Decline of the Mali Empire (1370s)

Timeline

1. 1371–1374Niani · MaliMali Jata II (also called Mansa Jata) consolidated power around 1360; Ibn Khaldun records him as a ruler of heavy exactions, and he died in AH 775 (c. 1373-1374) after about two years of illness. His son Musa II succeeded but was sidelined by the powerful minister Mali Jata. The rulers of this decade were not Maghan I (c. 1337-1341) or Maghan II (after 1387).
2. 1375–1376Gao · MaliEnglish Wikipedia Mali Empire article: in the 1370s imperial forces fought Berber/Tuareg forces from Takrur (Takeda), the city of Gao was heavily damaged, and its surroundings broke from Mali control around this time. The Musa II article also records that eastern provinces centered on Gao began to split. The Tuareg's short occupation of Timbuktu occurred in the first half of the 15th century and cannot be written as a loss in 1375.
3. 1377–1380Gao · MaliBy Musa II's death in 1387, Mali's finances were still sustainable, and apart from Gao and Jolof (Diolof) it still controlled most previously conquered territories. Gao's breakaway left room for later Songhai expansion, but the claim that 'Songhai cities stopped paying tribute in 1377-1380' cannot be pinned to a single-year document.