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• Starting in the medieval period, a series of powerful kingdoms developed in West Africa.
• These West African kingdoms and empires developed their own diverse and rich cultures, art, histories and religions.

Starting in the medieval period, a series of kingdoms rose and fell in West Africa. The kingdoms of Benin, Mali, Songhai, Kongo and Asante each had their own language and unique ways of leading and governing their people, and many practised different religions.

The kingdoms of Benin, Mali, Kongo, Songhai and Asante each expanded their territories and developed trading links to exploit the rich natural resources available to them, such as gold, silver and salt. The natural resources helped the empires and kingdoms to develop key trading routes with Europe and the rest of the world. The Mali Empire was one of the world’s major producers of gold, and at the time, many of the coins used in southern Europe could be traced back to West Africa.

Through the expansion of their trading links, kingdoms came into contact with Arab traders. This led empires, including Mali and Songhai, to convert to Islam and build mosques, Islamic learning centres and universities.

Many African kingdoms, including Benin and Kongo, started to develop relationships with Europeans. However, over time, the Europeans sought to gain greater control and power over these kingdoms. In the Kingdom of Benin, the British wanted to control the trade in palm oil and rubber, and in Kongo, the Portuguese enslaved increasing numbers of people through their involvement with the transatlantic slave trade. The period before these countries were colonised is referred to as the precolonial period.

The Kingdom of Benin ruled from c.1200 - 1897 in what is now southern Nigeria. Benin was a wealthy kingdom of around 2 million people. They followed a traditional African religion known as Edo, which many people in Nigeria still practise today.

The Kingdom of Benin was led by a series of rulers known as Obas, who were very powerful and believed to be descended from the gods. The Obas ruled with strong authority. They were supported by groups of servants and noblemen who helped them maintain order and collect taxes. The Obas of Benin developed a community of skilled metalworkers who created plaques and figures in bronze, which they used to decorate the Oba’s large palace.

By the 1800s, the Kingdom of Benin was under threat. The British wanted to control the trade in palm oil and rubber. Tensions mounted, and in 1897 the British sent 10,000 soldiers to invade Benin. The capital, Benin City, was burned to the ground, and the Kingdom of Benin became part of the British Empire.

In the 1230s, a man called Sundiata Keita united a series of smaller kingdoms to form the Empire of Mali. Mali became increasingly powerful, stretching through modern-day Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, northern Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa, Sundiata Keita’s great-nephew, ruled the Mali Empire from 1312-1337. Under his leadership, many schools, universities and libraries were built and the empire doubled in size, expanding into the important trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao.

Mali became famous for its trade in gold and the empire became incredibly wealthy. During the medieval period, it is estimated that two thirds of the world’s gold originated from Mali. Some historians have even described Musa as one of the wealthiest men who has ever lived.

In 1324, Musa went on his pilgrimage to Mecca. He is said to have given vast amounts of gold away to the people he met on his journey. When Arab historian Al-Umari visited Cairo a few years later, he stated that Musa “flooded Cairo with his kindness”.

The Mali Empire widely practised Islam and Mali became a centre for Islamic learning.

Following the death of Mansa Musa in around 1337, poor leadership and a decrease in trade saw the empire decline. By the time the last Mansa died in 1610, the empire had lost virtually all its power.

The Kingdom of Kongo ruled from c.1390 in what is now northern Angola. It was led by a powerful ruler known as the Mwene Kongo and was made up of around 3 million people.

Kongo was known for its ivory, pepper, spices and other trading goods. From the 1480s, Portuguese traders started to travel to the Congo River to trade.

In the 1480s, Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão reached the Kingdom of Kongo and was welcomed by the Mwene Kongo. Several years later, the king of Portugal sent royal ambassadors to Kongo and the Mwene Kongo developed strong relationships with the Portuguese royal family. Trade with the Portuguese made the kingdom extremely wealthy.

In 1491, the Mwene Kongo, Nzinga a Nkuwu, was baptised into the Catholic faith. He took the Christian name King João, naming himself after the Portuguese king. His son, Mvemba a Nzinga, travelled to Europe before becoming Mwene Kongo. He was also baptised into the Catholic faith, taking the name Afonso.

This relationship with Portugal brought many Portuguese settlers to the kingdom. The Portuguese king reached an agreement with Mwene Kongo Afonso, known as the Regimento of 1512, to help organise the Kingdom of Kongo. This involved Portuguese settlers in the Kingdom of Kongo building churches and training the Kongo army. In return Afonso would supply Portuguese traders with copper, ivory and enslaved people, most of whom were captives from Kongo's wars of expansion into neighbouring territories.

However, tensions began to rise when Portuguese traders began to enslave Kongo citizens. In 1526 Mwene Kongo Afonso wrote to the Portuguese king explaining the negative impact the enslavement of Kongo citizens was having on the kingdom. The relationship between the kingdom and Portugal continued to decline and in 1665 the Kongo army was defeated by the Portuguese at the Battle of Mbwila. The Mwene was killed and many Kongo people were enslaved and taken to the Portuguese colony of Brazil.

Following nearly two centuries of power struggles, factional division and civil war, the Kingdom of Kongo officially became a vassal state of Portugal in 1857. This was agreed by Mwene Pedro V, who required Portuguese military assistance to secure the throne over his relatives, who also believed that they should rule. This agreement gave Portugal authority over the Kingdom of Kongo. It remained a vassal state until 1914, when Portugal abolished the Kingdom of Kongo following a revolt against Portuguese rule. The Kingdom of Kongo was absorbed into the Portuguese colony of Angola.

When the Mali Empire began to decline in the 1300s, Sonni leaders seized control of the city of Gao. In the 1400s, the empire expanded dramatically under the leadership of Sonni Ali. In his seizing of Timbuktu, Muslim scholars reported that he was extremely cruel and murdered many of the city's inhabitants.

Askia Muhammad I

In 1493, Sonni Ali’s son, Sonni Baru, was defeated by Askia Muhammad I at the Battle of Anfao. Askia Muhammad I became the leader of the Songhai Empire and under his rule, all of the Songhai Empire became an Islamic state. He built many mosques and Islamic schools and universities across the empire. He also divided the Songhai Empire up into different areas. Each area was ruled by a governor and different systems of rule were developed, which helped Muhammad maintain control and stability across the empire.

Askia Muhammad I was overthrown by his son in 1528, and the Songhai Empire's power declined throughout the 1500s. In 1591 the Moroccan army, which was well-equipped with canons and early types of gun, defeated the Songhai army in the Battle of Tondibi and took control of Gao and Timbuktu.

The Asante Empire, which was made up of most of present-day Ghana, was a powerful kingdom located in West Africa. The Asante Empire began in 1701 when military leader Osei Tutu defeated neighbouring kingdoms and took the title Asantehene, which means ‘King of the Asante’. The wealthy empire controlled gold mines and supplied gold to European traders in exchange for weaponry. The Asante Empire also supplied enslaved people to European traders.

The Golden Stool was a sacred object made from solid gold. It represented the Asantehene’s authority as well as being the Asante symbol of unity and good fortune. In 1900, Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, the British Governor of the Gold Coast, demanded that the Asante people give him the Golden Stool. In response, Yaa Asantewaa, the Asante Queen Mother, began a military revolt against the British which led to the War of the Golden Stool. Yaa Asantewaa was defeated in July 1900 and exiled to the Seychelles, along with the Asantehene and other Asante leaders, but the stool was never surrendered to the British. In 1902 the Asante Empire was incorporated into the British Empire. In 1935, partial self-determination was restored to Asante, which later became part of the independent country of Ghana in 1957.