Medieval Africa Section Two: Government and Religion

Gov’t and Society: General Information  Kings settled arguments  Managed trade  Protected arguments  Expected obedience in return  Growth caused new forms  Central authority was key  Rulers and people benefited  Merchants received favors  Kings received taxes  Local rulers got some power = kings received loyalty  Kingdoms grew richer and area extended

Gov’t and Society: Ghana’s Government  Ghana’s pyramid of power  Kings relied on help from a council of ministers (advisers)  Empire divided into provinces  Governed by lesser kings  District chiefs oversaw smaller districts  Each district included a chief’s clan Group descended from the same ancestor  Maintaining power  Local rulers sent sons to the royal court  They sought reports of injustice/rebellion  Controlled trade  Had to have king’s permission  Only king owned gold nuggets  Kingdom went to king’s nephew

Gov’t and Society: Mali’s Government  Dividing power  Mali was much bigger than Ghana  Fishing, forests, farming and money all by different officials  Generals were in charge of the provinces  Mansa Musa  Rewarded citizens with gold, land and horses  Granted heroes rewards  Sew clothes

Gov’t and Society: Songhai’s Government  Built on traditions of Ghana and Mali  Never fully implemented as Sunni Ali was fighting  New leader focused on his religion to guide government

Traditional African Religions (traditional African religions shared certain beliefs and provided a guide for living together)  Background  One creator/ supreme god  Understood Christianity and Muslim idea of one god  Wanted to continue their own practice  Purpose  Provided rules for living  Helped people stay in touch with history  Believed that spirits stayed with the community

Islam in Africa (Islam played an important role in medieval Africa, but long-help African beliefs and customs still remained strong.)  Mali and Mansa Musa  Allowed different religions  Worked to make Islam stronger  Built mosques  Libraries provided information from Muslim world  Long journey to Makkah (Mecca)  Thousands of people  Convinced people from Islam to travel back to Mali  Helped spread Islam

Islam in Africa (Islam played an important role in medieval Africa, but long-help African beliefs and customs still remained strong.)  Songhai and Askia Muhammad  Sunni Ali  Practiced the traditional religion of Songhai people  Declared himself Muslim to keep support  Askai Muhammad  Largest empire in medieval West Africa  Kept local courts but used Muslim laws  Timbuktu became a center of Islamic culture

Islam in Africa (Islam played an important role in medieval Africa, but long-help African beliefs and customs still remained strong.)  Islam in East Africa  Swahili  People of the coast  Demonstrates  Unique culture of East Africa  And the language spoken there  Blend of African and Muslim influences

Islam in Africa (Islam played an important role in medieval Africa, but long-help African beliefs and customs still remained strong.)  Islam’s Impact on Africa  Islamic laws and ideas about right and wrong  Advanced learning  Arabic Language  Art and buildings (mosques)