mansa musa descendants

Despite the faama of Niani's wishes to respect the prophecy and put Sundiata on the throne, the son from his first wife Sassouma Brt was crowned instead. As founded by Mari Djata, it was composed of the "three freely allied states" of Mali, Mema and Wagadou plus the Twelve Doors of Mali.[60]. An army was required to guard the borders to protect its flourishing trade. However, from 1507 onwards neighboring states such as Diara, Great Fulo and the Songhai Empire chipped away at the outer borders of Mali. [140], The Mali Empire maintained a semi-professional, full-time army in order to defend its borders. The Catalan Atlas, created in 1375 C.E. Mansa Souleyman Keita (or Suleiman) took steep measures to put Mali back into financial shape, thereby developing a reputation for miserliness. The bow figured prominently in Mandinka warfare and was a symbol of military force throughout the culture. The dates of Musa's reign are uncertain. [e] After the loss of the first expedition, Muhammad led the second expedition himself. ", "Recherches sur l'Empire du Mali au Moyen Age", "Towards a New Study of the So-Called Trkh al-fattsh", World History Encyclopedia Mansa Musa I, History Channel: Mansa Moussa: Pilgrimage of Gold, Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mansa_Musa&oldid=1142573327, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Mansa Musa was portrayed in two games in the, Mansa Musa was portrayed in the episode ", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 05:05. Like the Great Mosque, a contemporaneous and grandiose structure in Timbuktu, the Hall was built of cut stone. [54] Despite this initial awkwardness, the two rulers got along well, and exchanged gifts. Trade was Mali's form of income, and wealth. Mansa Musa Keita's crowning achievement was his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, which started in 1324 and concluded with his return in 1326. Hunters from the Ghana Empire (or Wagadou), particularly mythical ancestors Kontron and Sanin, founded Manding and the Malink and Bambaras hunter brotherhood. Following the death of Sundiata Keita in c. 1255, the kings of Mali were referred to by the title mansa. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. Equipped with two quivers and a knife fastened to the back of their arm, Mandinka bowmen used barbed, iron-tipped arrows that were usually poisoned. His elaborate pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in 1324 introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe. [69] The Kangaba province, free of Sonink influence, splintered into twelve kingdoms with their own maghan (meaning prince) or faama. He is also called Hidji Mansa . Masuta the Descended is a miniboss in The Shadow Reef. When Musa departed Mali for the hajj, he left his son Muhammad to rule in his absence. [15] Leo Africanus said that the capital city was called Melli. . The Camara (or Kamara) are said to be the first family to have lived in Manding, after having left, due to the drought, Ouallata, a region of Wagadou, in the south-east of present-day Mauritania. [124] Following this disastrous set of events, Mansa Mama Maghan abandoned the capital of Niani. [71] However, Ibn Khaldun also reports that Musa sent an envoy to congratulate Abu al-Hasan Ali for his conquest of Tlemcen, which took place in May 1337, but by the time Abu al-Hasan sent an envoy in response, Musa had died and Suleyman was on the throne, suggesting Musa died in 1337. 05 Mar 2023. [5] In c. 1285 Sakoura, a former royal court slave, became emperor and was one of Mali's most powerful rulers, greatly expanding the empire's territory. The University of Sankore in Timbuktu was restaffed under Musa's reign with jurists, astronomers, and mathematicians. [149], Imperial banner carried with Musa I in 1325 Hajj, Social, economic and governmental reformation. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and adorned with arabesques of striking colours. They founded the first village of the Manding, Kirikoroni, then Kirina, Siby, Kita. [58] This area was composed of mountains, savannah and forest providing ideal protection and resources for the population of hunters. Despite this disunity in the realm, the realm remained under Mandinka control into the mid-17th century. [145] Another common weapon of Mandekalu warriors was the poison javelin used in skirmishes. [40], Various sources cite several other cities as capitals of the Mali Empire, some in competition with the Niani hypothesis and others addressing different time periods. With trade being disrupted by wars, there was no way for the economy to continue to prosper. Mansa Musa (1280-1337) Mansa Musa, fourteenth century emperor of the Mali Empire, is the medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa. [70] However, once Sundiata did gain use of his legs he grew strong and very respected. The third great account is that of Ibn Khaldun, who wrote in the early 15th century. Musa went on hajj to Mecca in 1324, traveling with an enormous entourage and a vast supply of gold. His religious devotion contributed to the spread of Islam across West Africa. Ms Is hajj left a lasting impression of Malis splendour on both the Islamic and European worlds. [108] Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian explorer, recorded that the Mali Empire was the most powerful entity on the coast in 1454. These farbas would rule their old kingdoms in the name of the mansa with most of the authority they held prior to joining the empire. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [93] Only at the state or province level was there any palpable interference from the central authority in Niani. [122] They targeted Moroccan pashas still in Timbuktu and the mansas of Manden. Mansa Musa was a smart, powerful, competent Islamic autocrat who ruled over and expanded the Malian empire. The House of Saud is ruled by the descendants of King Abdulaziz, who founded and unified Saudi Arabia in 1932. According to Burkinab writer Joseph Ki-Zerbo, the farther a person travelled from Niani, the more decentralised the mansa's power became. There is some ambiguity over the identity of the mansa responsible for the voyages. Barring any other difficulties, the dyamani-tigui would run the province by himself collecting taxes and procuring armies from the tribes under his command. However, his riches are only one part of his legacy, and he is also remembered for his Islamic faith, promotion of scholarship, and patronage of culture in Mali. Imperial Mali is best known through three primary sources: the first is the account of Shihab al-'Umari, written in about 1340 by a geographer-administrator in Mamluk Egypt. [93], Following Musa Keita III's death, his brother Gbr Keita became emperor in the mid-15th century. However, many believe Mansa Musa's wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires. [86], The name "Musa" has become virtually synonymous with pilgrimage in Mand tradition, such that other figures who are remembered as going on a pilgrimage, such as Fakoli, are also called Musa. 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. Mansa Musa ruled over the Mali empire in the 14th Century, and his incredible access to gold made him arguably . In this lesson, students read one recent blog post about Musa I of Mali's wealth, followed by two historical documents from the fourteenth-century, to answer the question: Was Mansa Musa the richest person ever? The only real requirement was that the mansa knew he could trust this individual to safeguard imperial interests. Mansa Musa turned the kingdom of Mali into a sophisticated center of learning in the Islamic world.Mansa Musa came to power in 1312 C.E., after the previous king, Abu Bakr II, disappeared at sea. The only Mandinka power spared from the campaign was Kangaba. While the accounts are of limited length, they provide a fairly good picture of the empire at its height. This trend would continue into colonial times against Tukulor enemies from the west.[121]. 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]. Provinces picked their own governors via their own custom (election, inheritance, etc.). However, it went through radical changes before reaching the legendary proportions proclaimed by its subjects. Cairo and Mecca received this royal personage, whose glittering procession, in the superlatives employed by Arab chroniclers, almost put Africas sun to shame. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. [98], The wealth of the Mali Empire did not come from direct control of gold-producing regions, but rather trade and tribute. [92] Furthermore, it is difficult to meaningfully compare the wealth of historical figures such as Mansa Musa, due to the difficulty of separating the personal wealth of a monarch from the wealth of the state and the difficulty of comparing wealth in highly different societies. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca during the reign of Mamluk Sultan An-Nasir Muhammad (r. 12981308), but died on his voyage home. [78] Nehemia Levtzion regarded 1337 as the most likely date,[72] which has been accepted by other scholars. The people of the south needed salt for their diet, but it was extremely rare. Around 1610, Mahmud Keita IV died. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.When Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca in 1324 C.E., his journey through Egypt caused quite a stir. 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. Konkodougou Kamissa Keita, named for the province he once governed,[70] was crowned as Mansa Mari Djata Keita II in 1360. [9] Upon Leo Africanus's visit at the beginning of the 16th century, his descriptions of the territorial domains of Mali showed that it was still a kingdom of considerable size. From the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu. In Niani, Musa built the Hall of Audience, a building communicating by an interior door to the royal palace. In Ibn Khaldun's account, Sundjata is recorded as Mari Djata with "Mari" meaning "Amir" or "Prince". He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca from 1324 to 1326. He ruled oppressively and nearly bankrupted Mali with his lavish spending. We would much rather spend this money on producing more free history content for the world. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes. His descendants migrated to the land of Mali and established the Mandinka clan of Keita. The wooden window frames of an upper storey were plated with silver foil; those of a lower storey with gold. According to the records of Ibn Battuta,[138][139] copper which traded in bars was mined from Takedda in the north and traded in the south for gold. Well after his death, Mansa Musa remained engrained in the imagination of the world as a symbol of fabulous wealth. He was deposed in 1389, marking the end of the Faga Laye Keita mansas. His 25-year reign (1312-1337 CE) is described as "the golden age of . But the Mali Empire built by his predecessors was too strong for even his misrule and it passed intact to Musa's brother, Souleyman Keita in 1341. Ms I is widely considered the wealthiest man in history. Mansa Musa brought architects and scholars from across the Islamic world into his kingdom, and the reputation of the Mali kingdom grew. Furthermore, his hajj in 1324 was in some ways an act of solidarity that showed his connection to other rulers and peoples throughout the Islamic world. World History Encyclopedia. To Musa, Islam was "an entry into the cultured world of the Eastern Mediterranean". jeli), also known as griots, includes relatively little information about Musa compared to some other parts of the history of Mali. He also states that Djata or "Jatah" means "lion". [70][141] With the help of the river clans, this army could be deployed throughout the realm on short notice. Mansa Mahmud Keita II came to the throne in 1481 during Mali's downward spiral. His reign saw the first in a string of many great losses to Mali. the descendants of the nearly 1,000-year-old objects made in Africa. [11][12] The version recorded by medieval Arab geographers is Mali (Arabic: , romanized:Ml). He stopped in Cairo along the way, and his luxurious spending and gift giving was so extensive that he diluted the value of gold by 10 to 25 percent and impacted Cairos economy for at least 12 years afterward. With a global population of some 11 million, the Mandinka are the best-known ethnic group of the Mande peoples, all of whom speak different dialects of the Mande language. [73], Prince Sundjata was prophesied to become a great conqueror. 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]. Al-Nasir expected Musa to prostrate himself before him, which Musa initially refused to do. Mansa Musa came from his country with 80 loads of gold dust (tibr), each load weighing three qintars. The other major source of information comes from Mandinka oral tradition, as recorded by storytellers known as griots.[5]. It was during Suleyman's 19-year reign that Ibn Battuta visited Mali. One of these was Dioma, an area south of Niani populated by Fula Wassoulounk. Mansa Ms, either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, came to the throne in 1307. . The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. Mansa Musa eventually gained the throne owing to a strange sequence of events that turned in his favor. Mande bards in the region speak of the Dakajalan site, containing Sundiata's grave, as sacrosanct. It was this pilgrimage that awakened the world to the stupendous wealth of Mali. [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. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Masuta performs many of the same attacks as his original incarnation (though he yells a quote prior to using his abilities), but does not summon thrashing waters or create . At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely . While in Cairo during his hajj, Musa befriended officials such as Ibn Amir Hajib, who learned about him and his country from him and later passed on that information to historians such as Al-Umari. In addition, the moral and religious principles he had taught his subjects endured after his death. Swords were drawn, but before the situation escalated further, Musa persuaded his men to back down. The current King, Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz and has continued to maintain the . As a result of steady tax revenue and stable government beginning in the last quarter of the 13th century, the Mali Empire was able to project its power throughout its own extensive domain and beyond. By the time they reached Suez, many of the Malian pilgrims had died of cold, starvation, or bandit raids, and they had lost many of their supplies. 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. Ag-Amalwal. Ibn Battuta had written that in Taghaza there were no trees and there is only sand and the salt mines. Not only do we pay for our servers, but also for related services such as our content delivery network, Google Workspace, email, and much more. Mansa Musa also ran out of gold on the hajj to Mecca but was not concerned because he knew he had enough gold back in Mali to pay back everyone he owed money to. [90][91] His reign is considered the golden age of Mali. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. [25] The empire also reached its highest population during the Laye period ruling over 400 cities,[26] towns and villages of various religions and elasticities. Your email address will not be published. Musa's death may have occurred in 1337, 1332, or possibly even earlier, giving 1307 or 1312 as plausible approximate years of accession. [39], The identity of the capital city of the Mali Empire is a matter of dispute among historians. [43] Perhaps because of this, Musa's early reign was spent in continuous military conflict with neighboring non-Muslim societies. The tarikh states that a Sultan Kunburu became a Muslim and had his palace pulled down and the site turned into a mosque; he then built another palace for himself near the mosque on the east side. [70] Gbr Keita was crowned Mansa Ouali Keita II and ruled during the period of Mali's contact with Portugal. [98] Musa's hajj, and especially his gold, caught the attention of both the Islamic and Christian worlds. The family tree of Mansa Musa. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Today, his net worth is estimated to have been $400 billion. [104] He would only reign a year before a descendant of Mansa Gao Keita removed him.[70]. Omissions? Musa's reign is often regarded as the zenith of Mali's power and prestige. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Mansa Musa even built the Great Mosque of Djenn, one of the most famous mosques in Mali, to recognize his pilgrimage. In the early 15th century, Mali was still powerful enough to conquer and settle new areas. [135] Gold nuggets were the exclusive property of the mansa and were illegal to trade within his borders. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [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. Mansa Mahmud Keita II's rule was characterised by more losses to Mali's old possessions and increased contact between Mali and Portuguese explorers along the coast. 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]. UsefulCharts, . "[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. Nobody lived in the area except the Musafa servants who worked to dig the salts and lived on dates imported from Sijilmasa and the Dar'a valley, camel meat and millet imported from the Sudan. . 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,. During the peak of the kingdom, Mali was extremely wealthy. Musa I (c. 1280 - 1337), better known as Mansa Musa, was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire.Widely considered to have been the wealthiest person in known history (some sources measuring his wealth at around $400 billion adjusted to inflation), his vast wealth was used to attract scholars, merchants and architects to Mali, establishing it as a beacon of Islamic trade, culture and learning. [82], Musa is less renowned in Mand oral tradition as performed by the jeliw. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. The oldest brother, Srbandjougou Keita, was crowned Mansa Foamed or Mansa Musa Keita III. Therefore, Arabic visitors may have assigned the "capital" label merely to whatever major city the mansa was based out of at the time of their visit. Musa made his pilgrimage between 1324 and 1325 spanning 2,700 miles. [17] Whether Mali originated as the name of a town or region, the name was subsequently applied to the entire empire ruled from Mali. Abu Bakr was the first and only mansa to inherit through the female line, which has been argued to be either a break from or a return to tradition. Updates? [42] Another source of income for Mali during Musa's reign was taxation of the copper trade. Mama Maghan, mansa of Kangaba, campaigned against the Bamana in 1667 and laid siege to SegouKoro for a reported three years. Musa conquered more than 20 major cities in his lifetime. Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca happened between 1324 and 1325. Sandaki likely means High Counsellor or Supreme Counsellor, from san or sanon (meaning "high") and adegue (meaning counsellor). Several 21st century historians have firmly rejected Niani as a capital candidate based on a lack of archaeological evidence of significant trade activity, clearly described by Arab visitors, particularly during the 14th century, Mali's golden age. Web. Mss rule defined the golden age of Mali. [86] As Fajigi, Musa is sometimes conflated with a figure in oral tradition named Fakoli, who is best known as Sunjata's top general. [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. 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. It is implausible that Abu Bakr was Musa's father, due to the amount of time between Sunjata's reign and Musa's. [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. Sundjata is credited with at least the initial organisation of the Manding military. [90] CelebrityNetWorth has been criticized for the unreliability of its estimates. [96], According to some Arabic writers, Musa's gift-giving caused a depreciation in the value of gold in Egypt. [59], On his return journey, Musa met the Andalusian poet Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, whose eloquence and knowledge of jurisprudence impressed him, and whom he convinced to travel with him to Mali. 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. However, Al-Nasir Muhammad returned Musa's earlier show of generosity with gifts of his own. Mali's domain also extended into the desert. Embedded by Arienne King, published on 17 October 2020. Gao had already been captured by Musa's general, and Musa quickly regained Timbuktu, built a rampart and stone fort, and placed a standing army to protect the city from future invaders.[70]. [71] The tiny kingdom of Niani was one of several in the Kri area of Manden. They are descendants of. We care about our planet! From 1389 onwards Mali gained a host of mansas of obscure origins. Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History. [118] Mahmud sought support from several other rulers, including the governor of Kala, Bukar. [11][b] In Mand tradition, it was common for one's name to be prefixed by their mother's name, so the name Kanku Musa means "Musa, son of Kanku", although it is unclear if the genealogy implied is literal. In the event of conquest, farins took control of the area until a suitable native ruler could be found. Musa was a very successful military leader. The exact date of Musa's accession is debated. Nelson, 1971. The area was famous as a hunting ground for the large amount of game that it sheltered, as well as its dense vegetation. Wagadou's control over Manden came to a halt after internal instability lead to its decline. Most notably, the ancient center of learning Sankore Madrasah (or University of Sankore) was constructed during his reign. [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". 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 date of Mansa Musa's death is not certain. [20] Arab interest in the Mali Empire declined after the Songhai conquered the northern regions of the empire which formed the primary contact between Mali and the Arab world. The Joma area, governed from Siguiri, controlled the central region, which encompassed Niani.

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