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Askia Muhammad I

Type Figure Region Africa Time c. 1440–1528 Also known as Askia the Great

Askia Muhammad I was the founding ruler of the Songhai Empire, taking power in 1493 after overthrowing the previous ruler and expanding the empire ac…

Timeline

  1. 1493–1520Gao · MaliAfter overthrowing the previous Songhai ruler in 1493, he took the throne, made Gao the capital, conquered major trading towns such as Timbuktu and Djenné, extended imperial power across the Niger River basin, and implemented Islamic law and a bureaucratic system.
  2. 1521–1528Gao · MaliIn his later years in the 1520s, his power gradually waned due to eye disease and other reasons; he died in 1528 and was succeeded by his adoptive son Askia Dawud, with the Songhai Empire continuing to maintain West African hegemony on the foundation he had established.

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