Tributary network · approximate1464 – 1591 · 127 years
Songhai Empire
Mali's successor — and the largest state in pre-colonial African history.
What it was
The Songhai Empire (~1464–1591) absorbed Mali's territory and pushed further east, controlling the Niger Bend and the trans-Saharan trade for over a century. It fell when a Moroccan army crossed the Sahara with firearms and shattered the Songhai cavalry at the 1591 Battle of Tondibi.
Why it mattered
Songhai's collapse fragmented West African political power for two centuries and accelerated the transatlantic slave trade by destroying the regional state that had previously regulated it.
From Wikipedia
The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its largest ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai people. Sonni Ali established Gao as the empire's capital, although a Songhai state had existed in and around Gao since the 11th century. Other important cities in the kingdom were Timbuktu and Djenné, where urban-centred trade flourished; they were conquered in 1468 and 1475, respectively. Initially, the Songhai Empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty, but it was later replaced by the Askia dynasty (1493–1591).
Wikipedia: Songhai Empire·CC BY-SA 4.0
Borders & accuracy
A paramount-chiefdom-style polity with tributary peripheries; exact extent is contested.
- SOURCEaourednik / historical-basemaps
- DETAILhistorical-basemaps
- SNAPSHOT1500
- MATCHEDSonghai
- POLITY TYPEtributary
Wars of this empire15
Conflicts whose belligerents name this polity, best-documented first.
- Sonni Ali's Conquests1464–92World-changing
- Saadian Invasion of Songhai1590–99World-changing
- Songhai Conquest of Timbuktu1468–80Major conflict
- Songhai Gao Expansion1480–1530Major conflict
- Askia Muhammad's Wars1493–1528Major conflict
- Major conflict
- Songhai-Mali Conflicts1400–68Significant · 100K dead
- Mossi Raids on Timbuktu1330–1480Significant
- Siege of Jenne (1473)1466–73Significant
- Kebbi–Songhai War1515–17Significant
- Borgu Wars1450–1830Regional
- Songhai Empire Expansion1468–1530Regional
- Regional
- Battle of Anfao1493Regional
- Songhai Conquest of Air1500–15Regional
Open in the atlas →Seeks the timeline to 1464 and fits the map to these borders.
Cite as: Songhai Empire (1464 – 1591). War Atlas. https://waratlas.org/e/africa-songhai-empire · Sources & methodology