1. West Africa – Songhai Dynasty

3. Songhai Dynasty ( )
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

4. Askia the Great ( )
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

5. 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