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Rise of the Songhai Empire (1430s)
In the 1430s the Songhai kingdom centered on Gao in the Niger bend grew rapidly under the Sonni dynasty, shedding vassalage to Mali and becoming West…
Timeline
- 1431–1435Gao · MaliSonni dynasty monarchs consolidated control over Gao and surrounding irrigated agricultural areas; trade in salt, gold, slaves, and livestock increased the city's wealth, while networks of Islamic scholars and merchants provided the kingdom with administrative and diplomatic resources.
- 1435–1440Middle Niger River · West AfricaSonghai power advanced into towns of the middle Niger, gradually challenging Mali's monopoly on trade routes; Gao became an emerging Sahelian power center, laying political and economic foundations for the large-scale conquests of the second half of the 15th century.
Sources
- The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 3: From c.1050 to c.1600 — J. F. Ade Ajayi; Roland Oliver (eds.) (1977)
- Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Islam's Age of Gold — John Hunwick (2003)