The Mali Empire

Podcast Transcript

The Mali Empire was one of the largest and most influential states in African history, rising in West Africa during the thirteenth century and reaching its height in the fourteenth.

Known for its immense wealth, the empire became an economic powerhouse, famed for its vast gold reserves.

But despite all its money, like all empires, it eventually fell.

Learn about the history, government, and economy of the Mali Empire on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

From 1226 to 1610, the Mali Empire’s expansive reach made it Africa’s largest empire at its peak, granting it extraordinary cultural influence across the continent.

The empire sat between the Sahara Desert to the north and the coastal rainforests to the south. At its peak, it stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad in Central Africa, about 2,600 miles or about 4,200 kilometers. In comparison, this is farther than the distance from New York to California today.

The Mali Empire was perfectly placed between West Africa’s abundant gold mines and the agriculturally rich Niger River floodplain, turning its geographyinto one of its greatest strengths.

The Mali Empire was founded by the Mandé people, a linguistic grouping that speaks Mandé languages. The Mandé first arrived in the Mandang Region during the reign of the Ghana Empire in the 11th century.

Upon moving to the region, the City State of Kaba was ruled by the Manden in the name of Ghana. This relationship lasted until the 12th century.

During the 12th century, the Ghana Empire began to decline, and the province split into 12 separate kingdoms.

The most notable was the Sosso Empire. It began in 1140 and had concluded by roughly 1203. By then, the Sosso King, Soumaoro Kanté, had conquered much of the former Manden territory.

Simultaneously, as the Sosso Empire was rising in power, an opposition formed, led by Sundiata Keita, who was born during the empire’s rise.

As the son of a king, Sundiata went into exile after his father’s death. During this period, he formed connections with the Maninka, Wagadou, and Mema city-states. In 1234, he assembled a united army from these states to revolt against the Sosso.

These combined forces led to the Sosso’s defeat in roughly 1235. Upon the victory, Sundiata was declared leader of the 12 kingdoms, forming what became the Mali Empire.

During his reign, Sundiata authorized his generals to expand the empire’s reach. They gained access to goldfields in the south and took additional territory in the north.

Following Sundiata’s death, the question of succession arose. Though we don’t know much about this process, we do know that there was likely a period of conflict among members of the gbara, the “Great Assembly” that served as the deliberative body of the Mali Empire.

Most oral traditions align with the story that one of Sundiata’s sons took over the empire. Some go further and say two of Sundiata’s sons ruled, followed by one of his grandsons.

Regardless, this lineage of rule was eventually interrupted by Sakura in the late 13th century.

Sakura was likely a former slave who had been freed. He usurped the throne of Mali after a period of political instability. Under his control, the empire stabilized, allowing for Sakura to usher in a period of rapid growth and expansion.

One of the most notable examples of this growth was Sakura’s fostering a connection with the Muslim world. This relationship was beneficial for both parties, as trade enabled them to flourish.

Sakura likely died in the early 1300s. It is believed he was killed, likely by someone from the Sundiata line. This allowed power to return to their lineage. The new leader was Qu.

Between the early 1300s and 1312, Mali’s leadership was unstable. Rulers switched frequently after deaths or failed returns from voyages. Stability remained elusive until Kanku Musa was recognized as mansa, or the ruler of the empire.

Kanku Musa is one of the most important figures in the history of the Mali Empire. He is better known to the world as Mansa Musa, and his reign is considered the Mali Empire’s golden age.

Musa was a devout Muslim and was committed to education, which led him to peacefully annex the scholarly city of Timbuktu. Upon acquiring the city, Musa continued to promote education.

The best example of this was when he turned the Sankoré Madrasah into a major center of Islamic learning by funding its expansion, attracting scholars, and integrating it into Mali’s state-supported religious and educational system.

Mansa Musa is best known for his pilgrimage to Mecca, which became a historic display of Musa’s incredible wealth.

Mansa Musa undertook his famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324–1325, traveling from Mali across the Sahara through cities such as Walata, Cairo, and Medina with a vast entourage of officials, soldiers, servants, and camels carrying large quantities of gold.

Along the route, Musa distributed gold generously as gifts and alms, particularly in Cairo, where his spending was so extensive that it temporarily depressed the value of gold and caused noticeable inflation that lasted for years.

Local merchants, rulers, and scholars benefited unevenly, with some enriched by his largesse and others disrupted by sudden price changes. The journey dramatically increased global awareness of Mali’s wealth and power, placing it firmly on the mental maps of the Islamic world and Europe.

Following Mansa Musa’s death, his son ruled for a few short years before being overthrown by his uncle, Sulayman. Following Sulayman’s death in 1360, the Golden Age of Mali came to an end.

The end was a slow decline. It was marked by cruel, short, and incompetent leaders. This doesn’t mean the empire collapsed, but its control became much more tumultuous.

Mali began to face threats from rival empires, leading to the loss of some territory, but it still held a large portion of its territory going into the 1400s.

This period saw more short-lived leadership, often ending in coups, leaving the Empire in a near-constant state of political uncertainty.

During this time, Mali still had strong control over its southern and western territory. However, it had lost almost all control in the north. One of the greatest losses was the city of Timbuktu. Another major loss was the long-held city of Mema to the Songhai Empire.

The rapid loss of territory led the empire’s leadership to seek connections with European powers. The most notable of these was its relationship with Portugal.

Regardless of these connections, the Empire’s power and control continued to decline. The Songhai Empire remained a thorn in Mali’s side, and eventually the Songhai sacked Mali’s capital in 1545.

The official end of Mali’s Empire depends on who you ask and how you define it. By 1599, much of its former lands had been absorbed by the Moroccan Empire.

Some historians argue that Mali technically lasted until 1610, following the death of the last emperor. Others state it ended in 1645, when the territory was officially defunct. However, it is generally listed as ending in 1610.

So, while the Mali Empire existed, how did it function?

The Mali Empire’s governmental structure was established during its foundation. It was composed of three different states, so the government operated with that alliance in mind. The main groups in the Empire were Mali, Mema, and Wagadou.

In addition to the three states, the Twelve Doors of Mali also played a major role in the government. The Twelve Doors of Mali consisted of the territory Sundiata conquered or aligned with when taking over the region.

All of the kingdoms had sworn their allegiance to Sundiata and his descendants and relinquished control of their kingdom to Sundiata’s hands. By pledging allegiance, the former kings became commanders of their kingdom. In this way, they basically maintained their control over their own lands just like they did before, except not they were just ruling in Sundiata’s name.

Despite holding onto some control, ultimate authority still fell into the hands of the Mansa. His power was unquestionable and governed by strict rules.

If a new territory was conquered, the Mansa chose military governors. These governors were responsible for collecting taxes and overseeing justice systems. They could raise armies and take power from native administrations if needed. This control helped assimilate the land into the empire.

Other important roles in the Mali Empire included the Mansa’s second-in-command, who served as chief of the armed forces.

The Santigui was the chief of the treasury and oversaw gold and the royal granaries.

The griot served as an advisor to the king, a tutor to the prince, and a master of ceremonies.

Overall, the vast majority of the empire consisted of autonomous kingdoms that ruled independently on behalf of the mansa, simply paying tribute to the main kingdom. Ultimate authority was really only seen at the provincial levels, with local politics remaining relatively local.

In this respect, the Mali Empire was very similar in structure to the Holy Roman Empire.

The other major political body in the Mali Empire was the aforementioned Gbara or General Assembly. The main purpose of this body was for the clan delegates to meet and discuss social and economic reforms.

In many ways, the Gbara served as the Mansa’s cabinet, helping guide the king on various matters. It also helped ensure that all social groups of the empire were represented. This helped ensure that land and resources were divided fairly.

As briefly mentioned earlier, a major reason the Mali Empire is known today is the wealthy economy it possessed. At the time, the empire was the wealthiest in the world.

Mali’s economy operated under a taxation system. Basic taxes were collected for the mansa by provincial governors, who remitted the funds to the central government.

However, the main supply of wealth came from the heavy taxes on trade. Goods that entered, left, or traveled throughout the empire were heavily taxed.

Another part of the reason for the Mali Empire’s wealth was its rich agricultural resources. The state’s fertile soil was perfect for a wide variety of crops. This meant food was a secure resource in the area and was so accessible that it could be traded with other powers.

Additionally, the country had access to other lucrative, specialized skills. The most important of these was blacksmithing. Mali held a large iron supply, allowing smiths to manufacture tools to help feed the people and weapons to help defend them.

A strong military played a huge part in maintaining the economic power of the Mali Empire. Blacksmiths provided weapons with iron tips, helping propel the military forward with stronger weapons.

Other specialized skills that helped bring the empire wealth included textiles. Because the crops were so versatile, they could grow cotton. This meant that cloth was spun, giving them another lucrative trading resource.

One of the largest contributors to the Empire’s success was its vast supply of gold and salt.

During the 14th century, the Mali Empire was responsible for almost half of the world’s gold supply outside of the Americas.

However, the empire’s wealth did not come directly from the gold-producing regions, but rather from the tribute and trade that occurred in the regions where gold was found. Any gold nuggets found were handed over to the Mansa immediately and exchanged for gold dust.

Gold nuggets were illegal to trade within the Mali Empire’s borders. A major reason for this was the vast amount of gold it contained, so by changing it to a weight in gold dust, it helped prevent the material from becoming too readily available to the public.

In many places, gold dust was used as currency, so if gold was too prevalent in society, it would lose value, leading to inflation. By protecting the value of gold, it helped stabilize prices in the empire, keeping trade lucrative while also directly contributing to the Mansa’s wealth.

Another crucial trade in Mali was salt. During the Empire, salt was considered one of the most valuable resources, ranking alongside or even surpassing gold.

Salt was considered important for several reasons: it was crucial for health because it provided essential nutrients for the body and helped preserve food. Because of its rarity in other regions, salt was often worth its weight in gold, aiding in contributing more wealth to the empire.

Overall, the Mali Empire profoundly shaped the cultural and societal landscape of West Africa. Its power as a trading hub and its enormous wealth allowed the region to flourish for centuries, with its impact still felt today.