Le sol, la parole et l'écrit: Mélanges en hommage à Raymond Mauny, Tome II. Paris: Société française d'histoire d'outre-mer. pp. 613–653. Retrieved 13 November 2024.