← Explore on the interactive map

Turmoil among Songhai Successor States (1570s)

Type Event Region Africa Time 1571–1580

In the 1570s the Songhai Empire under Askia Dawud still maintained nominal unity, but border powers such as Mossi, Keita, and Bobala continued to res…

Timeline

  1. 1571–1575Gao · MaliAskia Dawud ruled for a long period; the imperial center tightened its control over provincial governors and military nobles, while power struggles within the court and disputes over tribute distribution emerged, showing signs of loosening in the empire's foundations of rule.
  2. 1576–1580Sahel belt of the middle Niger River · SahelSonghai forces repeatedly fought with border powers such as Mossi, Keita, and Bobala; some vassal regions grew more autonomous, and successor polities such as Dendi gradually formed at the empire's margins, as the Sahel political map tended toward fragmentation.

Sources