Songhai Empire - Askiya Dynasty

  General Description   Third of the great West African empires, the Songhay Empire emerged from a small kingdom based in the Gao region, which was a tributary to the Mali Empire until it started to gain autonomy in the late 14th century CE. ^[1] A Songhay leader named Sonyi Ali Beeri was responsible for transforming this polity into an expansionary empire from the late 15th century onwards. ^[2] The heyday of the Songhay Empire was under the Askiya (or Askia) dynasty, 1493‒1591. These kings consolidated Songhay power by building on the legacy of their Malinke predecessors and took control of more territories, extending their reach over the Niger Inland Delta, westward to the Atlantic ocean, northward to the salt pans of Taghaza, and eastward to the Tuareg kingdom of Agadez. ^{[3] [4] [5]} However, the empire was brought to an abrupt end in the late 16th century: after a succession crisis which sparked a civil war, the Sultan of Morocco invaded in 1591. ^{[6] [7]}
Population and political organization
Unlike the preceding Ghana and Mali Empires, Songhay operated as a centralized unitary state. ^[7] The king was a revered figure but his authority was tempered by the precepts of Islam from the 11th century, and this religion became increasingly prevalent under the Askiya dynasty. ^[7] The imperial council coordinated the activities of the central government, which was divided into ministries including those of agriculture, finance, the army and the naval fleet. ^[8] The two major provinces, Kurmina in the west and Dendi in the southeast, were ruled by princes who were responsible for their own armies. ^[9] Thriving trading towns like Jenné, Timbuktu, Teghazza and Walata enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy due to the power of guilds and local chiefs, but had to report to a superintendent, tax inspectors, customs officials and other state appointees. ^[9] Vassal and tributary countries also bowed before the power of the Askiya when disputes arose. ^[9]
The Songhay empire is associated with the establishment of high centres of learning in Jenné, Dia, Gao and Timbuktu. The latter in particular was famed for its university, holy men, doctors and teachers, who contributed to the spread of Islamic humanism among the urban elite in the region from the 15th century. ^[10] The rural Songhay continued to venerate a pantheon of divinities and local spirits until Islam penetrated the countryside via the peaceful incursions of traders and government-sponsored marabouts. ^[11]
It is difficult to find substantiated population estimates for the Songhay Empire, but one scholar believes there could have been 70,000 people living in the city of Timbuktu by 1580 under Askiya Daoud. ^[12]

[1]: (Conrad 2005, 12) David C. Conrad. 2005. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. New York: Facts On File.

[2]: (Conrad 2005, 13) David C. Conrad. 2005. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. New York: Facts On File.

[3]: (Oliver and Atmore 2001, 68) Roland Anthony Oliver and Anthony Atmore. 2001. Medieval Africa, 1250-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[4]: (Conrad 2010, 66) David C. Conrad. 2010. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Revised Edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishers.

[5]: (Diop 1987, 95) Cheikh Anta Diop. 1987. Precolonial Black Africa, translated by Harold Salemson. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.

[6]: (Conrad 2010, 17) David C. Conrad. 2010. Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Revised Edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishers.

[7]: (Cissoko 1984, 196) Sékéné Mody Cissoko. 1984. ’The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th Century’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, edited by D. T. Niane, 187-210. Paris: UNESCO.

[8]: (Cissoko 1984, 197) Sékéné Mody Cissoko. 1984. ’The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th Century’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, edited by D. T. Niane, 187-210. Paris: UNESCO.

[9]: (Cissoko 1984, 199) Sékéné Mody Cissoko. 1984. ’The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th Century’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, edited by D. T. Niane, 187-210. Paris: UNESCO.

[10]: (Cissoko 1984, 208) Sékéné Mody Cissoko. 1984. ’The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th Century’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, edited by D. T. Niane, 187-210. Paris: UNESCO.

[11]: (Cissoko 1984, 207-08) Sékéné Mody Cissoko. 1984. ’The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th Century’, in General History of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, edited by D. T. Niane, 187-210. Paris: UNESCO.

[12]: (Niane 1975, 57) Djibril Tamsir Niane. 1975. Le Soudan Occidental au temps des grands empires XI-XVIe siècle. Paris: Présence africai­ne.