The Askiya dynasty, also known as the Askia dynasty, ruled the

Songhai Empire The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) was a state that dominated the western Sahel/Sudan in the 15th and 16th century. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. The state is known by its historiographical ...

at the height of that state's power. It was founded in 1493 by

Askia Mohammad I Askia Muhammad I (b. 1443 – d. 1538), born Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi or Muhammad Ture, was the first ruler of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire, reigning from 1493 to 1528. He is also known as Askia the Great, and his name in modern ...

, a general of the Songhai Empire who usurped the Sonni dynasty. The Askiya ruled from

Gao Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...

over the vast Songhai Empire until its defeat by a Moroccan invasion force in 1591. After the defeat, the dynasty moved south back to its homeland and created several smaller kingdoms in what is today Songhai in south-western

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesDendi.

Historical background

After

Sonni Ali Sunni Ali, also known as Si Ali, Sunni Ali Ber (Ber meaning "the Great"), was born in Ali Kolon. He reigned from about 1464 to 1492. Sunni Ali was the first king of the Songhai Empire, located in Africa and the 15th ruler of the Sunni dynasty. ...

's death in 1492, one of his sons,

Sonni Baru Sonni Bāru, also known as Sonni Abū Bakr Dao was the 16th and last king of the Sonni dynasty to rule over the Songhai Empire located in west Africa. His rule was very short, from November 6, 1492, to April 12, 1493. The dates of his birth and de ...

, became ruler of the Songhay Empire. He was immediately challenged for the leadership by Muhammad (son of Abi Bakr) who had been one of Sonni Ali's military commanders. In 1493 Muhammad defeated Sonni Baru in battle and in so doing brought an end to the Sonni dynasty. Muhammad adopted the title of 'Askiya'. The origin of the word is not known. The ''

Tarikh al-Sudan The ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' ( ''Tārīkh as-Sūdān''; also ''Tarikh es-Sudan'', "History of the Sudan") is a West African chronicle written in Arabic in around 1655 by the chronicler of Timbuktu, al-Sa'di. It provides the single most important primary ...

'' gives a 'folk etymology' and explains that the word derives from a Songhay expression meaning "He shall not be it" used by the sisters of Sunni Ali. The ''

Tarikh al-fattash The ''Tarikh al-fattash'' is a West African chronicle written in Arabic in the second half of the 17th century. It provides an account of the Songhay Empire from the reign of Sonni Ali (ruled 1464-1492) up to 1599 with a few references to event ...

'', in contrast, mentions that the title had been used previously. The early use of the title is supported by the discovery of tombstones (stellae) with the Askiya title dating from the 13th century in a cemetery in

. A

patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

system of succession was used in which power passed to brothers before passing to the next generation. Some of the Askiya rulers had a large number of children creating great competition and sometimes

fratricide Fratricide (, from the Latin words ' "brother" and the assimilated root of ' "to kill, to cut down") is the act of killing one's own brother. It can either be done directly or via the use of either a hired or an indoctrinated intermediary (a ...

. Margin notes in one manuscript of the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' indicates that Askiya ''al-hajj'' Muhammad had 471 children while Askiya Dawud had 333. The ''Tarikh al-fattash'' states that Askiya Dawud had 'at least 61 children', of whom more than 30 died as infants. At the time of the Moroccan invasion in 1591, the empire was ruled by

Askia Ishaq II Askia Ishaq II was ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1588 to 1591. Ishaq came to power in a long dynastic struggle following the death of the long-ruling Askia Daoud. Sensing the Empire's weakness, Moroccan Sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur Saadi dispatch ...

. After his defeat, Askiya Ishaq II was deposed by his brother, Askiya Muhammad Gao. The Moroccan military leader, Pasha Mahmud, set a trap for Askia Muhammad Gao and gave orders for him to be killed. Sulayman, another brother of Askia Ishaq II, then agreed to cooperate with the Moroccan army and was appointed as a puppet Askia in

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

. Yet another brother, Nuh, became Askiya in Dendi, a region south of the modern town of

Say Say may refer to: Music *''Say'' (album), 2008 album by J-pop singer Misono * "Say" (John Mayer song), 2007 *"Say (All I Need)", 2007 song by American pop rock band OneRepublic * "Say" (Method Man song), 2006 single by rapper Method Man * "Say" ( ...

in Niger. From Dendi Askiya Nuh organised a campaign of resistance against the Moroccan forces.

Sources

The 17th century Timbuktu chronicles, the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' and the ''

Tarikh al-Fattash The ''Tarikh al-fattash'' is a West African chronicle written in Arabic in the second half of the 17th century. It provides an account of the Songhay Empire from the reign of Sonni Ali (ruled 1464-1492) up to 1599 with a few references to event ...

'', provide dates for the reigns of the Askiyas from the time of Askiya Muhammad usurping the leadership until the Moroccan conquest in 1591. The ''Tarikh al-Fattash'' ends in 1599 while the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' provides information on the Askiyas in Timbuktu up to 1656.

John Hunwick John Owen Hunwick (born 1936, Chard, Somerset, England, died 1 April 2015 in Skokie, Illinois, United States) was a noted British professor, author, and Africanist. He has published several books, articles and journals in the African Studies fiel ...

's partial translation of the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' ends in 1613. Hunwick includes a genealogy of the Askiya dynasty up to this date. The later sections of the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' are available in a translation into French made by which was published in 1898-1900. Information on the dynasty after 1656 is provided by the ''Tadhkirat al-Nisyan''. This is an anonymous biographical dictionary of the Moroccan rulers of Timbuktu written in around 1750. For the earlier entries the text is copied directly from the ''Tarikh al-Sudan''. The ''Tadhkirat al-Nisyan'' also provides some information on the collaborating Askiya rulers based in Timbuktu. Elias Saad has published a genealogy of the Askiya dynasty. After the conquest of areas of West Africa at the end of the 19th century, the French government commissioned to undertake a survey of the people in the occupied territories. In the Denki region the rulers of the small towns of Karimama, Madékali and Gaya claimed descent from the Askiya dynasty of Gao. These town are near the modern border between

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesBenin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

. The published report provides a genealogy but does not indicated how the information was obtained nor whether it is likely to be reliable. At the time of Askiya Fodi Maÿroumfa (ruled 1798-1805) the Dendi kingdom split into three separate kingdoms with capitals in the above three towns.

Askiya dynasty of the Songhai Empire

The names and dates of reigns listed below are those given in the translation of the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' from Arabic into English by

. * Askiya ''al-hajj'' Muhammad, son of Abi Bakr: 1493-1529 * Askiya Musa, son of Askiya ''al-hajj'' Muhammad: 1529-1531 * Askiya Muhammad Bonkana, son of Umar Komadiakha: 1531-1537 * Askiya Isma'il, son of Askiya ''al-hajj'' Muhammad: 1537-1539 * Askiya Ishaq I, son of Askiya ''al-hajj'' Muhammad: 1539-1549 * Askiya Dawud, son of Askiya ''al-hajj'' Muhammad: 1549-1582 or -1583 * Askiya uhammadAl-Hajj, son of Askiya Dawud: 1582-1586 *

Askiya Muhammed Bani, son of Askiya Dawud Askia Muhammad I (b. 1443 – d. 1538), born Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi or Muhammad Ture, was the first ruler of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire, reigning from 1493 to 1528. He is also known as Askia the Great, and his name in modern ...

: 1586-1588 * Askiya Ishaq II, son of Askiya Dawud: 1588-1592 Moroccan Conquest: 1591

Askiya dynasty in Timbuktu

These are the Askiya rulers appointed by the Moroccans. The dates are from the ''Tadhkirat al-Nisyan''. The spelling generally follows that used by Elias Saad. * Askiya Sulayman, son of Dawud: 1592-1604 * Askiya Harun, son of Al-Hajj: 1604-1608 * Askiya Bakr Kanbu, son of Yaqub: 1608-1619 * Askiya Al-Hajj, son of Kisha: 1619-1621 * Askiya Muhammad Bankanu, son of Muhammad al-Sadiq: 1621-1635 * Askiya Ali Zalil, son of Kisha: 1635 * Askiya Muhammad Bankanu, son of Muhammad al-Sadiq: 1635-1642 * Askiya Al-Hajj, son of Muhammad Bankanu: 1642-1657 * Askiya Dawud, son of Harun: 1657-1668 * Askiya Muhammad al-Sadiq, son of Al-Hajj: 1668-1684 * Askiya Muhammad, son of Al-Hajj: 1684-1702 * Askiya Abd al-Rahman, son of Umar: 1705-1709 * Askiya Bakr, son of Muhammad al-Sadiq: 1709-1718 * Askiya Al-Mukhtar, son of Shams: 1718-1724 * Askiya Al-Hajj, son of Bakr: 1730-1748 * Askiya Mahmud, son of Ammar: 1748- ?

Askiya dynasty of Dendi

The ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' includes a list of the Askia rulers of the Dendi after the Invasion. They were all descendants of Askiya Dawud who had ruled in Gao between 1549 and 1582. The list of Askiyas provides no dates but in a few cases the list specifies the length of their reigns. Most of the Askiyas based in Dendi are not mentioned elsewhere in the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'', but for those that are, it is sometimes possible to date their reigns. There were usually succession struggles and some of the reigns were very short. In 1639 Pasha Mesaoud sacked the town of

Lulami Lulami (also Loulami) was the capital of the Dendi of the Songhai Empire. It was established by Askia Nuh, son of Askia Dawud and it is from here the Songhai resistance against Morocco continued. In 1639 during the reign of Askia Ismail, the Mor ...

in Dendi where Askia Ismail was based. The location of Lulami is not known and the chronicle does not specify whether Lulami was a permanent capital. The ''Tadhkirat al-Nisyan'' makes no mention of Dendi or its rulers. * Askiya Muhammad Gao, son of Dawud: 1592 * Askiya Nuh I, son of Dawud: c. 1592-1599 * Askiya al-Mustafa, son of Dawud * Askiya Muhammad Sorko-ije, son of Dawud * Askiya Harun Dankataya, son of Dawud * Askiya al-Amin, son of Dawud: 1611-1618 * Askiya Dawud II, son of Muhammad Bano: 1618-1639The ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' states that Dawud II ruled for 22 years. * Askiya Ismail, son of Muhammad Bano: c. 1639 * Askiya Muhammad, son of Anasa: 1639 * Askiya Dawud III, son of Muhammad Sorko-ije: 1639- * Askiya Muhammad Borgo, son of Harun Dankataya * Askiya Mar-Chindin, son of Fari-Mondzo Hammad * Askiya Nuh II, son of al-Mustafa * Askiya Muhammad Al-Borko, son of Dawud II * Askiya Al-Hajj, son of Dawud II * Askiya Ismail, son of Muhammad Sorko-ije * Askiya Dawud III, son of Muhammad Sorko-ije: in power in c. 1655 when the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' was written The report of the Tilho commission includes a list of rulers of Gao and then of Gaya in the region of Dendi. The early names do not match those in the lists above. The spelling below is as used in the report. * Askiya Maammarou, son of Kasseï: legendary ruler of the dynasty (based in Gao) * Askiya Daouda, son of Maammarou (based in Gao) * Askiya Karbachi Binta, son of Daouda (based in Gao) * Askiya Morobani, son of Daouda (based in Gao) * Askiya El Hadjj Hanga, son of Ismaïla, son of Morobani: -1761 (came from Gao to Dendi) * Askiya Samsou-Béri, son of El Hadjj Hanga: 1761-1779 * Askiya Hargani, son of El Hadjj Hanga: 1779-1793 * Askiya Samsou Keïna, son of Morobani: 1793-1798 * Askiya Fodi Maÿroumfa, son of Samsou-Béri: 1798-1805 * Askiya Tomo, son of Samsou-Béri: 1805-1823 * Askiya Bassarou Missi Izé, son of Samsou-Béri: 1823-1842 * Askiya Boumi a.k.a. Askia Kodama Komi, son of Samsou-Béri: 1842-1845 * Askiya Koïzé Babba, son of Tomo: 1845-1864 * Askiya Koïzé Babba Baki, son of Fodi Maÿroumfa: 1864-1865 * Askiya Ouankoÿ, son of Tomo: 1865-1868 * Askiya Biyo Birma, son of Tomo: 1868-1882 * Askiya Doauda, son of Bassarou: 1882-1887 * Askiya Malla, son of Tomo: 1887-1901 * Askiya Igoumou, son of Bassarou: 1901-1905 French conquest: 1901

Notes

References

*. (Vol. 1 contains the Arabic text, Vol. 2 contains a translation into French). Internet Archive
Volume 1Volume 2
Gallica
Volume 2
*. The anonymous 18th century ''Tadhkirat al-Nisyan'' is a biographical dictionary of the pashas of Timbuktu from the Moroccan conquest up to 1750. It also contains a list of the Timbuktu based Ashiyas on pages 289-297. *. *. Also available fro
Aluka
but requires subscription. *. *. *. People of the Songhai Empire {{Improve categories, date=February 2020 Dendi people Gao Timbuktu