sundiata keita was the first ruler of the mali empire.
who was the first ruler of the mali empire?
sundiata keita
the empire began as a small mandinka kingdom at the upper reaches of the niger river, centred around the town of niani (the empire's namesake in manding). during the 11th and 12th centuries, it began to develop as an empire following the decline of the ghana empire to the north. during this period, trade routes shifted southward to the savanna, stimulating the growth of states. the early history of the mali empire (before the 13th century) is unclear, as there are conflicting and imprecise accounts by both arab chroniclers and oral traditionalists. sundiata keita (c. 1214 – c. 1255) is the first ruler for which there is accurate written information (through ibn khaldun). sundiata keita was a warrior-prince of the keita dynasty who was called upon to free the mali people from the rule of the king of the sosso empire, soumaoro kanté. the conquest of sosso in c. 1235 gave the mali empire access to the trans-saharan trade routes.
mali empire
military history of the mali empire





























the military history of the mali empire is that of the armed forces of the mali empire, which dominated western africa from the mid 13th to the late 15th century. the military culture of the empire's driving force, the mandinka people, influenced many later states in west africa including break-away powers such as the songhay and jolof empires. institutions from the mali empire also survived in the 19th century army of samory ture who saw himself as the heir to old mali's legacy.





























section::::origin.
military history of the mali empire