![SONGHAI empire map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/SONGHAI_empire_map.PNG)
Askia Ishaq I was the ruler of 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 ...
from 1539 to 1549, elected Askia following the death of
Askia Isma'il Askia Ismail was the sixth ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1537 – 1539, and fourth from the Askia dynasty. Ismail came to power through a conspiracy generated by Askia Mohammad I, his father and founder of the Askia dynasty, with the aim of free ...
. He was the fifth ruler of the
Askiya dynasty The Askiya dynasty, also known as the Askia dynasty, ruled the Songhai Empire at the height of that state's power. It was founded in 1493 by Askia Mohammad I, a general of the Songhai Empire who usurped the Sonni dynasty. The Askiya ruled from Gao ...
which had the town of
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 ...
as its capital.
Ascension to the throne
When
Askia Isma'il Askia Ismail was the sixth ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1537 – 1539, and fourth from the Askia dynasty. Ismail came to power through a conspiracy generated by Askia Mohammad I, his father and founder of the Askia dynasty, with the aim of free ...
died, the leading men in the empire peacefully agreed that Ishaq, a son of
Muhammad the Great would be the next ruler.
Reign
Askia Ishaq was the most ruthless Songhai ruler ever, inspiring the most fear and anxiety among the
Songhai people
The Songhai people (also Ayneha, Songhay or Sonrai)'' are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and ''lingua franca'' is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in ...
. Despite being a devout Muslim, he sent agents to
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 ...
on a regular basis to demand enormous sums of money from the merchants, which is against Islamic law.
This ended up damaging the economy of the empire and made him unpopular, thus gaining him many enemies.
Askiya Ishaq I was completely ruthless as a ruler and executed any official whom he considered as a threat. 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 this description: "If he imagined anyone was making the least move against the throne, he would, without exception, have him killed or banished. This was his consistent practice."
Askia Ishaq briefly occupied the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire ( Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl ...
capital in 1545/6.
After a request from the
Moroccan sultan
Muhammad Al-Arak, to cede the
salt mine
Salt mining extracts natural salt deposits from underground. The mined salt is usually in the form of halite (commonly known as rock salt), and extracted from evaporite formations.
History
Before the advent of the modern internal combustio ...
s of
Taghaza
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, Ishaq I sent a group of 2000 mounted men to raid a market town in the
Dara valley of southern Morocco with instructions to avoid killing anyone. This was intended as a show of strength.
Askiya Ishaq I died in the town of Kukiya
[The town of Kukiya is believed to have been near the modern village of Bentiya on the eastern bank of the Niger, north of the Fafa rapids, 134 km south east of Gao. Bentiya is located at ] and was buried there. He was succeeded by his brother
Askiya Dawud
Askia Daoud (also Askia Dāwūd, Askiya Dawud) was the ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1549 to 1582. Daoud came to power unopposed following the death of his brother Askia Ishaq I in 1549. The Empire continued to expand under Daoud's peaceful rul ...
.
Notes
References
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1549 deaths
People of the Songhai Empire
16th-century monarchs in Africa
Year of birth unknown
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