WHAT WAS
THE WORLD
LIKE IN 1600?
Songhai Empire
(compulsory)
Background and Focus
•Itwas not at all clear that Europe would come a
dominate force in world history
•The intention now is to provide a broad comparative
overview of some of the major empires at this time
•Societies were dynamic and undergoing change -
although the change was slower at that stage than
after European expansion (Topic 2)
•The study of each empire includes accounts of
government and society; trade; advances
•All case studies, include the role of women in society
Songhai: an African Empire in the
15th and 16th centuries (around
1340 to 1591)
• TheSonghai kingdom had existed in West Africa since the
11th century
• In 1464 Sonni Ali took control of Gao
• From there he established the Songhai Empire and began to
conquer nearby regions including the important trading cities
of Timbuktu and Djenne
• SonniAli was a great military general and created a
centralized administration
• Hisarmy had a fleet of canoes, foot soldiers with leather and
copper shields, a cavalry with iron breastplates under their
tunics, swords, and arrows with poisoned tips
• During his reign, Songhai became the largest empire in Africa
• SonniAli gained control over the three greatest trading cities
on the Niger River: Gao, Timbuktu and Djenne
Government and Society
•Each province had a governor with his own army, which
collected tribute (taxes) from farmers in the province
•The tributes had to be given to the king and were also used for
military support
•Daily life was influenced by West African traditions and
customs, but the law of the empire was based on Islam
• A later king, Askia Muhammed I, also led military campaigns to
extend the Songhai Empire
•He created an efficient system of administration with separate
ministries to look after the different sections of government
•Local governors could control their own areas, but had to
accept that they did so under Songhai rule
Women in the Songhai Empire
• Women in the Songhai Kingdom participated in many
activities
• Some were traders & were as important in the market as
men
• Wealthywomen were often well educated & had control over
their own property & resources
• However,
there was opposition to the independence of
women by Muslim scholars
• Asa result, their rights became more restricted in the 16 th &
17th centuries
• Poorer women often worked as servants in wealthier
Travel and trade in Songhai at the
height of its power
• The Songhai Empire controlled the gold and salt trade across the
Sahara Desert to Europe
• The army protected the trade routes to allow for peaceful trade
• The three main trading centres were Gao, Timbuktu and Djenne on
the Niger River
• Gold and slaves were the main items of trade across the Sahara
• Places like Timbuktu became commercial centres where merchants
from North Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe came to trade
• Arab traders & scholars also lived in Timbuktu and other towns such
as Djenne
• They linked the Songhai Empire in the extensive Muslim trading
networks of Africa, the Mediterranean & Asia
Learning and culture
• Arab traders brought Islam to Africa in the 8 th century
• Many rulers, merchants & members of the ruling classes accepted Islam
as their religion
• Askia Muhammed I was a devout Muslim who welcomed Islamic scholars
to Timbuktu
• Timbuktu was the centre of culture and learning in Songhai
• Scholars and students came from Cairo and Persia to study in Timbuktu
and to consult with the learned historians and writers of the manuscripts
• It had one of the first universities in the world
• Scholars and traders from many countries went there
• Gao and Djenne were also well-known centres of learning with large
libraries
Fall of the Empire:
Moroccan invasion of 1591
• During the 16th century the Songhai kings were starting to
lose control over their empire
• They struggled to maintain control of the trade routes
• There was also a struggle for power that led to a civil war
•In 1591 the Moroccan army, equipped with European
firearms, attacked Songhai’s main commercial centres
(Timbuktu and Goa)
•They wanted to get control of the wealth from the gold
trade
•The empire collapsed and was divided up into several
separate smaller states
