During the development of human history in sub-Saharan Africa, we had the rising and falling of different kingdoms in different regions. In this essay, I will talk about 3 different kingdoms, which are great Zimbabwe, the Mali empire, and the Songhai empire. Those empires ruled different portions of the African continent and had strong importance in the evolution of modern Africa.
The first kingdom is known as the great Zimbabwe that ruled over a large part of modern Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It was especially wealthy in cows and precious metals and stood astride a trade route that connected the region’s gold fields with ports on the Indian Ocean coast. The fortification city at Great Zimbabwe was mysteriously abandoned sometime in the 15th century after the state went into decay, but in its bloom, it was home to an estimated 20,000 people.
The foundation of the Mali Empire dates back to the 1200s. The Empire squeezed its government over a large portion of West Africa and grew rich on trade. Its most notable cities were Djenné and Timbuktu. The Mali Empire finally dismantled in the 16th century, but at its peak, it was one of the treasures of the African continent and was known the world over for its wealth and luxury.
The third empire called the Songhai empire was formed in the 15th century from some of the former regions of the Mali Empire, and the West Africa kingdom. In size, it was larger than Western Europe and comprised parts of a dozen modern-day African nations. Its success was due to strong trade systems and an advanced bureaucratic system that separated its vast holdings into distinct provinces, each controlled by its own governor. It reached its apogee in the early 16th century under the rule of the religious King Muhammad I Askia, who conquered new lands, formed an alliance with Egyptians Caliphs. It later decayed in the late 1500s after a time of civil war and inner strife left it open to an intrusion by the Sultan of Morocco.
