the region where Dan Tunku had drawn his power. After ending some early opposition, the Sultan focused on consolidating his administration throughout the empire with significant construction, settlement, and uniform systems of justice. One significant aspect that he expanded from his father was greatly expanded education of both men and women. His sister, Nana Asma’u, became a crucial part of expanding education to women becoming an important teacher and liaison to rural women to encourage education. During Muhammad Bello's rule, El Hadj Umar Tall, future founder of the Toucouleur empire, settled in Sokoto on his return from Mecca in 1822. Umar Tall was greatly influenced by Sultan Muhammad Bello as evidenced by the praise Tall lavished upon the Sultan in his own writings. To affirm a permanent alliance, Sultan Bello married one of his daughters to Hajj Umar who remained in Sokoto as a judge (qadi), and as a commanding officer in the Sultan's infantry until Bello's death. Hugh Clapperton visited the court of Bello in 1824 and wrote a lot about the generosity and intelligence of the Sultan. Clapperton was very impressed at the writing works by Bello and his exhaustive knowledge regarding British exploration in India. In 1826, Clapperton returned for a second visit, but Bello would not let him cross the border because of warfare with the Bornu Empire and Clapperton became ill and died. In 1836, the kingdom of Gobir revolted against Sokoto rule. Sultan Muhammed Bello gathered his forces and crushed the rebellion on 9 March 1836 at the Battle of Gawakuke. While ruling, he continued with significant educational pursuits, mainly history and poetry. His Infaku'l Maisuri (The Wages of the Fortunate) is often considered a definitive history of the Fulani Wars and his father's empire. He wrote hundreds of texts on history, Islamic studies, and poetry during his lifetime. He died of natural causes, at the age of 58, on October 25, 1837, in Wurno and was succeeded by his brother Abu Bakr Atiku as Sultan. References External links Books by Bello Sultans of Sokoto 1837 deaths 1781 births 18th-century Nigerian people 19th-century Nigerian people 18th-century rulers in Africa Nigerian Sufi religious leaders Dan Fodio family Nigerian Fula people Nigerian writers Nigerian royalty Nigerian Muslims Nigerian Arabic writers Nigerian Arabic poets Nigerian people of Arab descent African people of Arab descent People of Arab descent African slave owners