The States of the Nigerian Region in the 16th century

Gobir (

Demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

: ''Gobirawa'') was a

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

in what is now

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Founded by the

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

in the 11th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of

Hausaland The Hausa ( autonyms for singular: Bahaushe ( m), Bahaushiya ( f); plural: Hausawa and general: Hausa; exonyms: Ausa; Ajami: ) are the largest native ethnic group in Africa. They speak the Hausa language, which is the second most spoken languag ...

, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the city of Alkalawa. In the early 19th century elements of the ruling dynasty fled north to what is today

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesTibiri Tibiri is a town and urban commune in Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesSabon Birni Sabon Birni is a Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Sabon Birni. Sabon Birni shares a border with the Republic of Niger to the north. It has an area of 2,354 km and a population of 207,599 at ...

History

Early history

Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of

, tracing a lineage back to the 11th century. The seat of the dynasty was at Alkalawa, in northwestern Hausaland.

Fulani jihad

Gobir is particularly remembered as the chief opponent of

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic reformer

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 ...

. Bawa, a ruler of Gobir, appears to have invited dan Fodio to the area in 1774; dan Fodio made his home in the small town of

Degel Degel is a town in northern Nigeria. Once a part of the Hausa city-state of Gobir, Degel is particularly noted for being the home of Fulani Islamic reformer Usman dan Fodio from 1774 to 1804. Dan Fodio built a large following in the area until, ...

, and began preaching. Dan Fodio was given some role in the education of Bawa's nephew and later successor, Yunfa (r. 1803–8), but also publicly attacked what he saw as the abuses of the Hausa elite, particularly the burden they placed on the poor. Sarki Nafata (r. 1797–98) reversed Bawa's tolerant policy, and feared the increase of arms amongst dan Fodio's followers. The next two rulers vacillated between repressive and liberal measures. When Yunfa took the throne in 1803, he soon found himself in conflict with dan Fodio, and after failing to assassinate him, exiled dan Fodio and his followers from Degel. Dan Fodio responded by assembling the

nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

ic Fulani clans into a

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

ist army, beginning the

Fulani War The Fulani War of 1804–1808, also known as the Fulani Jihad or Jihad of Usman dan Fodio, was a military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman Dan Fodiyo, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled ...

and eventually establishing the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Ful ...

. Despite some initial successes by the forces of Gobir and the other Hausaland states (most notably at the Battle of Tsuntua), dan Fodio managed to conquer the surrounding territory. His forces seized the Gobir capital, Alkalawa, in October 1808, killing Sarki Yunfa. The state was then partially absorbed into Sokoto.

Flight

Resistance against the Jihadists was continued in the north-east by Sarkin Ali dan Yakubu and Sarki Mayaki. With the help of the Hausa ruler of

Katsina Katsina, likely from "Tamashek" eaning son or bloodor mazza enwith "inna" otheris a Local Government Area and the capital city of Katsina State, in northern Nigeria.

the latter built a new capital of Gobir in

Tibiri Tibiri is a town and urban commune in Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesMaradi in 1836. When the Gobir Sultan revolted against the

that same year, Sokoto Sultan Muhammed Bello crushed the rebellion at the Battle of Gawakuke. Here in present

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesSabon Birni Sabon Birni is a Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Sabon Birni. Sabon Birni shares a border with the Republic of Niger to the north. It has an area of 2,354 km and a population of 207,599 at ...

north of

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...

. The former Sarkin Gobir Muhammadu Bawa ruled in Sabon Birni from 1975 to 2004.

References

Citation

Bibliography

*"Usman dan Fodio." ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', accessed September 30, 2005. *F. Daniel. "Shehu dan Fodio." ''Journal of the Royal African Society'' 25.99 (Apr 1926): 278-283. *Kühme, Walter. ''Das Königtum von Gobir'', Hamburg 2003. *

Boubou Hama Boubou Hama (1906 – 29 January 1982) was a Nigerien writer, historian, and politician. He was President of the National Assembly of Niger under President of Niger, Hamani Diori.

. ''Histoire du Gobir et de Sokoto.'' Présence africaine (Paris/Dakar), 1967.
List of rulers of Gobir
University of Jos, Nigeria (1997).
Muhammad Sharee. Shehu Uthman Dan Fuduye’
Institute of Islamic - African Studies (1999).
La vie d’une cour de chefferie : le Gobir hier et aujourd’hui
Zeinabou Gaoh, ONEP Maradi, Le Sahel (Niger). 30 October 2009. {{Authority control History of Nigeria Nigerian traditional states