The last son of Maghan Keita I, Tenin Maghan Keita (also known as Kita Tenin Maghan Keita for the province he once governed) was crowned Mansa Maghan Keita II in 1387. Candice Goucher, Charles LeGuin, and Linda Walton. In approximately 1140 the Sosso kingdom of Kaniaga, a former vassal of Wagadou, began conquering the lands of its old rulers. Corrections? Mansa Musa Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements During the 17th century, the Mali Empire faced incursions from the Bamana Empire. Regardless of their title in the province, they were recognised as dyamani-tigui (province-master) by the mansa. [82], Musa is less renowned in Mand oral tradition as performed by the jeliw. The architectural crafts in Granada had reached their zenith by the fourteenth century, and its extremely unlikely that a cultured and wealthy poet would have had anything more than a dilettante's knowledge of the intricacies of contemporary architectural practice. The Songhai kingdom measured several hundreds of miles across, so that the conquest meant the acquisition of a vast territory. Swords were drawn, but before the situation escalated further, Musa persuaded his men to back down. 19 Children of Mansa Musa Muhummed The farba could also take power away from the native administration if required and raise an army in the area for defence or putting down rebellions.[130]. [20] For the later period of the Mali Empire, the major written primary sources are Portuguese accounts of the coastal provinces of Mali and neighboring societies.[21]. During this period only the Mongol Empire was larger. [105][106] Three years later, Oualata also fell into their hands. Around 1610, Mahmud Keita IV died. Alternate titles: Kankan Ms, Mansa Musa, Mousa, Musa. Upon stabbing their spears into the ground before Sundiata's throne, each of the twelve kings relinquished their kingdom to the Keita dynasty. [40] Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus both call the capital "Mali. [52][55], Musa's generosity continued as he traveled onwards to Mecca, and he gave gifts to fellow pilgrims and the people of Medina and Mecca. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and adorned with arabesques of striking colours. Mali borrowed the practice to stem inflation of the substance, since it was so prominent in the region. The kingdom of Mali was relatively unknown outside of West Africa until this event. Musa's name Kanku Musa means "Musa son of Kanku", but the genealogy may not be literal. Mansa Musa even built the Great Mosque of Djenn, one of the most famous mosques in Mali, to recognize his pilgrimage. Combined in the rapidly spoken language of the Mandinka, the names formed Sondjata, Sundjata or Sundiata Keita. Mansa Musa was immensely wealthy (whether he can be regarded as personally wealthy or wealthy because he controlled the gold mines of Mali is, of course, a . 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. UsefulCharts, . To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". His generous gifts to Mamluk Egypt and his expenditure of gold caused significant inflation in Egypt. A dknsi performed the same function except with slave troops called sofa ("guardian of the horse") and under the command of a farimba ("great brave man"). Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage to Mecca - Amazing Bible Timeline To Westerners, he seems to have been the greatest of Mali rulers, as visible in games like Civilization. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage. [10], Mali, Mand, Manden, and Manding are all various pronunciations of the same word across different languages and dialects. Trade was Mali's form of income, and wealth. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. Arab writers from the time said that he travelled with an entourage of tens of thousands of people and dozens of camels, each carrying 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of gold. The Sankor University was capable of housing 25,000 students and had one of the largest libraries in the world with roughly 1,000,000 manuscripts.[100][101]. The other characteristic of this era is the gradual loss of its northern and eastern possessions to the rising Songhai Empire and the movement of the Mali's economic focus from the trans-Saharan trade routes to the burgeoning commerce along the coast. Musa not only gave to the cities he passed on the way to Mecca, including Cairo and Medina, but also traded gold for souvenirs. [99] Mosques were built in Gao and Timbuktu along with impressive palaces also built in Timbuktu. ), mansa (emperor) of the West African empire of Mali from 1307 (or 1312). Musa provided all necessities for the procession, feeding the entire company of men and animals. Every year merchants entered Mali via Oualata with camel loads of salt to sell in Niani. [97] Though this has been described as having "wrecked" Egypt's economy,[85] the historian Warren Schultz has argued that this was well within normal fluctuations in the value of gold in Mamluk Egypt. Mansa Musa was a smart, powerful, competent Islamic autocrat who ruled over and expanded the Malian empire. When Musa departed Mali for the hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence. Barring any other difficulties, the dyamani-tigui would run the province by himself collecting taxes and procuring armies from the tribes under his command. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali Server Costs Fundraiser 2023 Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. All gold was immediately handed over to the imperial treasury in return for an equal value of gold dust. How Europe Planned to Steal from African King Mansa Musa - YouTube Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. . Mama Maghan, mansa of Kangaba, campaigned against the Bamana in 1667 and laid siege to SegouKoro for a reported three years. Hamana (or Amana), southwest of Joma, became the southern sphere, with its capital at Kouroussa in modern Guinea. In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. Al-Nasir expected Musa to prostrate himself before him, which Musa initially refused to do. During this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states such as Bono state. [98], The wealth of the Mali Empire did not come from direct control of gold-producing regions, but rather trade and tribute. They founded the first village of the Manding, Kirikoroni, then Kirina, Siby, Kita. [j][52][53] While in Cairo, Musa met with the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, whose reign had already seen one mansa, Sakura, make the hajj. He was the first African ruler to be widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. In search of a status discourse for Mande". Scholars who were mainly interested in history, Qurnic theology, and law were to make the mosque of Sankore in Timbuktu a teaching centre and to lay the foundations of the University of Sankore. [133], There was no standard currency throughout the realm, but several forms were prominent by region. World History Encyclopedia. Gold, copper, and salt were a major source of income in the 12th century and the empire happened to be blessed with it, even more as it expanded. Niane, D. T.: "Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali". He's especially famous for his hajj to Mecca, during which he sponsored numerous mosques and madrases, and supposedly spent so much gold along the way that the metal was severely devalued, which for many people was not a very good thing. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia, and the modern state of Mali. [89][85] Contemporary Arabic sources may have been trying to express that Musa had more gold than they thought possible, rather than trying to give an exact number. The Wolof populations of the area united into their own state known as the Jolof Empire in the 1350s. Musa Mansa | YourDictionary [92] He was one of the first truly devout Muslims to lead the Mali Empire. His reign is associated with numerous construction projects, including part of Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu. [93] He did not, however, hold the power of previous mansas because of the influence of his kankoro-sigui. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. His leadership of Mali, a state which stretched across two thousand . Dates: 4001591 C. E.", "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? The army of the Mali Empire during the 14th century was divided into northern and southern commands led by the Farim-Soura and Sankar-Zouma, respectively. The other account claims that Gao had been conquered during the reign of Mansa Sakura. Mansa Musa returned from Mecca with several Islamic scholars, including direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad and an Andalusian poet and architect by the name of Abu Es Haq es Saheli,. Mansa Musa was the great-great-grandson of Sunjata, who was the founder of the empire of Mali. The richest person who ever lived - BBC Reel [70] The mansa lost control of Jalo during this period. [78] Nehemia Levtzion regarded 1337 as the most likely date,[72] which has been accepted by other scholars. Musa I ( Arabic: , romanized : Mans Ms, N'Ko: ; r. c. 1312 - c. 1337 [a]) was the ninth [4] mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. Mansa Musa (Civ6) | Civilization Wiki | Fandom [70] These men had to be of the horon (freemen) caste and appear with their own arms. Timbuktu became a major Islamic university center during the 14th century due to Mansa Musas developments. Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim. He ruled between 707-732/737 according to the Islamic calendar (AH), which translates to 1307-1332/1337 CE. We all know of Mansa Musa, possibly the richest man to ever exist. Mansa Musa - Wikipedia Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. [39] Her jamu (clan name) Konte is shared with both Sunjata's mother Sogolon Konte and his arch-enemy Sumanguru Konte. The only real requirement was that the mansa knew he could trust this individual to safeguard imperial interests. [90] CelebrityNetWorth has been criticized for the unreliability of its estimates. [93] Sandaki Keita should not however be taken to be this person's name but a title. [93] It is during his reign that Fula raids on Takrur began. Al-Umari reported that Mali had fourteen provinces. Imperial Malian architecture was characterised by Sudano-Sahelian architecture with a Malian substyle, which is exemplified by the Great Mosque of Djenne. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Baah noted that it took about four months to travel from the northern borders of the Mali empire to Niani in the south. [128] Nevertheless, the mansa managed to keep tax money and nominal control over the area without agitating his subjects into revolt. What did Ms I do when he returned to Mali? What happened to Mansa Musa I wealth? - Quora Mansa Souleyman Keita (or Suleiman) took steep measures to put Mali back into financial shape, thereby developing a reputation for miserliness. Embedded by Arienne King, published on 17 October 2020. Mansa Musa (died 1337), king of the Mali empire in West Africa, is known mostly for his fabulous pilgrimage to Mecca and for his promotion of unity and prosperity within Mali. World History Encyclopedia. And so the name Keita became a clan/family and began its reign.[70]. [108], Despite their power in the west, Mali was losing the battle for supremacy in the north and northeast. There is some ambiguity over the identity of the mansa responsible for the voyages. Nelson, 1971. The Songhai Empire had fallen to the Saadi Sultanate of Morocco eight years earlier, and Mahmud sought to take advantage of their defeat by trying to capture Jenne. He has been subject to popular claims that he is the wealthiest person in history,[5] but his actual wealth is not known with any certainty. Different oral traditions conflict with each other, as well as Ibn Khaldun, about the transfer of power following Sunjata's death. Ag-Amalwal. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. The child of this marriage received the first name of his mother (Sogolon) and the surname of his father (Djata). Musa stayed in Cairo for three months, departing on 18 October[k] with the official caravan to Mecca. That same year, Mahmud II sent another envoy to the Portuguese proposing alliance against the Fula. Wagadou's control over Manden came to a halt after internal instability lead to its decline. Extensive archaeological digs have shown that the area was an important trade and manufacturing center in the 15th century, but no firm evidence of royal residence has come to light. An army was required to guard the borders to protect its flourishing trade. [45] Those animals included 80 camels which each carried 23136kg (50300lb) of gold dust. [60] The anglicised version of this name, Sunjata, is also popular. Forty years after the reign of Mansa Musa Keita I, the Mali Empire still controlled some 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000sqmi) of land throughout Western Africa.[103][9]. [93] Musa may have brought as much as 18 tons of gold on his hajj,[94] equal in value to over US$957million in 2022. It wasn't long before the new kingdom of Great Fulo was warring against Mali's remaining provinces. Mansa Mss prodigious generosity and piety, as well as the fine clothes and exemplary behaviour of his followers, did not fail to create a most-favourable impression. In 1645, the Bamana attacked Manden, seizing both banks of the Niger right up to Niani. Free warriors from the north (Mandekalu or otherwise) were usually equipped with large reed or animal hide shields and a stabbing spear that was called a tamba. [18], In the Songhai language, rulers of Mali such as Musa were known as the Mali-koi, koi being a title that conveyed authority over a region: in other words, the "ruler of Mali". At Taghaza, for example, salt was exchanged; at Takedda, copper. [g] Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of the Mali Empire. The only Mandinka power spared from the campaign was Kangaba. Still, when Ibn Battuta arrived at Mali in July 1352, he found a thriving civilisation on par with virtually anything in the Muslim or Christian world. [51] Musa made a major point of showing off his nation's wealth. Urban Dictionary: mansa musa According to Musa's own account, his predecessor as Mansa of Mali, presumably Muhammad ibn Qu,[31] launched two expeditions to explore the Atlantic Ocean (200 ships for the first exploratory mission and 2,000 ships for the second). The post of a farba was very prestigious, and his descendants could inherit it with the mansa's approval. Still, by the time of Mansa Musa Keita II's death in 1387, Mali was financially solvent and in control of all of its previous conquests short of Gao and Dyolof. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Intro animation: Syawish Rehman. Inside the world's wealthiest", "Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) | National Geographic Society", "The 25 richest people who ever lived inflation adjusted", "Civilization VI the Official Site | News | Civilization VI: Gathering Storm Mansa Musa Leads Mali", International Journal of African Historical Studies, "Searching for History in The Sunjata Epic: The Case of Fakoli", "chos d'Arabie. Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca happened between 1324 and 1325. [44] Niani's reputation as an imperial capital may derive from its importance in the late imperial period, when the Songhai Empire to the northeast pushed Mali back to the Manding heartland. When he did finally bow, he said he was doing so for God alone. [15], Musa ascended to power in the early 1300s[i] under unclear circumstances. [79][80], Musa's reign is commonly regarded as Mali's golden age, but this perception may be the result of his reign being the best recorded by Arabic sources, rather than him necessarily being the wealthiest and most powerful mansa of Mali. The historian al-Umar, who visited Cairo 12 years after the emperors visit, found the inhabitants of this city, with a population estimated at one million, still singing the praises of Mansa Ms. The lands of Bambougou, Jalo (Fouta Djallon), and Kaabu were added into Mali by Fakoli Koroma (Nkrumah in Ghana, Kurumah in the Gambia, Colley in Casamance, Senegal),[70] Fran Kamara (Camara) and Tiramakhan Traore (Tarawelley in the Gambia),[77] respectively Among the many different ethnic groups surrounding Manden were Pulaar speaking groups in Macina, Tekrur and Fouta Djallon. He attempted to make Islam the faith of the nobility,[93] but kept to the imperial tradition of not forcing it on the populace. He became emperor in 1307. By the end of Mansa Musa's reign, the Sankor University had been converted into a fully staffed university with the largest collections of books in Africa since the Library of Alexandria. Historians who lived during the height and decline of the Mali Empire consistently record its standing army peaking at 100,000, with 10,000 of that number being made up of cavalry. When Mansa Musa was giving gold away, he was following 2 . [18][16], Another hypothesis suggests that the name Mali is derived from Mand mali "hippopotamus", an animal that had special significance to the Keitas, and that Mand means "little manatee". "[42], Early European writers such as Maurice Delafosse believed that Niani, a city on what is now the border between Guinea and Mali, was the capital for most of the empire's history, and this notion has taken hold in the popular imagination. [6] The early history of the Mali Empire (before the 13th century) is unclear, as there are conflicting and imprecise accounts by both Arab chroniclers and oral traditionalists. This enabled him to rule over a realm larger than even the Ghana Empire in its apex. It had a well-organised army with an elite corps of horsemen and many foot soldiers in each battalion. He brought a large entourage with him which impressed people everywhere they went. The Sahelian and Saharan towns of the Mali Empire were organised as both staging posts in the long-distance caravan trade and trading centres for the various West African products. While in Mecca, conflict broke out between a group of Malian pilgrims and a group of Turkic pilgrims in the Masjid al-Haram. [96], According to some Arabic writers, Musa's gift-giving caused a depreciation in the value of gold in Egypt. [15] Leo Africanus said that the capital city was called Melli. [59] Those not living in the mountains formed small city-states such as Toron, Ka-Ba and Niani. Each representative or ton-tigi ("quiver-master") provided counsel to the mansa at the Gbara, but only these two ton-tigi held such wide-ranging power. Mansa Musa's personal name was Musa (Arabic: , romanized:Ms), the Arabic form of Moses. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Al-Umari, who wrote down a description of Mali based on information given to him by Abu Said 'Otman ed Dukkali (who had lived 35 years in the capital), reported the realm as being square and an eight-month journey from its coast at Tura (at the mouth of the Senegal River) to Muli. The ton-tigi belonged to an elite force of cavalry commanders called the farari ("brave men"). Mansa Mahmud Keita II received the Portuguese envoys Pro d'vora and Gonalo Enes in 1487. This led to inflation throughout the kingdom. [110] Meanwhile, Songhai seized the salt mines of Taghazza in 1493. [41] Given the grandeur of his subsequent hajj, it is likely that Musa spent much of his early reign preparing for it. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. The next great unit of exchange in the Mali Empire was salt. Only sofa were equipped by the state, using bows and poisoned arrows. Masuta the Descended is a miniboss in The Shadow Reef. He ruled oppressively and nearly bankrupted Mali with his lavish spending. [75] It is possible that it was actually Musa's son Maghan who congratulated Abu al-Hasan, or Maghan who received Abu al-Hasan's envoy after Musa's death. [79] Some oral traditions agree with Ibn Khaldun in indicating that a son of Sunjata, named Yerelinkon in oral tradition and Wali in Arabic, took power as Sunjata's successor. [41] A particular challenge lies in interpreting early Arabic manuscripts, in which, without vowel markings and diacritics, foreign names can be read in numerous different ways (e.g. He brought architects from Andalusia, a region in Spain, and Cairo to build his grand palace in Timbuktu and the great Djinguereber Mosque that still stands today. by UsefulCharts. It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. [86] After Sakura's death, power returned to the line of Sunjata, with Wali's son Qu taking the throne. During his reign, Mali was one of the richest kingdoms of Africa, and Mansa Musa was among the richest individuals in the world. Imperial Mali's horsemen also used iron helmet and mail armour for defence[146] as well as shields similar to those of the infantry. From at least the beginning of the 11th century, Mandinka kings known as faamas ruled Manden from Ka-ba in the name of the Ghanas.[68]. From the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu. Captivation History summarizes Mansa Musa's story from his ancestors to his descendants as they reigned over the Mali Empire beginning in the 1300s. [149], Imperial banner carried with Musa I in 1325 Hajj, Social, economic and governmental reformation.
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