Kingdoms and States of Africa Chapter 7, Section 2

Opening Question, 9/18 Why did the rise of a new power in the region cause the decline of Kush?

Ghana First trading state in West Africa. 500: Upper Niger River valley Most people were in farming villages under a local ruler. Kings were strong, wealthy rulers who governed without laws. Relied on army. Abundance of iron ore and gold.

Ghana, (cont’d) Enormous trading empire. Traded with merchants from North Africa: Salt was prized. Silent trade: Go to the boundary line and place items and cloth on the ground, then depart. Other party would place gold beside the merchandise and leave. If they were happy with the amount left, they would take the gold. If not, the other party would come back to give more. Much of the trade was carried by Berbers: Nomadic people with camels. Trading merchants often became wealthy. Flourished until the 1100s, when it collapsed because it was weakened by wars.

Mali The greatest state to come out of the fallen empire of Ghana. Established in the 13th century by Sundiata Keita Captured the capital of Ghana in 1240. United the people and created a strong government. Built wealth and power on the gold and salt trade. Timbuktu (Famous trading city) Most people were farmers

Mali, (cont’d) One of the richest/most powerful kings was Mansa Musa. 1312-1377 Doubled the size of Mali Strong central government, and divided kingdom into provinces ruled by appointed governors. Devout Muslim Put so much gold into circulation it lost value Last powerful ruler. 1359: Civil war divided Mali.

Songhai 1009: Kossi established the Dia dynasty. Benefited from the trade routes linking Arabia, North Africa, and West Africa. Gao was the chief trading center. Sunni Ali created a new dynasty (Sunni) in 1464. Led several military campaigns the expand Songhai.

Songhai, (cont’d) Muhammad Ture Overthrew Sunni Ali and seized power in 1493. Created a new dynasty: Askia Continued to expand Songhai, and divided it into provinces. After his reign, Songhai entered a period of slow decline. Forces of Morocco occupied much of Songhai in the 16th century.

East Africa Small states took root. Beginning in the first millennium, new peoples began to migrate into eastern Africa. Farming people who spoke Bantu languages began to move from the Niger River into East Africa and the Congo River basin. Subsistence farming: Growing just enough crops for personal use. Not for sale. As trade spread, and became important in trading along the Indian Ocean. Formed Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa. Mixing the African and Arabian cultures: rise of Swahili culture. (Current Kenya and Tanzania)

South Africa States formed more slowly in the south. Stateless society: independent villages organized by clans and led by a local ruler or clan head. 1300-1450: Zimbabwe was the wealthiest and most powerful state in the region. Gold Reached as far as China Middle of the 15th century, main city was abandoned due to damage to the land or natural disasters.

Closing Question, 9/18 How did the religion of Islam spread throughout Africa?