Mali, Kongo and the Swahili City States
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Question
Who founded the Mali Empire and how?
Answer
Sundiata Keita, by defeating Sumanguru Kante of the Sosso kingdom at the Battle of Kirina (c1235).
Question
What was Mansa Musa's most famous act as ruler of Mali?
Answer
His pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, giving away so much gold in Cairo that its value fell there for years.
Question
Why did Mali have more gold wealth than Ghana?
Answer
Mali controlled the Bure goldfields, a richer gold source, in addition to trans-Saharan trade routes Ghana had also used.
Question
Who was Abu Ishaq al-Sahili?
Answer
An architect Mansa Musa brought back from his Mecca pilgrimage; he built mosques and buildings in Timbuktu.
Question
What caused Mali's decline?
Answer
Succession disputes after Mansa Musa's death, attacks from neighbouring peoples (including Songhai), and loss of control over trade routes.
Question
What is the Manikongo?
Answer
The title of the king who ruled the Kingdom of the Kongo from the capital Mbanza Kongo.
Question
Who was Afonso I of Kongo?
Answer
King Nzinga Mbemba (r. 1509–1543), who converted to Catholicism, strengthened royal power through the new faith, and tried to limit the slave trade with Portugal.
Question
How did the Kingdom of the Kongo first make contact with Europeans?
Answer
Portuguese sailors reached the Kongo coast in 1483, opening trade and religious contact with the Manikongo.
Question
Compare how Mali and Kongo used religion to strengthen their states.
Answer
Mali's rulers adopted Islam to gain legitimacy and links with North African Muslim traders; Kongo's kings adopted Catholicism to gain legitimacy and links with Portugal.
Question
What was Kilwa's role among the Swahili city states?
Answer
Kilwa was the most powerful Swahili city state by the 14th century, controlling access to the gold trade linked to Great Zimbabwe.
Question
What made Indian Ocean trade possible for the Swahili coast?
Answer
Predictable seasonal monsoon winds let ships travel reliably between East Africa, Arabia, Persia and India.
Question
What is 'cosmopolitan Swahili culture'?
Answer
A blend of African Bantu social structures with Islamic religion, Arabic-influenced language, and Indian Ocean architectural styles, produced by centuries of coastal trade contact.
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Topic 21.5 hub
Trade and the rise and decline of African states and empires (800–1600)
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