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The Kingdom of Ghana
controlled the trans-Saharan trade by taxing for gold
kings of Ghana gained financial resources they needed to field a large army and influence affairs in West Africa
major gold trader
Mali Empire
13th century, replaced Ghana
continued to control the trans-Saharan trade
What is the main commercial and cultural center of the Mali and Songhay empires?
Timbuktu
The Songhay Empire
emerged when the Mali empire weakened and became the dominant power of the western grasslands
Sunni Ali
(1464-1493) reined Songhay ruler
embarked on a campaign to conquer his neighbors and consolidate the Songhay Empire
he brought the important trading cities of Timbuktu and Jenne under his control and used their wealth to dominate the central Niger valley
What did Sunni Ali build?
he built an elaborate administrative and military apparatus to oversee affairs in his realm
he also appointed governors to provinces and instituted a hierarchy of command that turned his army into an effective military force
created an imperial navy to patrol the Niger River
What caused the Fall of Songhay
musket-bearing Moroccan army trekked across the Sahara and attacked the Songhay forces
Swahili empire
prominent empire in east Africa
declined around the same time as the Songhay Empire
What did Portuguese mariner Vasco da Gama do?
skirmished with local forces on the eastern coast
1502- forced rulers of Kilwa to pay tribute
1505: Portuguese gunships dominate Swahili ports
constructed forts through the region to control trade however they did not succeed and disrupted trade patterns to send Swahili states into a decline
Kingdom of Kongo
the best known kingdom in central Africa
abundant written records throw light on its experience in early modern times
had relations which Portuguese their goal was to make relationships and striking deals with African leaders, and bringing riches/objects from trade back to Europe
King Nzinga Mbemba
King of Kongo (1506-1542)
also known as Alfonso I (his Christian name)
converts to Christianity and wanted everyone to convert all his subjects to Christianity
Slave raiding in Kongo
Portuguese traded textiles, weapons, advisers, and artisans to Kongo
in exchange they expected high-value merchandises such as copper, ivory, and enslaved people
Portuguese often did slaving expeditions and made alliances with local authorities and provided them with weapons in exchange for captured people
Kongo Kings tried to appeal to slow down slave trade but the Portuguese attack Kongo and decapitate the king in 1665
Kingdom of Ndongo (Angola)
gains wealth and independence from Kongo via slave trade
Queen Nzinga
resisted Portuguese influence by possing as a male king
establishes a temporary alliance with Dutch in unsuccessful attempt to expel Portuguese
after her death there was a decline of Ndongo power
Chieftans
controlled the commerce of merchants from the Swahili city-states of coastal east Africa and increased in wealth, enhanced their power, and extended their authority
Great Zimbabwe
1300
a massive, stone-fortified city and dominated the gold-bearing plain between the Zambesi and Limpopo rivers
Who did the Dutch mariners encounter in 1652?
Khoikhoi people (Hottentots)
the Dutch claimed land for themselves and commanded Khoikhoi labor which eventually led to the formation of Dutch and British colonies in Africa
What did Timbuktu become by the 16th century?
the most prominent Islamic university and 180 schools that taught Quran
Which two religions became more popular in sub-Saharan Africa?
Islam and Christianity
Islam being more adopted in the commercial centers of west Africa and the Swahili city-states of east Africa
What happened to African traditions and beliefs once Islam became adopted in their culture?
African Muslims blended with Islam
created a syncretic style of Islam and women became more associated with each other
The Fulani
waged a series of wars designed to impose their own strict interpretation of Islam
founded powerful states and promoted the spread of Islam beyond the cities to the countryside
Who found interests in rulers like King Afonso I of Kongo and why?
Portuguese community
adopted European-style Christianity
Antonian movement
particularly influential form of Christianity
18th century
Dona Beatriz
began the Antonian movement in 1704
proclaimed that St. Anthony of Padua had possessed her and chosen her to communicate his messages
gained a reputation for working miracles and curing diseases and promoted an African form of Christianity
taught that Jesus was a black African man and Kongo was the true holy land of Christianity and heaven was for Africans
burned at a stake when Christian missionaries persuaded King Pedro IV of Kongo
What American crops were brought in to Africa?
manioc (most important: high yield and thrived in tropical soil, staple bread flour), maize, and peanuts
supplemented bananas, yams, rice, and millet, the principal staple foods of sub-Saharan Africa
increased food supply boost population growth despite the slave trade
What were slaves seen as?
a form of private investment, a type of heritable property, and a means of measuring wealth
the more slaves you had the more you were able to harvest crops and accumulate more wealth than others
Which areas were most vulnerable to slave trade and why?
Societies between Senegal and Angola due to their proximity to the most active slave ports
Which countries resisted slave trade
Rwanda, Bugunda, Masai, Turkana
2/3 of all Africans enslaved were…
young men between fourteen and thirty-five years of age
Why was polygyny embraced by Angolans?
women made up more than two-thirds of the adult population of Angola and there was not enough men around to reproduce children
there was a continuous demand for new shipments of enslaved people and there was not many men due to high mortality rates
women often took on duties that were the responsibility of men aswell
Why did violence escalate between African states and kingdoms in the late 17th century?
increase in the exchange of enslaved people for European firearms
with the use of firearms kingdom of Dahomey captured people for unarmed neighboring societies and exchange them for more weapons
Which regions were most slaves in?
tropical and subtropical regions
What was the original major cash crop?
sugar
What did plantations heavily rely on?
slaves
Why was South America (Caribbean) constantly importing slaves?
tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever
brutal working conditions, sanitation, nutrition
gender imbalances
Why was North America better for slaves compared to the South?
conditions were bad in the south and mainly men were working
north America had less diseases and more normal sex ratio
Maroons
slaves who ran away from the plantation and often raided nearby plantations for arms, tools, provisions, and other enslaved people
Saint-Domingue
revolt to abolish slavery as an institution and the enslaved Africans of Saint-Domingue declared independence from France and renamed the name Haiti
creole language
several African and European languages
Olaudah Equiano
former slave authors best-selling autobiography’
Eloquent attacks on institutions of slavery
what financially caused slavery to stop
military expenses to prevent rebellions
price of sugar falls; price of slaves rises
wage labor becomes efficient
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Flashcard (26)