kingdoms and empires

Kingdoms and Empires

Africa

Aksum

• No longer exists

• Former countries of Ethiopia and Entrea

• African and Arab traders began settling along the west coast of the Red Sea.

• Aksum came to control trade in the Red Sea

• Came to power after the Nubian Kingdom of Meroe fell

Aksum

• Controlled a trade network that stretched form the Mediterranean Sea to India

• Christian religion traveled to Aksum along these routes.

• Mid-300s many Ethiopian people in Aksum became Christian

• Aksum became the center of the early Ethiopian Christian Church

Aksum

• Aksum began to decline in the 600s

• Arabs took control of much of the regions trade.

West African Kingdoms

• Power of the W. African kingdoms was based on the trade of salt and gold.– People need salt to survive, especially in hot areas

like W. Africa– People of W. Africa had no sources of salt, but they

had plenty of gold– People of N. Africa had the opposite problem

• Control of this trade brought power and riches to three W. African kingdoms—Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.


• Ghana– Kingdom of Ghana was located b/w the

Senegal and Niger rivers.– From this location Ghana controlled trade

across W. Africa.– Ghana’s kings grew rich from the taxes they

charged on the salt, gold, and other goods– Ghana lost control of the trade routes, – New power is the Kingdom of Mali


• Mali and the spread of Islam– Kingdom of Mali arose in the mid-1200s in the

Upper Niger Valley– Mali means “Where the King lives”– Kings cont4olled both the gold mines of the

south and the salt supplies of the north– King is called Mansa which means “emperor”– Mali’s most famous king was Mansa Musa


• Mansa Musa gained the throne about 1312

• 25-year reign brought peace and order to the kingdom

• Mansa Musa based his laws on the Quran, the holy book of the religion of Islam

• Muslim travelers spread their religion into many parts of Africa

• Muslims are followers of Islam


• 1324—Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage (a religious journey– to the Arabian city of Mecca.

• Muslims consider Mecca a holy place

• Muhammad, the prophet who first preached Islam, was born in Mecca

• Mansa Musa brought 60,000 people with him on his pilgrimage


• 80 camels each carried 300 pounds of gold

• Along the way Mansa Musa gave people gifts of gold

• Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage brought about new trading ties with other Muslim states.

• It displayed Mali’s wealth


• Songhai– After Mansa Musa’s death around 1332, Mali

declined and was destroyed by an empire called Songhai.

– Songhai became W. Africa’s most powerful kingdom

– Songhai’s rulers controlled important trade routes and wealthy trading cities.


– Invaders from N. Africa defeated Songhai in 1591

– Songhai people still live near the Niger river– Islam remains their religion


• East African City-States– Trade helped E. African cities to develop– Circa the time that Aksum declined, trading

cities arose along E. Africa’s coast– Traders used seasonal winds to sail northeast

to India and China.– They carried animal skins, ivory, and gold and

other metals


– When the winds changed direction, the traders sailed with them.

– They brought many goods including cotton, silk, and porcelain

– Some traders who visited E. Africa were Muslims

• Many of them settled and introduced Islam to E. Africa

• A new language developed called Swahili


• Swahili is a Bantu language with some Arab words mixed in

• E. African cities grew into powerful city-states

– A city-state is a city that has its own government and often controls much of the surrounding land

• Among the greatest of these city-states were Malindi,, Mombasa, and Kilwah.


• Kilwa– “One of the most beautiful and best-

constructed towns in the world” Ibn Batuta.– Grew rich from trade and taxes.– Traders had to pay huge taxes on goods they

brought into the city– In the early 1500s Kilwah and other city-

states were conquered by the European country of Portugal who wanted to build their own trading empire.


• Zimbabwe– Located near the bend in the Limpopo River

in S. Africa– Zimbabwe reached its peak about the year

1300– Today only ruins remain

kingdoms and empires

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