One of the comparative topics in this time period is “empire building” in Africa. The AP Jedi Masters want you to know only one of the following: (Kongo, Benin, Oyo, Dahomey, Ashanti or Songhay) – so they probably are not going to ask you to compare two African Kingdoms since they stated you only need to know one – so they could ask you to compare the process of “empire building” in Africa to that in: (Asia, Latin America or Europe) – but I am providing you with information from three African Empires – just in case – and each if from a different region in Sub-Saharan Africa – so different historical forces to consider.
The Kongo (c. 14th – 17th century)
Located on the western coastal region of Central Africa – along the Congo river. Centralized state – with officials overseeing military, judicial, and financial affairs. The empire was divided into regions – and governors who were usually related to the King oversaw those areas – some areas were allowed to continue to rule as long as they recognized the superiority of the Kongo King – they had to report to him yearly for inspection and “renewal” of their title. The empire was financed both by the taxing of trade as well as a head tax collected by local administers and sent to the capital.
Songhay: (West Africa – Sudanic Empire) (Mid 1400’s – Mid-1600’s) As the power of the Mali continued in the 1400’s a state within the Empire was able to obtain its independence – this was called the Songhay Empire with its capital in the trading city of Gao. The height of the Empire came under the leadership of Sunni Ali who ruled from 1464-1493. He built an elaborate administrative and military apparatus to oversee affairs in his realm.
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The Kingdom of the Asante (1680-1900)
The Asante were one of the Akanspeaking peoples who settled in the forest region of modern Ghana between the 11thand 13th centuries. The separate Asante chiefdoms were united by Osei Tutu in the 1670s and in 1696 he took the title of Asantehene (king) and founded the Asante empire. Asante was the only part of Africa where rich agricultural and mineral resources coincided. With its capital at Kumasia only 30 miles south of the northern forest edge – it could draw on both forest and savanna produce some of the traditional crops were: plantains, yams, and rice.
The Portuguese arrived in the late 15th century – Kings of the Kongo converted to Christianity as a way to establish closer commercial relations with Portuguese merchants and diplomatic relations with the Portuguese King.
He appointed governors to oversee provinces and maintained a professional army, with a cavalry and navy of small boats and canoes – which were able to patrol the Niger River. He extended his empire over the areas formally controlled by the Mali rulers – he conquered the cities of Timbuktu and Jenne (which took him 7 years of siege warfare – he finally married its Queen to solidify his rule).
From the capital city of Gao the Songhay rulers presided over a prosperous empire that participated in the transSaharan trade that brought: Salt, textiles and metal goods in exchange for gold and slaves. Despite the fact that the rulers were Islamic and supported Islamic institutions: mosques / universities – the vast majority of the populace remained non-Muslim. The Songhay meet their demise in 1591 when they took on a Moroccan army armed with musket gun – the defeat left open an opportunity for regions to revolt against Songhay administration.
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At the beginning of the 18th century, Africa became a target of European imperialism. Prior to the said period, Africa only served as trading post for ensuring the flow of goods to Europe. It was also one of the chief sources of slaves. The Portuguese established small settlements on the Cape of Good Hope and Eastern Africa. The Spaniards colonized some parts of Western Sahara and Morocco. During ...
Kongo Kings appreciated the fact that Christianity offered a strong endorsement of their monarchical rule – the new faith was convenient also because the saints of the Roman Catholic Church were similar to spirits long recognized in Kongolese religions. For the first number of years Portugal and the Kingdom of the Kongo dealt with each other with a certain level of equality – they exchanged ambassadors and a number of Portuguese went to Kongo: advisors, priests, soldiers, tailors, shoemakers, masons, and minors.
One of the most important Kings of the Kongo was: Nzinga Mbemba – also known as King Afonso I (1506-1542) – he was a devout Roman Catholic and actively sought out to convert all his subjects to Christianity – he attended religious services daily and always studied the Bible. Trade and relations with Portugal brought wealth and foreign recognition to the Kongo – items such as: ivory, copper and slaves were exchanged for European: textiles, weapons (guns, guns, guns)!!!! – remember that during this time period (1450-1750) Europeans were “colonizing” the Western Hemisphere – as this time period went on the demand for slaves increased – this dramatically impacted societies such as the Kongo – one King during the 16th century – himself had 20,000 slaves in his household.
However – the vast majority of wealth of the empire was in its gold deposits – the Europeans would call this the “Gold Coast” – which they used to buy European guns – which further solidified the power of the Asante over nearby regions which did not have access.
Guns were also obtained by providing the Europeans with slaves – the notorious “El Mina” – a fortress built along the coast where slaves were housed until departure across the Atlantic was built on Ghana’s coast.
Other items brought by the Europeans were: iron, horses, cloth, tobacco and finished manufactured goods.
Historians sometimes speak about Asante’s “metropolitan” and “provincial” spheres. “Metropolitan” Asante consisted primarily of the towns in a fifty-mile radius around Kumasi. The rulers of these towns, many of whom were related to the ruling family, participated in the enthronement of Asante kings, served on the king’s advisory council, and retained considerable autonomy.
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The Slave Trade The slave trade of the 15th-19th century is an example of the largest migration in the history of the world. This forced migration turned out to be the event that influenced the historical process until now. Although the slavery derives from the ancient world, the transatlantic slave trade appears to be the largest in its scale and amount of people involved. Approximately 12 ...
Eventually the relationship between Portugal and the Kongo worsened because the Portuguese desire for more and more slave pushed them to negotiate with other regions around the Kongo – some of with were enemies of the Kongo while others were protectorates – the authority of the Kongolese King was undermined – which led to war with the two nations.
The Songhay empire crumbled into a series of small regional kingdoms – and with the arrival of the Europeans and the redirection of trade towards the coastline – the Sudanic Empires ceased to play a prominent role in West African politics.
By contrast, outlying regions were more clearly subordinate and were forced to pay tribute to the Asante rulers. The most distant districts of the state which were populated by non-Akan people annually sent thousands of slaves to Kumasi. They placed all trade under state agencies controlled by the Asante King, and created a complex bureaucracy to govern and collect taxes. Asante achieved a high degree of administrative efficiency (its wellmaintained roads, for example, were famous) and the ability to implement sophisticated fiscal policies.
