The Mandara Kingdom (sometimes called Wandala) was an

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n kingdom in the

Mandara Mountains The Mandara Mountains are a volcanic range extending about 190 km (about 120 mi) along the northern part of the Cameroon–Nigeria border, from the Benue River in the south () to the north-west of Maroua in the north (). The highest el ...

of what is today

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. The

Mandara people __NOTOC__ The Mandara people, also known as Wandala or Mandwara, are a Central African traditionalist ethnic group found in north Cameroon northeastern Nigeria, and southeastern Chad. Tradition states that Mandara was founded shortly before 1500 by a female ruler named ''Soukda'' and a non-Mandarawa hunter named ''Gaya''. The kingdom was first referred to by

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(in 1459) and

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(in 1526); the provenance of its name remains uncertain. For the kingdom's first century of history, its rulers warred with neighbouring groups in an effort to expand their territories. After conquering the Dulo (or Duolo) and establishing the capital at

Dulo The Dulo clan was a ruling dynasty of the Bulgars. The origins of the Bulgars and Dulo clan are not known precisely, and there are many theories about their origin. It is generally considered that they – or at least the elite caste – were in ...

c. 1580, the dynasty of Sankre, a war leader, began. When the Dulo made an attempt to seize the throne, the Bornu kingdom supported the claim of Aldawa Nanda, a member of Sankre's house. Emperor Idris Alaoma of Borno personally installed Nanda as king in 1614. Bornu thus attained an influential position over Mandara.

Mai Bukar Aji Mai, or MAI, may refer to: Names * Mai (Chinese surname) * Mai (Vietnamese surname) * Mai (name) * Mai (singer), J-Pop singer * Iris Mai (born 1962), German chess master Places * Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand * Ma-i, a pre-Hispan ...

, the 25th king, made Mandara a

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

ate c. 1715, which it would remain for nearly two hundred years. Muslim visitors converted Bukar to

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 ...

, and the Islamicisation of the kingdom would continue for most of the next century. The kingdom experienced a golden age of sorts under Bukar and his successor, Bukar Guiana (1773-1828). Around 1781, the Mandara defeated the kingdom of Kanem–Bornu Empire, Borno in a major battle, further expanding their control in the region. At the peak of her power at the turn of the century, Mandara received tribute from some 15 chiefdoms. However, the kingdom faced a setback in 1809, when Modibo Adama, a Fula people, Fulani disciple of Usman dan Fodio, led a jihad against Mandara. Adama briefly seized Dulo, though the Mandara counterattack soon drove him from the kingdom's borders. Adama's defeat prompted Borno to ally with Mandara once again against the Fulani invaders. Bundesarchiv Bild 108-212-20, Kamerun, Sultan Bukar mit Gefolge

Bundesarchiv Bild 108-212-20, Kamerun, Sultan Bukar mit Gefolge

Upon the death of ruler Bukai Dgjiama, Mandara's non-Muslim tributaries rose up, and the Fulani attacked once more. By 1850, Borno could not pass up the opportunity to attack the weakened kingdom. This renewed conflict began to sap the kingdom's strength, paving the way for the invasion of Muhammad Ahmad, Muhammad Ahmad's forces in the 1880s. In 1895 or 1896, Muhammad Ahmad's army destroyed Dulo, marking a further decline in Mandara power. However, the kingdom continued to exist, repelling continual Fulani raids until it finally fell to them in 1893. United Kingdom, English explorer Dixon Denham accompanied a slave-raiding expedition from Kanem–Bornu Empire, Borno into the Mandara kingdom in February 1823; though he barely escaped with his life following the raiders' defeat, he brought back one of the first European accounts of the kingdom. In 1902, the kingdom was conquered by Germany, passing then to France in 1918. In 1960, the Mandara kingdom became a part of newly independent Cameroon.

Rulers of Mandara

(Dates in italics indicate ''de facto ''continuation of office)

References

*Barkindo, Bawuro Mubi (1989). ''The Sultanate of Mandara to 1902''. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. *DeLancey, Mark W., and DeLancey, Mark Dike (2000). ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon''. 3rd ed. *Fanso, V. G. (1989). ''Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges: Volume 1: Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century''. London: Macmillan Education Ltd. Cameroonian traditional rulers, Mandara Cameroon history-related lists Lists of African monarchs, Mandara Countries in medieval Africa History of Cameroon States and territories established in the 15th century Former monarchies of Africa Former countries in Africa

Rulers of Mandara

See also

References