[36][37][38], According to the Tarikh al-Fattash, Musa had a wife named Inari Konte. The Mandinka went on to form the powerful and rich Mali Empire, which produced the richest Black man who ever lived, King Mansa Musa. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. As soon as Sassouma's son Dankaran Touman took the throne, he and his mother forced the increasingly popular Sundjata into exile along with his mother and two sisters. Mansa Souleyman Keita (or Suleiman) took steep measures to put Mali back into financial shape, thereby developing a reputation for miserliness. [80] Ibn Khaldun regarded Wali as one of Mali's greatest rulers. It is implausible that Abu Bakr was Musa's father, due to the amount of time between Sunjata's reign and Musa's. Research/Artwork: From Nothing Team. Available from http://incompetech.com. The Mali Empire consisted of land that is now part of Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia, and the modern state of Mali. Masuta performs many of the same attacks as his original incarnation (though he yells a quote prior to using his abilities), but does not summon thrashing waters or create . "[42], Early European writers such as Maurice Delafosse believed that Niani, a city on what is now the border between Guinea and Mali, was the capital for most of the empire's history, and this notion has taken hold in the popular imagination. [86], The name "Musa" has become virtually synonymous with pilgrimage in Mand tradition, such that other figures who are remembered as going on a pilgrimage, such as Fakoli, are also called Musa. Mansa Mahmud Keita II's rule was characterised by more losses to Mali's old possessions and increased contact between Mali and Portuguese explorers along the coast. The most common measure for gold within the realm was the ambiguous mithqal (4.5grams of gold). The area was famous as a hunting ground for the large amount of game that it sheltered, as well as its dense vegetation. The ton-tigi belonged to an elite force of cavalry commanders called the farari ("brave men"). [26] Sariq Jata may be another name for Sunjata, who was actually Musa's great-uncle. CREDITS:
Chart/Narration: Matt Baker Research/Artwork: From Nothing Team
Editing: Jack Rackam
Intro animation: Syawish Rehman
Intro music: "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. Musa I (c. 1280 - 1337), better known as Mansa Musa, was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire.Widely considered to have been the wealthiest person in known history (some sources measuring his wealth at around $400 billion adjusted to inflation), his vast wealth was used to attract scholars, merchants and architects to Mali, establishing it as a beacon of Islamic trade, culture and learning. Alternate titles: Kankan Ms, Mansa Musa, Mousa, Musa. [15], Musa ascended to power in the early 1300s[i] under unclear circumstances. [citation needed] The northern region on the other hand had no shortage of salt. [86] As Fajigi, Musa is sometimes conflated with a figure in oral tradition named Fakoli, who is best known as Sunjata's top general. The Black emperors great civility notwithstanding, the meeting between the two rulers might have ended in a serious diplomatic incident, for so absorbed was Mansa Ms in his religious observances that he was only with difficulty persuaded to pay a formal visit to the sultan. Under his reign, Mali conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Songhai. [32] When he did not return, Musa was crowned as mansa himself, marking a transfer of the line of succession from the descendants of Sunjata to the descendants of his brother Abu Bakr. Musa I (Arabic: , romanized:Mans Ms, N'Ko: ; r.c.1312c.1337[a]) was the ninth[4] mansa of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. [g] Faga Leye was the son of Abu Bakr, a brother of Sunjata, the first mansa of the Mali Empire. King Mansa Musa is famous for his Hajj journey, during which he stopped off in Egypt and gave out so much gold that the Egyptian economy was ruined for years to come. His skillful administration left his empire well-off at the time of his death, but eventually, the empire fell apart. The dates of Musa's reign are uncertain. [93] It is during his reign that Fula raids on Takrur began. [75] This victory resulted in the fall of the Kaniaga kingdom and the rise of the Mali Empire. Al-Umari said that before Musa's arrival, a mithqal of gold was worth 25 silver dirhams, but that it dropped to less than 22 dirhams afterward and did not go above that number for at least twelve years. Heusch, Luc de: "The Symbolic Mechanisms of Sacred Kingship: Rediscovering Frazer". The family tree of Mansa Musa. [93] Sandaki Keita should not however be taken to be this person's name but a title. And so the name Keita became a clan/family and began its reign.[70]. Included in al-Qalqashandi's quotation of al-'Umari, but not in any manuscript of al-'Umari's text itself, which only list thirteen provinces despite saying there are fourteen. Consequently, the name of Mali and Timbuktu appeared on 14th century world maps. The earliest document mentioning the mosque is Abd al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan, which gives the early history, presumably from the oral tradition as it existed in the mid seventeenth century. Mansa Musa Keita was succeeded by his son, Maghan Keita I, in 1337. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes. It was "an admirable Monument", surmounted by a dome and adorned with arabesques of striking colours. Musa is reported to have reigned for 25 years, and different lines of evidence suggest he died either. King of Kings in the Mandinka language a reference to a great ruler in the Mali Empire of ancient Africa. Grades 5 - 8 Subjects Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History Image Timbuktu, Henrich Barth Painting The fame of Mansa Musa and his phenomenal wealth spread as he traveled on his hajj to Mecca. [88], Mansa Musa is renowned for his wealth and generosity. [60] In return for their submission, they became "farbas", a combination of the Mandinka words "farin" and "ba" (great farin). The kingdom of Mali reached its greatest extent around the same time, a bustling, wealthy kingdom thanks to Mansa Musas expansion and administration.Mansa Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. After the loyalty or at least the capitulation of an area was assured, it was allowed to select its own dyamani-tigui. Islamic studies flourished thereafter. Around 1610, Mahmud Keita IV died. At the local level (village, town and city), kun-tiguis elected a dougou-tigui (village-master) from a bloodline descended from that locality's semi-mythical founder. [15] Leo Africanus said that the capital city was called Melli. Around 1550, Mali attacked Bighu in an effort to regain access to its gold. It is unknown from whom he descended; however, another emperor, Mansa Maghan Keita III, is sometimes cited as Mansa Mahmud Keita I. However, Al-Nasir Muhammad returned Musa's earlier show of generosity with gifts of his own. Mansa Musa Family Tree | Empire of Mali Server Costs Fundraiser 2023 Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. Dates: 4001591 C. E.", "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived? Constant civil war between leaders led to a weakened state. [27] The date of Musa's birth is unknown, but he still appeared to be a young man in 1324. The latter told Ibn Khaldun about devastating struggle over Gao between Mali imperial forces against Berber Tuareg forces from Takedda. According to Ibn Battuta who visited Mali in the mid-14th century, one camel load of salt sold at Walata for 810 mithqals of gold, but in Mali proper it realised 2030 ducats and sometimes even 40. Different oral traditions conflict with each other, as well as Ibn Khaldun, about the transfer of power following Sunjata's death. [70] Gbr Keita was crowned Mansa Ouali Keita II and ruled during the period of Mali's contact with Portugal. The growing trade in Mali's western provinces with Portugal witnessed the exchange of envoys between the two nations. In 1542, the Songhai invaded the capital city but were unsuccessful in conquering the empire. Mansa Musa returned from Mecca with several Islamic scholars, including direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad and an Andalusian poet and architect by the name of Abu Es Haq es Saheli, who is . Several of the names are spelled in a variety of ways in different manuscripts. Sundiata Keita was a warrior-prince of the Keita dynasty who was called upon to free the local people from the rule of the king of the Sosso Empire, Soumaoro Kant. [39] Her jamu (clan name) Konte is shared with both Sunjata's mother Sogolon Konte and his arch-enemy Sumanguru Konte. . This region straddles the border between what is now southern Mali and northeastern Guinea. Several 21st century historians have firmly rejected Niani as a capital candidate based on a lack of archaeological evidence of significant trade activity, clearly described by Arab visitors, particularly during the 14th century, Mali's golden age. Like two mansolu (rulers of Mali) before him, Ms I undertook the hajj as an act of devotion in line with Islamic tradition. He was the son of Niani's faama, Nare Fa (also known as Maghan Kon Fatta meaning the handsome prince). Ag-Amalwal. Trade was Mali's form of income, and wealth. [18], In the Songhai language, rulers of Mali such as Musa were known as the Mali-koi, koi being a title that conveyed authority over a region: in other words, the "ruler of Mali". Ibn Khaldun in Levtzion and Hopkins, eds. He ruled the nation for nearly 25 years until his death in 1337 and is . Mansa Mss prodigious generosity and piety, as well as the fine clothes and exemplary behaviour of his followers, did not fail to create a most-favourable impression. Mansa Musa brought the architect back to Mali to beautify some of the cities. When Mansa Musa was giving gold away, he was following 2 . The history of the Mandinka started in Manding region. In the 17th year of his reign (1324), he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. The Cairo that Mansa Ms visited was ruled by one of the greatest of the Mamlk sultans, Al-Malik al-Nir. Gold dust had been weighed and bagged for use at least since the time of the Ghana Empire. Mansa Ms probably died in 1332. This is one of the main factors to the fall of the kingdom. [70][141] With the help of the river clans, this army could be deployed throughout the realm on short notice. Mansa Fadima Musa Keita, or Mansa Musa Keita II, began the process of reversing his brother's excesses. He left Kanku Musa, a grandson of Sunjata's brother Mande Bori, in charge during his absence. Malink, also known as Mande, Mali, or Melle, was founded around 1200 CE, and under Mansa Musa's reign . [43] Djibril Tamsir Niane, a Guinean historian, has been a forceful advocate of this position in recent decades. [93] In 1514, the Denianke dynasty was established in Tekrour. During this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states such as Bono state. [52][55], Musa's generosity continued as he traveled onwards to Mecca, and he gave gifts to fellow pilgrims and the people of Medina and Mecca. [40] Seemingly contradictory reports written by Arab visitors, a lack of definitive archaeological evidence, and the diversity of oral traditions all contribute to this uncertainty. At the time of Musa's ascension to the throne, Mali in large part consisted of the territory of the former Ghana Empire, which Mali had conquered. [136] One particular source of salt in the Mali Empire was salt-mining sites located in Taghaza. From 1389 onwards Mali gained a host of mansas of obscure origins. These oral stories . to 1337 C.E. Mansa Musa (about 1280 - about 1337) was an emperor (mansa) of the Mali Empire during the 14th century. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Arab writers from the time said that he travelled with an entourage of tens of thousands of people and dozens of camels, each carrying 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of gold. Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the king of the ancient empire of Mali in West Africa. At both Gao and Timbuktu, a Songhai city almost rivalling Gao in importance, Mansa Ms commissioned Ab Isq al-Sil, a Granada poet and architect who had travelled with him from Mecca, to build mosques. Upon stabbing their spears into the ground before Sundiata's throne, each of the twelve kings relinquished their kingdom to the Keita dynasty. Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith TED-Ed 7.1M views 7 years ago The history of Nigeria explained in 6 minutes (3,000 Years of Nigerian history) Epimetheus. Maghan Sundiata was declared "faama of faamas" and received the title "mansa", which translates as "king". Musa was a Muslim, and his pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as hajj, made him well known across Northern Africa and the Middle East. Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.When Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca in 1324 C.E., his journey through Egypt caused quite a stir. It had a well-organised army with an elite corps of horsemen and many foot soldiers in each battalion. The family tree of Mansa Musa. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada.