HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Majeerteen Sultanate ( so, Suldanadda Majeerteen π’ˆπ’šπ’π’†π’–π’’π’–π’†π’†π’– π’‘π’–π’ƒπ’œπ’‡π’‚π’œπ’’, lit=Boqortooyada Majerteen, ar, Ψ³Ω„Ψ·Ω†Ψ© Ω…Ψ¬Ψ±ΨͺΩŠΩ†), also known as Majeerteen Kingdom or Majeerteenia and Migiurtinia, was a
Somali Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali ...
kingdom centered in the
Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004 ...
. Ruled by Boqor Osman Mahamuud during its golden age, the sultanate controlled the areas which are now called Puntland. The earliest mention of the kingdom is the 17th century. The polity had all of the organs of an integrated modern state and maintained a robust trading network. It also entered into treaties with foreign powers and exerted strong centralized authority on the domestic front.


History


Establishment

The Majeerteen Sultanate was established possible around 1600s by
Somalis The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida π’ˆπ’π’‘π’›π’π’˜π’†π’–, ar, Ψ΅ΩˆΩ…Ψ§Ω„ΩŠΩˆΩ†) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
from the Majeerteen Darod clan. It reached prominence during the 19th century, under the reign of the resourceful Boqor (King) Osman Mahamuud. Helen Chapin Metz, ed., ''Somalia: a country study'', (The Division: 1993), p.10.


Majeerteen-British agreement

Due to consistent ship crashes along the northeastern Cape Guardafui headland, Boqor Osman's kingdom entered into an informal agreement with Britain, wherein the British agreed to pay the King annual subsidies to protect shipwrecked British crews and guard wrecks against plunder. The agreement, however, remained unratified, as the British feared that doing so would "give other powers a precedent for making agreements with the Somalis, who seemed ready to enter into relations with all comers."David D. Laitin, ''Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience'', (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p.71


Sultanate of Hobyo

Osman Mahamuud's Kingdom was under attack in the mid-19th century due to a power struggle between himself and his ambitious cousin, Yusuf Ali Kenadid. After almost five years of battle, the young upstart was terribly defeated and finally forced into exile in
Yemen Yemen (; ar, Ω±Ω„Ω’ΩŠΩŽΩ…ΩŽΩ†, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...
. A decade later, in the 1870s, Kenadid returned from the
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ Ψ§Ω„Ω’Ψ¬ΩŽΨ²ΩΩŠΨ±ΩŽΨ©Ω Ψ§Ω„Ω’ΨΉΩŽΨ±ΩŽΨ¨ΩΩŠΩŽΩ‘Ψ©, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...
with a band of Hadhrami
musketeer A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pr ...
s and a group of devoted lieutenants. With their assistance along with aid and weaponry from Boqor Osman, he managed to overpower the local Hawiye clans and establish the separate Sultanate of Hobyo (Obbia) in 1878.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900'', (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.75.


Majeerteen-Italian treaties

In the late 19th century, all extant Somali monarchs entered into treaties with one of the colonial powers, Abyssinia, Britain or Italy, except for the Dhulbahante, since the Italians considered part of the Dhulbahante subject of the Italian-protected Sultan of the Majeerteen. With the intermediation of Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid & after a conference of all notablels of the sultanate in Bargal, In 7. April 1889 in Alula, Somalia, Boqor Osman entered into a treaty with Italy, making his kingdom a protectorate known as
Italian Somaliland Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, Ψ§Ω„Ψ΅ΩˆΩ…Ψ§Ω„ Ψ§Ω„Ψ₯ΩŠΨ·Ψ§Ω„ΩŠ, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centu ...
. In the years following the treaty the protectorate was however rather nominal due to Italian warships tasked with maintaining contact with the sultan visiting so rarely & irregularly. Piracy, looting of crashed steamships, weapons trade & slave trade could be carried out with almost no consequences. His second cousin and rival Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid had signed a similar agreement vis-a-vis his own Sultanate of Hobyo the year before. Both Boqor Osman and Sultan Kenadid had entered into the protectorate treaties to advance their own expansionist goals, with Sultan Kenadid looking to use Italy's support in his ongoing power struggle with Boqor Osman over the Majeerteen Sultanate, as well as in a separate conflict with the
Oman Oman ( ; ar, ΨΉΩΩ…ΩŽΨ§Ω† ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
i Sultan of Zanzibar over an area to the north of Warsheikh. In signing the agreements, the rulers also hoped to exploit the rival objectives of the European imperial powers so as to more effectively assure the continued independence of their territories.Issa-Salwe (1996), 34–35. The terms of each treaty specified that Italy was to steer clear of any interference in the sultanates' respective administrations. In return for Italian arms and an annual subsidy, the Sultans conceded to a minimum of oversight and economic concessions.Hess (1964), 416–17. The Italians also agreed to dispatch a few ambassadors to promote both the sultanates' and their own interests. The new protectorates were thereafter managed by Vincenzo Filonardi through a chartered company. An Anglo-Italian border protocol was later signed on 5 May 1894, followed by an agreement in 1906 between Cavalier Pestalozza and General Swaine acknowledging that Baran fell under the Majeerteen Sultanate's administration. With the gradual extension into northern Somalia of Italian colonial rule, both Kingdoms were eventually annexed in the early 20th century.The Majeerteen Sultanates However, unlike the southern territories, the northern sultanates were not subject to direct rule due to the earlier treaties they had signed with the Italians.


Administration


Bureaucracy

The Sultanate of Hobyo, the Majeerteen Sultanate exerted a strong centralized authority during its existence, and possessed all of the organs and trappings of an integrated modern state: a functioning bureaucracy, a hereditary nobility, titled aristocrats, a state flag, as well as a professional army.''Horn of Africa'', Volume 15, Issues 1-4, (Horn of Africa Journal: 1997), p.130.Michigan State University. African Studies Center, Northeast African studies, Volumes 11-12, (Michigan State University Press: 1989), p.32. Both sultanates also maintained written records of their activities, which still exist. The Majeerteen Sultanate's main capital was at Alula, with its seasonal headquarters at Bargal. It likewise had a number of
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
s and
forts A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in various areas within its realm, including a fortress at
Murcanyo Murcanyo ( so, Muranyo, ar, Ω…ΩˆΨ±Ψ§ΩŠΩˆ), also known as Bander Murcaayo (alternatively ''Bandar Murcaayo'' or ''Bunder Marayah''), is a coastal town in the northeastern Bari province of Somalia. It is situated in the autonomous Puntland region. ...
.S. B. Miles, ''On the Neighbourhood of Bunder Marayah'', Vol. 42, (Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the institute of British Geographers): 1872), p.61-63. The Majeerteen Sultanate's ruler, however, commanded more power than was typical of other Somali leaders during the period. As the ''
primus inter pares ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...
'', Boqor Osman taxed the harvest of aromatic trees and pearl fishing along the seaboard. He retained prior rights on goods obtained from ship wrecks on the coast. The Sultanate also exerted authority over the control of woodland and pastureland, and imposed both land and stock taxes.I. M. Lewis, ''A pastoral democracy: a study of pastoralism and politics among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa'', (LIT Verlag MΓΌnster: 1999), p.208.


Commerce

According to official reports from 1924 commissioned by the Regio Governo della Somalia Italiana, the Majeerteen Sultanate maintained robust commercial activities before the Italian occupation of the following year. The Sultanate reportedly exported 1,056,400 Indian
Rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, ...
s (IR) worth of commodities, 60% of which came from the sale of
frankincense Frankincense (also known as olibanum) is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus '' Boswellia'' in the family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality incense'). There are several species ...
and other gums. Fish and other sea products sold for a total value of 250,000 IR, roughly equivalent to 20% of the Sultanate's aggregate exports. The remaining export proceeds came from livestock, with the export list of 1924 consisting of 16 items.''Transformation towards a regulated economy'', (WSP Transition Programme, Somali Programme: 2000) p.62.


Military

In addition to a strong civil administration, the Majeerteen Sultanate maintained a regular army. Besides protecting the polity from both external and internal threats, military officials were tasked with carrying out the King's instructions. The latter included tax collection, which typically came in the form of the obligatory
Muslim Muslims ( ar, Ψ§Ω„Ω…Ψ³Ω„Ω…ΩˆΩ†, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
alms (''seko'' or ''sako'') ordinarily tithed by Somalis to the poor and religious clerics (''wadaads'').


Puntland

Established in 1998, the autonomous Puntland region in northeastern Somalia now administers much of the former territories of the Majeerteen Sultanate (Migiurtinia).Istituto italo-africano, ''Africa: rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione'', Volume 56, (Edizioni africane: 2001), p.591.


Kings

Rulers of the Majeerteen Sultanate:


See also

* Osman Mahamuud * Yusuf Ali Kenadid * Ali Yusuf Kenadid * Sultanate of Hobyo * Isaaq Sultanate * Adal Sultanate * Ajuran Sultanate *
List of Sunni Muslim dynasties The following is a list of Sunni Muslim dynasties. Asia Middle East Arabian Peninsula * Banu Wajih (926–965) * Sharif of Mecca (967–1925) * Al Uyuniyun (1076–1253) * Sulaymanids (1063–1174) * Mahdids (1159–1174) *Kathiri (Hadhramau ...
*
List of Muslim empires and dynasties This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continu ...


Notes


References

* * *
The Majeerteen Sultanates


External links


lntroduction and change to the somalo in Migiurtinia and other comissariatsFirst whispers of democracy and anti democracy protests took place in Migiurtinia and Mudugh
https://books.google.com/books?id=3AnZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA350&dq=Migiurtinia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVo47NnKXxAhUXa80KHdVxDywQ6AEwBXoECAYQAw Sultanate of Migiurtinia signed a treaty with the Italy Government on April 7, 1889.]
Square kilometers of Migiurtinia according to Encyclopadeia Britannica (1983)In 1938, Mussolini briefly considered settling Jews into Migiurtinia and turning it into a Jewish stateWorld famous incense was from Migiurtinia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Majeerteen Sultanate Majeerteen Sultanate, 17th-century establishments in Africa 1924 disestablishments in Africa States and territories established in the 17th century States and territories disestablished in 1924 20th-century disestablishments in Somalia