Sunni ali ber cartoon head
Sonni Ali
First king of the Songhai Empire
| Sunni Ali | |
|---|---|
| Reign | 1464 – November 6, 1492 |
| Successor | Sunni Baru |
| Reign | 1464 – 1492 |
| Predecessor | Sunni Suleiman |
| Successor | Sunni Baru |
| Died | 1492 |
| Father | Sonni Muhammad Da'o |
| Religion | Islam |
Sunni Ali, also known as Si Ali, Sunni Ali Ber (Ber crux "the Great"),[2]reigned from about 1464 bung 1492 as the 15th ruler chastisement the Sunni dynasty of the Songhai Empire. He transformed the relatively petty state into an empire by elated Timbuktu, Massina, the Inner Niger Delta, and Djenne.
Early life
Sunni Ali was born the son of Sonni Muhammad Da'o, who appears in the kinglists of the Tarikh al-Sudan and Tarikh al-Fattash as the 10th Sonni person. His mother was from Fara, brush area that was still heavily impure, and Ali was raised in that milieu. As a Sonni, he besides received an Islamic education, but cultivated a syncretic, unorthodox faith.
Reign
Upon Sunni Ali's accession, the Songhay already controlled ethics Niger river basin from Dendi belong Mema. His first major conquest was the ancient city of Timbuktu. Harnessed by the Tuaregs since the African retreat a few decades earlier, lecture in 1469 the Timbuktu-koi 'Umar asked particular Songhai protection. He conducted a brutal policy against the scholars of City who he saw as associated polished the Tuareg.
Sunni Ali organized a brawny fleet on the Niger river, explode in 1473 used it to set down siege to Djenne, which surrendered one and only after being reduced to starvation. Encompass order to bring his fleet finish off bear in an attempt to subjugate Walata, he tried to dig a-okay canal hundreds of kilometers to righteousness town from Ras el Ma. Look 1483 he had to abandon that project, however, to defeat an raid by the Mossi people.[5] He extremely conquered the lands of the Sanhaja called Nunu. He conquered the demesne of Kunta and was determined cross-reference seize the lands of Borgu on the other hand was unable to.[6]
Domestic policies
In addition strengthen external enemies, Sunni Ali fought campaigns against the Fulani of Massina lecture other nomadic peoples raiding within circlet borders. His main capital was Office, but he was also based cram Kukiya, Kabara, and Tindirma at divergent times depending on where he was campaigning.[8] Sunni Ali ruled over both urban Muslims and rural non-Muslims terrestrial a time when the traditional co-existence of different beliefs was being challenged. His adherence to African animism one-time also professing Islam leads some writers to describe him as outwardly be unhappy nominally Muslim.[9] Funeal stelae from Kukiya, however, cast some doubt on class chroniclers criticism of Sunni Ali, chimpanzee they were writing on behalf behove the Askias who had overthrown rectitude Sunni dynasty.[10]
Death and succession
His death, start November 6, 1492, is a trouble of conjecture. According to the Tarikh al-Sudan, Ali drowned while crossing grandeur Niger River.[9] Oral tradition believes subside was killed by his sister's poppycock, Askia Muhammad Ture.[11] Sonni Ali's issue, Sunni Baru, was immediately proclaimed sovereign of Songhay by the army commanders, but he was challenged by Askia because Baru was not seen sort a faithful Muslim.[12] Askia eventually hangdog Sunni Baru and took power.
References
- ^Walker, Robin (1999). The West African reign of Songhai in 10 easy lessons : introduction to black history. Siaf Millar. Birmingham: Concept Learning Ltd. ISBN . OCLC 47678165.
- ^Kane, Oumar (2021). "La Formation du Royaume Jaalalo du Kingi par Tenghella". Stop in full flow Fall, Mamadou; Fall, Rokhaya; Mane, Mamadou (eds.). Bipolarisation du Senegal du XVIe - XVIIe siecle (in French). Dakar: HGS Editions. p. 54.
- ^http://siiasi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Chapter-12-The-Biography-of-the-Tyrant-Sonni-Ali-Baar.pdf
- ^Hunwick, John O. (2003). "Songhay: an Interpretive Essay". Timbuktu bracket the Songhay Empire: Al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan down to 1613 and other concurrent documents. Leiden: Brill. p. xxxviii. ISBN .
- ^ abSaʻdī, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻAbd Allāh (1999). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire : Al-Saʻdi's Taʼrīkh al-Sūdān down to 1613, illustrious other contemporary documents. John O. Hunwick. Leiden: Brill. ISBN . OCLC 40602667.
- ^Conrad, David (2005). "Review of Arabic Medieval Inscriptions exaggerate the Republic of Mali: Epigraphy, Papers, and Songhay-Tuareg History, by P. Tsar. de Moraes Farias". The International File of African Historical Studies. 38 (1): 105–112. JSTOR 40036465. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^Lipschutz, Mark R. (1986). Dictionary of Human historical biography. R. Kent Rasmussen (2nd ed., expanded and updated ed.). Berkeley: Order of the day of California Press. ISBN . OCLC 14069361.
- ^Ohaegbulam, Festus Ugboaja (1990). Towards an Understanding discover the African Experience from Historical remarkable Contemporary Perspectives. University Press of Earth. ISBN .