Ali Babba bin Bello ( ar, علي ببَّا بن بلُّو) (1804–1859 - aged 55) was the fourth Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate from 1842 to 1859. Ali bin Bello is known by a variety of different names in different sources, including: Ali bin Bello, Aliyu Babba (not to be confused with his grandson and namesake, the

Emir of Kano Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

from 1894 to 1903 with the same name), and Mai Cinaka.

Early life

Ali Babba bin Bello was born in 1804 the son of Ladi, a Hausa concubine to

Muhammed Bello Muhammadu Bello ( ar, محمد بلو) was the second Sultan of Sokoto and reigned from 1817 until 1837. He was also an active writer of history, poetry, and Islamic studies. He was the son and primary aide to Usman dan Fodio, the founder of the ...

, the second Sultan of Sokoto, and the grandson of

Usman dan Fodio Usman Ɗan Fodio ( ar, عثمان بن فودي, translit=ʿUthmān ibn Fodio; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817) was a Fulani scholar, Sunni Islamic religious teacher, revolutionary, and philosopher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate and ruled ...

, the first Sultan. Although he was not born from one of the wives of Bello, he was treated as from Bello's lineage and was able to become the successor to

Abu Bakr Atiku Abu Bakr Atiku ( ar, أبو بكر أتيكو; 1782–1842) was the third Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate, reigning from October 1837 until November 1842. Early years Abu Bakr Atiku dan Shehu was born to the second wife of Usman dan Fodio in 17 ...

in 1842. In his selection as Sultan, he was selected instead of three other sons of Muhammadu Bello and one of his uncles for the position.

Reign as Sultan

Ali Babba came into power at a tumultuous point in the Sokoto Caliphate. Usman dan Fodio and Muhammed Bello had done most of the expansion of the empire, but in recent years there were many simmering revolts from the various emirs in the Caliphate and there was constant violence between Sokoto and the

Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to: * Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa * Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while it ...

. Ali Babba consolidated the administration of the Sokoto Caliphate, quelled many of the tension between the Sultan and the Emirs, achieved a cessation of hostilities with Bornu, and started trading with the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. Many of the Emirs had become quite independent from the Caliphate by the time Ali Babba came to power. Revolts in

Kebbi Kebbi state ( ha, Jihar Kebbi; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in the northwestern Nigeria, Kebbi state is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while i ...

, Dendi, and Zamfara were all ended by Ali Babba during his tenure. In addition, the tension in the

Adamawa Emirate The Adamawa Emirate (Fula: Lamorde Adamaawa 𞤤𞤢𞤥𞤮𞤪𞤣𞤫 𞤢𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤢; ar, إمارة أداماوة; german: Adamaua; french: Adamaoua) is a traditional state located in Fombina, an area which now roughly cor ...

, with Emir Adama threatening to leave the Sokoto Caliphate, a conflict which had reached a highpoint in the last months of his predecessors reign, was quickly resolved with Ali Babba reasserting the authority of Adama and ending recognition of his rivals. However, during his term, the Hadejia Emirate successfully rebelled from the Caliphate. The Emir of Hadejia, Buhari, had refused to submit to questioning by Ali Babba in regards to Buhari's brutality which resulted in a decade long struggle with Hadejia maintaining independence until Buhari's death. At the same time, violence between Sokoto and Bornu had been ongoing for most of his predecessor's reign. Ali Babba was able to end slave raids by his forces into Bornu territory, grant Bornu some lands back, and negotiate a cessation of hostilities. In 1853, explorer

Heinrich Barth Johann Heinrich Barth (; ; 16 February 1821 – 25 November 1865) was a German explorer of Africa and scholar. Barth is thought to be one of the greatest of the European explorers of Africa, as his scholarly preparation, ability to speak and wri ...

and Ali Babba negotiated an extensive trade agreement between the British and the Sokoto Caliphate.

Lineage

Two of his sons rose to the level of Sultan of Sokoto: Umar bin Ali (Sultan from 1881 to 1891) and Muhammadu Attahiru II (the first Sultan under British Colonial rule from 1903 to 1915).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Bin Bello 01 Sultans of Sokoto 19th-century monarchs in Africa 1808 births 1859 deaths 19th-century Nigerian people Dan Fodio family Nigerian Fula people Nigerian Muslims African slave owners