West Africa – Songhai Dynasty

Songhai Dynasty (1464-1592) In West Africa, the power and wealth of Mali began to decline with the fall of the Islamic caliphates in the 15th century While the Mali Empire declined in power and wealth, the city of Gao, a major city of the TSTN, began to take advantage of Mali’s decline Starting in the 1460s and 1470s, Gao, led by the Songhai family, began to expand by taking Malian cities, such as Timbuktu By 1500, the Songhai had conquered the rest of Mali and formed the largest sub-Saharan state

Askia the Great (1493-1528) One of the most powerful Songhai rulers was Askia the Great A devout Muslim, he opened religious schools, and constructed mosques He also opened up his court to non-Black African scholars and poets from throughout the Muslim world He sent his kids to Islamic school, but was tolerant of other religions and did not force Islam on the lower classes

Consolidation of Power Through Islam For the upper class, however, Askia and other Songhai rulers were not as tolerant They promoted (or forced) the upper classes to convert, and used Islam to educate the elites on obedience to the king Islam, like other Judeo-Christian beliefs, teaches obedience to your political rulers—particularly caliphs and sultans By forcing the elites and their children to convert and practice loyalty to the king, the Songhai used Islam and elites to consolidate their control Not only was their power politically enforced, but also religiously