Discovery of West Africa
There are three important figures that lead to the discovery of Africa. All of these people are from Portugal, making Portugal the first to explore Africa. Those three figures would be Henry the Navigator, Bartholomeu Dias, and Vasco da Gama:
Henry the Navigator - He was a Portuguese explorer born in 1394-1460 CE. He did not actually sailed to Africa, but he sponsored other sailors to go there. He encouraged other people to go because said that is was easier to travel to Asia. By sailing around Africa, it would be an easier route to reach Asia. Barhtolomeu Dias - Another Portuguese explorer, who went to Africa and rounded the southern tip. He actually went to Africa first, because of Henry the Navigator. He opened a sea route to Asia by rounding the South most tip of Africa, around Cape of Good Hope. He originally wanted to call the Cape, Cape of Storms, because of the intense storms. During his voyage there, he faced an intense storm, and then he found the cape. The king, at the time, then changed the name because it sounded to cursed, and he wanted others to travel there. Vasco da Gama - Another explorer from Portugal, and he was born in 1460 to 1524. He as well rounded the Cape of Good Hope, but he extended his voyage by actually going to Asia. Dias went to the Cape of Good Hope, but sailed back. Unlike Dias, Gama actually went to Asia, more specifically, India. During his voyage, about half of his ships were lost, but it still was profitable to Portugal. He went out and sailed because he was in search of spices, and when he got to India he got what he wanted. As a result to all this, Portugal became the largest in status of world power. It also created a trading empire for Portugal because they set up trading posts along West Africa, to serve as a top station. In those trading post they could, collect food and water, repair their ships, and trade. |
Kingdom of GhanaHistorians dates its rule from 9th to 13th century CE. Ghana is also called “The Land of Gold” because of the many gold found there. Since there is a lot of gold there, Ghana controlled the gold trade. Gold was used to trade with other items, like salt. The gold trade was an important factor that helped Ghana become a powerful kingdom. Other factors include the use of iron, which helped make iron tools and weapons, and horses and camels. All of those factors helped Ghana expand their empire as well as making it more powerful. To control the amount of gold that was mined, the kings developed a system of taxation. What brought the decline of Ghana was because of the Almoravid. The Almoravid were some rulers who went to the south and conquered the Kingdom of Ghana. Since it was conquered, it was forced to convert to Islam. Converting to Islam caused the decline of the kingdom because it diminished the authority of the king. Once Ghana was weak, the Kingdom of Mali took over.
Kingdom of MaliThe Kingdom of Mali is dated from 13th to 15th century CE. Mali took over the land of Ghana and much more, as you can see in the picture in the left. The kingdom of Mali is considered the second largest empire in the world, the first being the Mongolian Empire in Asia. Ghana controlled the gold trade during its time, but after Mali took over it also gain control of the gold trade. It also expanded it by controlling the salt trade and caravan trading routes. They mostly traded with Egypt and copper mines in the east. The founder and ruler of Mali is Sundiata Keita. He expanded the kingdom to include the Kingdom of Ghana and west African gold mines. What started the kingdom of Mali was the victory of the Battle of Kirina. Sundiata was the son of Nare Maghan, who was the ruler of Kangaba. Kangaba is a small state that is located on the upper Niger river. Sundiata left Kangaba, but returned to help his people gain independence. He assembled an alliance with the Mandinka chiefdom and lead them to victory. Another important figure of Mali would be Mansa Musa. He became known because of his pilgrimage to Mecca, and joined by thousands of people and eighty camels all carrying gold. This pilgrimage is really important because it shows how West Africa is becoming more Islamic. Another way it was becoming more Islamic is that they established learning centers. Some of them are Timbuktu, Djenne, and Gao.
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Kingdom of SonghaiThe Kingdom of Songhai is dated between 1350 and 1600 CE. The exact origins of how Songhai was created are unclear to historians, but there is records of King Kossoi. a king of Songhai, accepting Islam around 1009 CE. By him accepting Islam, it became a unifying force for the people and helped maintaining state power. An important figure and ruler of the Kingdom of Songhai would be Sonni Ali. He made Songhai probably the most powerful state in western Africa , when he came into power in 1464 CE. He took over the religious center of the Kingdom of Mali, Timbuktu, Gao, and Djenne. Overall he was concerned to build a great empire, and he did. Another important figure and ruler would be Sonni’s successor, Mohammed Askia. Unlike Sonni, Askia mostly focused on improving the empire within, but also expanded it more. Some of the things that he did would be that he set up a new system of laws, he expanded the military, as well as encouraging learning and scholars. With all of that, he made the kingdom more peaceful and stable during his reign. What caused the end to Songhai was was between them and the Moroccans. The Moroccans invaded them and conquered them, bringing the end to the Kingdom of Songhai.
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