The Mali Empire
editThe Mali Empire was one of the great empires of West Africa, reaching its peak in the 14th century. Mali was founded by the legendary Sundiata Keita in approximately 1230 after defeating the Sosso at the battle of Krina, with its capital at Niani, in modern Guinea. After Sundiata's death in 1255, the kingship remained in the Keita family line until 1285.[1] In 1285, after a series of weak kings, a freed slave named Sakura took the throne. Sakura was an effective ruler, but died while returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca.[2]
14th Century Mali
editThe Mali Empire's entrance into the 14th century was heralded by a return of the throne to the Keita family line with the reign of Mansa (king) Qu. Mansa Qu's successor was his son, Mansa Muhammad.[2]
Mansa Musa
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In 1312 the most famous Malian king, Mansa Musa, came to power. Mansa Musa's reign marks the golden age of the Mali empire, spreading its territory and fame far and wide. Under Mansa Musa, the empire reached as far as the Atlantic Ocean in the West, and past the trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao in the East, encompassing the past kingdom of Ghana in its entirety, and was home to an estimated five to ten-million people.[1]
Pilgrimage to Mecca
editMansa Musa's global renown came as a result of his Hajj in 1324. He set out with a vast entourage across the Sahara desert toward Mecca. In Cairo, he initially refused to visit the sultan, as the tradition at the time was for the visitor to bow before him, and Musa believed himself to be of superior rank and power. Eventually, he made a compromise, and bowed before Allah in the presence of the sultan. After the encounter, the sultan honored Mansa Musa by inviting him to sit beside him as an equal, and they spoke for some time.[1]
According to the Islamic writer Al-Umari, Mansa Musa brought with him no less than 100 camels[3] laden with 300 pounds of gold each[1], as well as 60,000 people wearing silk, 12,000 servants, and 500 gold-staff bearing slaves before him.[3]
"Let me add that gold in Egypt had enjoyed a high rate of exchange up to the moment of their [Mansa Musa's] arrival. The gold mitqal that year had not fallen below twenty-five drachmas. But from that day onward, its value dwindled; the exchange was ruined, and even now it has not recovered. The mitqal scarcely touches twenty-two drachmas. That is how it has been for twelve years from that time, because of the great amounts of gold they brought into Egypt and spent there."
— Al-Umari, [1]
Legacy
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On his return journey back to Mali, Mansa Musa brought with him many scholars, artisans, architects, and other men of learning. They built many magnificent structures, including the mosque of Gao, and buildings in Timbuktu.[1] He also established a diplomatic relationship with the sultan of Morocco, with the two kings mutually sending ambassadors to the other's court.[2] Mansa Musa had a lifelong dedication to education, and sent many young men to be educated at the university in Fez, Morocco. These men eventually returned and began Quranic schools and universities in many cities, namely Timbuktu.[4] The tale of the wealth of the Mansa of Mali spread far around the globe, and made the Malian Empire one of the most famous African empires of its time, and is even featured on ancient European maps. Mansa Musa has been claimed to have been the richest person to have ever lived, with an estimated net worth adjusted for inflation of $400 billion.[5] Mansa Musa's reign ushered in a time of peace and prosperity in Mali that would last through the reign of his eventual successor, Mansa Suleyman.
Mansa Maghan
editMansa Maghan was the son of Mansa Musa, and was not a skilled leader. He ruled as Mansa of Mali beginning in 1337, but was in power for only four years before his uncle and Mansa Musa's brother, Suleyman Keita, became emperor in 1341. There was some question as to whether Suleyman had a hand in Maghan's deposition, and some internal conflict resulted from the change in leadership.[2]
Mansa Suleyman Keita
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Mansa Suleyman Keita succeeded Mansa Maghan, and was a proficient ruler.[2] Mansa Suleyman's reign was not as peaceful as Mansa Musa's, and some land east of Timbuktu and Gao was lost to the Songhai people.[1] Despite the growing unrest in the region, Mali still enjoyed a great level of political stability and security. This was noted by the famed Islamic explorer and writer Ibn Battuta, who visited Mali in 1352.
"The negroes possess some admirable qualities. They are seldom unjust and have a greater abhorrence of injustice than any other people. Their sultan [the Mansa] shows no mercy to any one guilty o the least act of it. There is complete security in their country. Neither traveller nor inhabitant has anything to fear from robbers or men of violence."
— Ibn Battuta, [5]
The death of Mansa Suleyman marked the beginning of the period of decline in the Mali Empire. The time leading into the 15th century was characterized by weak rulers, short reigns, and disputes over succession.[4]
15th Century Mali
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Though the Mali Empire was now in the hands of weak kings, it continued to exist well into the 15th century. Timbuktu was an important point of both trade and learning in Imperial Mali, so its loss to Tuareg Berbers in 1433 was a significant blow to the weakening state. In addition to Tuareg rebellion, the Mossi people revolted and began raiding towns deep within Mali.[4] Eventually, the city of Gao in the East broke off from Mali, as did the Wolof cities along the coast in the West. Throughout the 15th century, Mali progressively shrunk in size as many of its territories abandoned the empire, though it continued existing as an independent entity well into the 16th century. However, in 1546, the Songhai kingdom sacked Mali's capital, Niani, formally ending Mali's rule as an independent empire.[1]
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Jefferson., Murphy, E. (1972). History of African civilization,. New York,: Crowell. pp. 113–120. ISBN 0690381948. OCLC 514706.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e Ade., Ajayi, J. F. (1976). History of West Africa. Crowder, Michael, 1934-1988, (2nd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 124–128. ISBN 0231041039. OCLC 2630165.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Atalebe, Stephen (2011). "Mansa Musa, the hero". New African. Issue 502: 65. ISSN 0142-9345 – via EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete.
{{cite journal}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ^ a b c Kevin., Shillington, (2005). History of Africa (Rev. 2nd ed ed.). Oxford: Macmillan Education. ISBN 9780333599570. OCLC 62153096.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "King Mansa Musa named richest in history". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
Peer Reviews
edita. Source 4 (Shillington) is a textbook, which is a tertiary source, not a secondary source for which Wikipedia calls. Insert foot notes for the block quotes. The end of the first paragraph in "Keita" needs a citation. I would put some more foot notes in "15th Century Mali". Cite the last sentence of "Legacy". b. There are some grammar and style issues throughout; you might think about taking this to the writing center, but mostly watch out for misplaced commas and try to vary the sentence types some more. I did not find anything unclear however. c. The paragraphs flowed nicely and were broken up well. You might expand "15th Century Mali" if you have time, since it is rather short compared to the rest of it. You might make "Pilgrimage to Mecca" and "Legacy" Sub-heading 4 since it is still about Musa. You might want something under 15th Century Mali, just so it fits the format of the rest of the article. d. These were good, maybe add some pictures of the other kings, but this was well done. Overall, pretty chill. -Joshua
a) There is a lot of reference to your first source and not so much for like the 4th or 5th source, which kinda makes where you are gathering your information unbalanced or biased to one source. You could have gathered a little more sources to back up more of your work. Source(footnote) your dates so it doesn't seem like you pulled them out of thin air. b) I like the grammar, it was simple and clear and easy to read, not bogged down by complex language. A few punctuation errors but still seems good to me. c) Smooth flowing structure, broken down evenly and there are no unnecessarily long paragraphs. d) I think you used adequate pictures, maybe found more pictures on Mansa Maghan and Mansa Suleyman if possible cause it would give a better visual image on who they are since they are not as spoken of as Mansa Musa. I like it. ~Jeremy
a) Maybe try varying your sources a bit. You lean heavily on the first one. b) You use a lot of commas in your early paragraphs and I had to reread a few of them to make sure I was following. c) Your structure was great! Paragraphs were broken up nicely and your structure/sections flowed nicely. My only recommendation would be on your last section (15th C.). It seemed really short and less detailed than your section of 14th C. Mali. You could add to it, or take it out completely. d) pictures were great. ~Bekah
a. Follow what Joshua said about citations. Also, what Bekah and Jeremy said about finding more sources. b. Under the "Legacy" section, re-word some sentences. It can be more concise. c & d. The page does not draw me in due to the layout. It seems very zigzagged. Try fixing this by moving the images around. Other than that, good job! Fubzygirl (talk) 23:47, 27 November 2017 (UTC)