Early Kingdoms of Sub-Saharan Africa I.  Ghana (Soninke people)           -Masters of trade route from Morocco to southwest Africa           -Capital of Kumbi Saleh developed in AD 300           -Trade route for salt and gold     "Land of Gold"           King Tunka Menin displayed his wealth by adornments of gold           * The kingdom began to decline when Berbers from Morocco sacked               Kumbi Saleh II.  Mali (Mandinka people)           -Replaced Ghana during the 1200s           -Controlled salt and gold trade for 300 years      Sundiata           -Founded empire           -Brilliant military leader      Mansa Musa           -Pushed empire's borders           -Went on pilgrimage to Mecca, bringing Muslim scholars and artisans           -Stopped in Cairo, and gave out gold to the people of the city, dropping the value             of gold for ten years      * The kingdom began to decline after Mansa Musa died, and Mali was attacked by          neighbors. III.  Songhai           -Timbuktu became a great trading center and center of Islamic learning       King Sunni Ali           -1464- began conquering along the Niger River           -Died 28 years later, with a kingdom larger than Ghana or Mali       King Askia Muhammed           -Permanent paid army           -Full-time navy       *The Moroccans crushed Songhai because they had Arquebuses (early European          guns). VI.  Hausa           -Group of seven, self-ruling city-states           -Walled cities           -People paid tribute to king/ queen to live inside walls in times of war        Queen Amina           -Ruled Zaria in late 1500s           -Never married           -"Headdress among the turbans"           -Led armies         Kano           -Trading center for kola nuts and gold dust         *The city-states fought amongst themselves and no leader was strong enough to           unite them. VII.  Benin           -Mighty empire by 1500s           -No written language         Oba (political and religious leader)               -Relied on metal workers to tell the history of their kingdom           -Palaces had hundreds of bronze plaques         Portuguese were first Europeans           -Interested in spices, ivory, and slaves *Benin was weakened by wars with slave-selling states and revolts by conquered            states. VIII.  Ashanti           -Located in present-day Ghana           -Only one of these kingdoms that still exists          Osei Tutu           -Ruled until 1717           -Built up army           -Appointed outstanding men to government positions regardless of social standing          British merchants went to Kumasi           -Impressed by wealth of royal court           -Late 1800s, British returned with troops and conquered the kingdom in 1901           -Ghana gained independence in 1957          Nyame           -God who sent golden stool to Osei Tutu           -King Otumuo Opoku Ware II still has the stool today IX.  Great Zimbabwe (Shona people)           -Traded with Asians as early as the 12th century           -Constructed from 1000s-1400s           -Rulers grew rich from tributes and taxes        Stone walls           -Built from granite boulders           -Over 35 ft. high with no mortar           -For protection as well as power and prestige         Kilwa (East African coast)           -Zimbabwe trading partner           -Gold, Ivory         Rulers           -God-king           -Queen mother           -Nine queens with their own courts        * No one knows why the kingdom declined; maybe due to soil depletion or fighting           between rulers. Colonization Colonization brought:           -Overseas demand for resources           -Introduction of European crops and technology           -Cheap European goods           -Development of ports and administrative centers           -Disruption of trade and political life           -Changed economic and religious systems Portuguese           -First Europeans to arrive           -Re-routed trade from the Sahara to the coast                 -Africa:  gold, ivory, food, slaves           -Portugal:  ironware, firearms, textiles, food           -Introduced slave trade to eastern and central Africa           -Kingdoms became westernized and Christianized           -Blocked trade with Muslims     *European countries became trade rivals in the 16th century     *Ethiopians resisted and beat Italy in the Battle of Adwa in 1896 Developments           -Transportation systems           -Tax systems    *WWI interrupted colonization           -German territories mandated by the League of Nations           -Many Africans fought in war           -African protests and nationalist movements     *WWII weakened European power and colonies began to gain independence Problems           -Boundaries           -Single Party states developed from dominant nationalist movements           -Military intervention           -No resources to develop economy           -No foreign investors Dutch           -Settled in South Africa as a way station to the East Indies           -Colonists settled around Cape Town and became known as Boers                ~Wars with Bantu and Zulus for land      *As Europeans move inland, they faced resistance from dominate groups and         welcome from subordinates      *1800-1905~ most of Africa is partitioned between Belgium, France, Germany,         Great Britain, Italy, and Portugal Berlin Conference (1884-1885)           -Defined European spheres of influence           -Laid down rules for future occupation of coasts           -Navigation of Congo and Niger Rivers    *No African states were invited General Act of Berlin Revolts Against French           -Algeria (1870) for control of Sahara           -W. Sudan- Malinke people Revolts against British           -Boers           -Shona           -Ashantiland           -Sierra Leone Return to Main Page

---