The Mali Empire, a significant establishment in West African history, continues to captivate scholars due to its intricate governance and political structures. Through utilizing primary sources such as the Sundiata Epic, along with other secondary analyses, historians delve into the empire's foundations, administrative regulations, and diplomatic engagements. This essay aims to dissect the governance and political organization of the Mali Empire while exploring its foundational narrative, administrative framework, and diplomatic engagements. The Mali Empire's upbringing is veiled in myth and folklore, with the Sundiata Epic serving as a cornerstone for deciphering its genesis, told by Griots. These individuals were “a pivotal figure in the …show more content…
Beginning in the year 1235 and ending in 1433, the most majestic empire was the Mali Empire. In an excerpt from the Sundiata Epic, it illuminates Sundiata's pivotal role as a transformative leader. Stating, “Sundiata Keita, through his remarkable leadership and courage, established the great empire of Mali”. This portrayal encapsulates Sundiata as a unifying force, whose indomitable spirit and strategic acumen fostered stability and cohesion across the region. The mention of Sundiata having “remarkable leadership” emphasizes his visionary qualities as he ran this empire. Not to mention Sundiata initially being “a disabled, weak boy who rises to his feet with a magical power” gives even more reference to the “courage” which highlights his unwavering resolve in the face of adversity. This excerpt notifies the significance of Sundiata’s leadership in shaping Mali's destiny, but also serves as a catalyst for further exploration into the empire’s governance structures. Not only did the Mali Empire succeed through a centralized authority, but it was also known to have a regional autonomy which characterized its …show more content…
He states, “Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca left a lasting legacy in the Islamic world”. This piece of evidence demonstrates the profound impact of Mansa Musa’s diplomatic endeavors, which transcended regional boundaries and resonated throughout the Islamic world. Mansa Musa has left his “lasting legacy” which left an international reputation and fostered cultural exchange and diplomatic relations. This excerpt elucidates the pivotal role of Mali’s rulers in shaping the empire’s political trajectory and underscores their diplomatic finesse in navigating complex geopolitical dynamics. In addition to the rulings of Mansa Musa, the Mali Empire had many diplomatic engagements with neighboring states and foreign empires. As mentioned before, the Mali Empire was at the core of the economic and intellectual renaissance. Its strategic alliances and diplomatic initiatives were instrumental in securing access to trans-saharan trade routes and fostering cultural exchange across the region. Going back to Project Muse's article on Ancient Africa, they exclaimed how important trade was to Africans as they gave resources to parts of the world that did not have the ability to make
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
Shortly after taking over, Sundiata and his mother are exiled from their homeland (Sundiata 27). While they are away, Sundiata’s mother gets sick and eventually passes away (Sundiata 47). After this Sundiata must go through a maturing stage, and with the assistance of Moussa Tounkara learns how to be a king. Moussa teaches him many things, and after a few years makes him his Viceroy (37). After Sundiata had fully grown, his mother said to him “do not deceive yourself. Your destiny lies not here but in Mali” (38). So it was obvious that at some points Sundiata would need to return to his homeland and face Soumaoro. When he returns to face Soumaoro, it says “Djata was strong enough now to face his enemies. At the age of eighteen he had the stateliness of the lion and the strength of the buffalo” (47). The most important aspect of Sundiata’s exile was that he needed time to grow up and prepare himself for his return. Another important aspect of his exile was the relationship he formed with Moussa. This relationship enabled him to return home with half of Moussa’s army to battle
The African empires, kingdoms, and cities had many achievements before the arrival of the Europeans. Some of these achievements had influences many other places in the world. Three major achievements were the trading systems, their military forces and strengths of its people, and the wealth and success.
P. 45: "Maghan Sundiata, I salute you; king of Mali, the throne of your fathers awaits you…Weeping mothers pray only in your name, the assembled kings await you, for your name alone inspires confidence in them. Son of Sogolon, your hour has come, the words of the old Gnankouman Doua are
Dao Le G-Block 4/11/16. History Essay Mali was a place of power because of several crucial factors that all led to it becoming powerful. First, Mali was a perfect geographic location for trade and had a big trading network with other nations in Africa and South of Europe. Mali also had a great abundance of natural resources that were valuable to trade with.
La Malinche was born between 1496 and 1505, the exact year is unknown in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. She was born to a father who was the chief of the village Paynala, and do to her position of birth, she was educated which was rare for a girl to obtain an education at the time. Unfortunately for her, her father passed away when she was very young and this tragic event changed her life forever. Later on her mother remarried to another chief and soon after gave birth to a son after the birth of her half-brother she was no longer welcome in the home. It is said that her mother and new step-father feared that Malinches presence would threaten their son's future as chief and inheritance. To take her out of the equation her mother and step-father faked
“Caravans of Gold”, a video by Basil Davison discovers and highlights numerous assets about gold and its prominent role in Africa. Additionally, the video examines some of the past and influential empires and their achievements. Davison discusses the history of Africa before the arrival of Europeans to demonstrate how Africa was already a well-flourished continent. “Caravans of Gold” also discusses many topics such as the Mali Empire, trading systems, and the use of gold which shows the audience of the video of how Africa was. In the long run, the aim of the video is to give the audience of the video an understanding of how the empires in Africa used its resource of gold to flourish.
Throughout the 1400-1600 there were many different Empires. Today we still talk about them. The Mughal Empire and the Mali Empire have some similarities and differences between this time period. They all the culture, religion and government. They both had different governments and they both believed in different gods and worshiped different people. They both would pray multiple times a day. They Mughal Empire and the Mali empire both had leaders that they worshiped.
The Mali Empire lasted from 700 AD to 1600 AD which consisted of the Ghana Empire (700-1100 AD), Mali Empire (800-1550 AD), and the Songhay Empire (1300-1600 AD). At the peak of the Malian Empire it stretched from the east coast to the middle of Niger. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and was most well-known for its great wealth for the time. One such example is Mansa Musa who was the wealthiest person during his time and is believed to be the wealthiest person ever. He got his wealth from harvesting salt, selling slaves and mining for gold.
The great Machiavelli once said, "Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times." Indeed, the study of history is important as history does seem to repeat itself. Many people in today's society learn about the past from textbooks and other books, as these are of easy access. Is this really the best way to learn about the past? The people of ancient Africa did not think so, as they had special people called "griots"who passed the people's traditions and history down orally from generation to generation. One such griot, Mamadou Kouyate, recalls the story of the most famous ruler in African history, Sundiata, in D.T. Niane's book Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. This book has become an entertaining, yet scrutinized, source about the history of Mali and it's surrounding areas. Much scrutiny of this tale comes from those who question the validity of the griots, though Mamadou Kouyate is quick to point out that "[His] word is pure and free of all untruth; it is the word of [his] father...griots do not know what lying is" (Niane 1). If the context of the epic is true, then there are many valuable things to be learned from it including the traditions and customs of ancient Africa, and how Sundiata came to rule over such a large area. Based upon a reading of the text, it is easy to see that Sundiata's political power was not based soley on religion, as he used many conventional methods to gain and remain in power.
Emperors are the foundation and roots of all affluent empires. The Manden Kurufaba Empire, often called the Mali Empire, was located in West Afrika. Which included the modern day countries of Mali, Niger, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, and The Gambia. It’s ruling power began around 1235 CE and became one of the richest African Empires in the world. While the Wagadu Empire, often called the Ghana Empire, began around 800 CE (although some legends say 500 CE). The Wagadu Empire took over the gold and salt trade, until being overthrown in 1240 CE. Although both empires were highly influential, the Manden Kurufaba Empire was a much stronger empire than the Wagadu Empire because of their successive hierarchy of emperors, unconfirmed founding emperors,
Sundiata developed into a great leader of Mali through hardships, religion, and core/tributary/periphery relationships of states. The djeli who transmitted this information to the translators, is also a manifestation of an institution important in Sundiata’s epic, because without djelis these stories would be lost forever. Sundiata learned about the formation, running and maintenance of African states through interactions with the communities he was introduced to.
McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick Mckissack. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay - Life in Medieval Africa, Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1994.
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.
It was decentralized throughout the state. According to Joseph Ki-Zerbo, a Burkinabé writer, the longer a person traveled from Mali the more decentralized The Kings power became. The king ruled managed to keep tax money and nominal control over the Kingdom without upsetting his subjects into revolt. The Empire grew because of its trade above everyone else.