An empire (mid-fifteenth through the end of the sixteenth century) in the Sahel, western Sudan.
Songhay took advantage of the decline of its mother empire, that of Mali, to succeed and form a new independent state. By the sixteenth century, Songhay’s administrative and political system was highly structured. Songhay declined because of global events and the influence of outside forces.
Under the reign of Sunni Ali, the succeeding state of Songhay developed into an empire in a series of conquests of trade routes and central cities. By the 1470s, the wealthy cities of the “Inland Niger Delta,” Timbuktu and Djenne, were controlled by Sunni Ali’s Songhay.
The control over the main routes in the Sahel, both the continental and the naval (through the Niger River), contributed to the power of Songhay. These trade routes were also used by the Mali empire, which built its riches on the trade of salt. Songhay traded also in gold, slaves, and other commodities.
The expansion of the empire and trade with North African Muslims inspired the Muslim clerics (the ulama), who demanded the replacement of Sunni Ali in a regime that would be more sympathetic toward the ulama’s demands, to reinstate a regime based on Islamic religious laws (Shari’a). In 1492, “pro-ulama” Askiyas replaced Sunni Ali.
The Askiyas, led by Muhammad Turé, took over the empire in 1493 in a military coup, which was supported by the Islamic clerics of Timbuktu. Turé strengthened the already highly developed administrative system to rule the vast territory. Turé also strengthened his religious legitimacy base, making a pilgrimage to Mecca and receiving the approval of the Abbasid Caliph in Cairo. The economic base of Songhay relied on the control over the trading networks, from the Niger River southward to the North African territories northward.
Turé’s son overthrew him in 1528. By that time, the Sa’adians of Morocco were striving to stabilize their state, which was north of Songhay. The Sa’adians were determined to stabilize their reign by taking over the trade in the Sudan. The Moroccans began by raiding salt mines in Songhay, but their attempts to achieve control of the Saharan economy soon accelerated into a series of campaigns against Songhay. In 1591, the Moroccan army won the Battle of Tondibi, despite having inferior soldiers, thanks to the lack of judgment of the ill-advised Askiya and the use of firearms (unknown to the Songhay forces).
The Moroccans encountered difficulties in stabilizing their reign on Songhay and legitimizing it. Some of the problems stemmed from administrative weakness and disputes between the rulers of the region. In Songhay, rebel forces continued to resist the new regime. The Muslim clerics of Timbuktu were suspected of being loyal to the Askiyas regime and therefore suffered Moroccan retributions. By the early seventeenth century, the central Moroccan regime lost control over Songhay. The European-dominated trade and economic policies continued to dramatically affect the area of the former Songhay empire.
Tamar Gablinger
See also: Gold; Islam; Salt; Slavery.
Cissoko, S.M. “The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th Century.” In Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, ed. D.T. Niane. London: Heinemann, 1984.
Hunwick, John. “Songhay, Borno, and the Hausa States, 1450– 1600.” In History of West Africa, ed. J.F.A. Ajayi and Michael Crowder. 3rd ed. 2 vols. New York: Longman, 1985.