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29-546: The Massina Empire was one of the most organized theocratic states of its time on the African continent and had its capital at Hamdullahi . It was ruled by an almami with the help of a Grand Council that possessed the power to elect new rulers after the death of the previous one. While, in theory, the almami did not have to be a member of the Bari family, but only someone who was learned and pious, every almami elected happened to be

58-477: A collateral line rather than direct succession. Others such as Alfa Nuhum Tayru and al-Hadjdj Mody Seydu were better qualified, although not related to the former almami . However, the council chose the son as almami , while Ba Lobbo became the main leader of the state's army. At the start of his rule, Amadu II (Amadu Seku) had to suppress internal opposition. He also faced revolts by the Saro Bambara and

87-717: A son of the previous ruler. Massina was founded in c. 1400 by a group of Fulani originally coming from the Termess , south of Hodh . For centuries after their arrival, the inhabitants were vassals of larger states, including the Mali Empire (14th century), the Songhai Empire (15th-16th centuries), the Arma (Moroccan) pashas of Tomboctou (17th century), and the Bambara Empire at Ségou (18th century). In

116-428: A state-funded judicial system, granting them the authority to render independent legal judgments and facilitate conflict resolution. The Grand Council would act as the supreme court. The capital of Hamdullahi was divided into 18 neighborhoods further divided into several residences. Each of these residences were surrounded by a high wall to protect privacy and a well that ensured a reliable source of drinking water. There

145-520: The Prophet , advanced theology and mysticism , and, in some cases, more secular subjects such as grammar and rhetoric. All school fees were fixed and teachers were subsidized by the central government. Names and dates taken from John Stewart's African States and Rulers (1989). For some alternative spellings and dates, see the Tarikh al-Sudan . Rulers from 1814 to 1873, except for Tukolor regents, used

174-665: The Tuareg around Timbuktu, who declared independence. Ba Lobbo defeated the Tuareg with a surprise attack near Lake Gossi early in 1846. In 1847 the local Kunta leader, Sidi al-Bekkai , managed to persuade Amadu to withdraw his military garrison from Timbuktu, but had to accept Masina rule. Amadu was also able to suppress the Bambara revolt. Amadu's rule was a time of relative peace and prosperity compared to those of his father and his son, building on his father's achievement in persuading

203-527: The Massina Empire to his son, Amadu II , who was succeeded by his son Amadu III . The ascension of Amadu III to the throne in 1853, following his election by the Grand Council over arguably more capable uncles, marked the beginning of the decline of the empire. Amadu III's reign was defined by controversy. He was said to be less valiant in war and was more lax when it came to the adherence to

232-605: The Massina garrison in 1840 but were in the following year defeated and expelled. The Tuareg then regrouped in 1842-1844 and managed to defeat the Massina forces and drive them from Timbuktu, but the city was later besieged by Massina and its inhabitants were starved into resubmitting to Massina's rule by 1846. Disputes between Massina and Timbuktu were often mediated by the Kunta scholary family led by Muhammad al-Kunti and his son al-Mukhtar al-Saghir. Amedu died in 1845, leaving control of

261-505: The capital. The empire stretched from just downstream of Segu almost all the way to Timbuktu . Seku Amadu Lobbo received support from Tukolor and Fula people who were seeking independence from the Bambara, but met resistance when he imposed a rigorous Islamic theocracy based on the Maliki interpretation of Sharia law. The new theocratic state was ruled by a council of forty elders, who gave directions to provincial governors. Most of

290-451: The centre of the town. They were also constructed of sun-dried bricks, except for the enclosing walls of the palace, which were of stone. The mosque has been rebuilt and reopened in 2004. This African history –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Amadu II of Masina Amadu II of Massina (أحمد بن أحمد حمادي; Fula : Amadu Amadu Hammadi ; c. 1815 – February 1853 ), also called Amadu Seku ,

319-617: The city, marking the effective end of the Massina Empire. The ruins of the abandoned town are located 21 km southeast of Mopti , at a site lying to the east of the Bani River and to the west of the Bandiagara plateau. The town was encircled by sun-dried mudbrick walls and covered an area of 244 hectares (604 acres). The town walls and some of the street layout are clearly visible on satellite images provided by Google. The mosque and Seku Amadu’s palace were located side by side in

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348-517: The construction of six hundred madrasas to further the spread of Islam. Alcohol, tobacco, music and dancing were banned in accordance with Islamic law, while a social welfare system provided for widows and orphans. A strict interpretation of Islamic injunctions against ostentation led Amadu to order the Great Mosque of Djenné to be abandoned, and all future mosques were ordered built with low ceilings and without decoration or minarets . One of

377-426: The early 1800s, inspired by the recent Muslim uprisings of Usman dan Fodio in nearby Hausaland , preacher and social reformer Seku Amadu began efforts at increasing religious revivals in his homeland. Amadu was born from a minor scholar family from one of the less important Fulbe clans. He was both a religious and political outsider which increasingly led him to clash with the established elites as his influence in

406-506: The empire. There were also agents who would audit government officials. The Massina Empire was governed by a 40-member Grand Council appointed by the Almami for their wisdom and creativity and 60 judges who were prominent marabouts . The Grand Council acted as the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the empire and could make their own decisions based on strict observance of the Maliki interpretation of Sharia law. However, it

435-452: The first conquest of the north-eastern regions between Timbuktu and Gao in 1818-1826, Arma and the Tuareg who controlled the region rebelled several times, trying to escape the imposition of direct rule by Lobbo’s appointed governor Abd al-Qādir (who took over from Pasha Uthman al-rimi). This prompted Massina to firmly control the town in 1833 when a Fulbe governor was appointed that controlled the entire region up to Gao. A Tuareg force drove off

464-520: The formerly nomadic Fula people to settle, and in establishing a strong legal framework for grazing and transhumance rights. However, Amadu found it hard to maintain the level of enthusiasm for strict Islamic rule that his father had achieved. Ahmadu II was killed during a raid on the Bambara. He died in February 1853. His tomb may still be seen in Hamdallahi, along with that of his father, in

493-446: The governors were related to Seku Amadu. Seku Amadu Lobbo died on 19 March 1845 and his eldest son, also Amadu, was elected as almami . Technically, the new almami did not have to be a member of the Bari family, but only someone who was learned and pious. There were several candidates, including Ba Lobbo , the son of Seku Amadu's oldest brother. Election of Ba Lobbo would have followed the Bari family tradition of succession through

522-511: The land annually. Some time between 1810 and 1818 Seku Amadu Lobbo of the Bari family launched a jihad against the Fulbe chiefs in Masina, tributaries of the pagan Bambara of Segu , whom he accused of idolatry. The goals of the jihad soon expanded to that of conquest of the Bambara and others in the region. Seku Amadu established a large empire based on Hamdallahi, which he had founded as

551-489: The late 1820s after a serious of disastrous battles for the Massina army that ultimately ended when threats from the Yatenga kingdom forced the local chieftains to place themselves under Massina's protection. The conflict that emerged with the Bambara state of Kaarta, however, was more serious, with Massina's army suffering heavy casualties, especially in 1843–44. every attempt by to expand westward proved equally futile. After

580-566: The most enduring accomplishments was a code regulating the use of the inland Niger delta region by Fula cattle herders and diverse farming communities. Massina's expansion into the region between the Mali-Niger border and north-eastern Burkina Faso was more successful, and marked the southernmost limit of the empire, which it shared with the Sokoto empire. The various chiefdoms of the region, most notably Baraboullé and Djilgodji, were subsumed in

609-596: The region grew at their expense. This tension would lead to open confrontation in 1818 when the death of Ardo Guidado, son of the chief Fulani Ardo Amadu , was blamed on one of Seku Amadu's students. Ardo Amadu used this incident to mobilize an army of over 200,000 men from Segu , Poromani , Monimpé , Goundaka , and Massina to crush the Jihadists. The initial encounter took place at the Battle of Noukouma , during which Seku Amadu's relatively small battalion of 1,000 men

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638-406: The religious tenets that governed the empire. By the time of Omar Saidou Tall 's Jihad against the Massina Empire, he was met with little resistance from Amadu III's unorganized army. In 1862, Omar Tall of Toucouleur launched an attack on the Massina from his newly secured base at Ségou . After a series of bloody battles such as Cayawal , he entered Hamdullahi on May 16, leveling it. Amadu III

667-692: The title of 'Sheikh'. Hamdullahi Hamdullahi ( Arabic : حمد الله ; also Hamdallahi or Hamdallaye . From the Arabic : Praise to God ) is a town in the Mopti Region of Mali . In the 19th century, it was the capital of the Fula empire of Massina . Founded around 1820 by Seku Amadu . On March 16, 1862, the town fell to the Toucouleur conqueror El Hadj Umar Tall after three major battles that claimed over 70,000 lives. Umar Tall destroyed

696-459: Was able to route a force of 100,000, led by General Jamogo Séri . Seku Amadu interpreted his victory as a divine miracle and went on to lead a jihad against the Bambara Empire in 1818. The empire expanded rapidly, taking Djenné in 1819 and establishing a new capital at Hamdullahi in 1820. At the height of the Empire's power, a 10,000-man army was stationed in the city, and Seku Amadu ordered

725-453: Was also a strong police presence that enforced rules of conduct such as hygiene. Taxes were levied on harvest, military spending, and a general Muslim tithe in all of the villages and towns of the empire. Education was prioritized by the empire and played an important part in every citizen's life. Both boys and girls from the ages of 7-21 would learn the basics of the Qur'an and the tradition of

754-497: Was captured and put to death. Though resistance briefly continued under Amadu III's brother Ba Lobbo , the destruction marked the effective end of the Massina Empire. The Massina Empire contained one of the most sophisticated governments in Africa at the time, with a system of checks and balances and a well-established tax system. It was organized as an Islamic state with strong democratic tendencies that created great stability within

783-424: Was learned and pious, every almami elected happened to be a son of the previous ruler. The empire was made up of five major regions known as Jenneri, Fakala-Kunari, Hayre-Seno, Massina, and Nabbe-Dude. Within each of these regions, governance was entrusted to a military governor, known as the amiru, who bore the responsibility of safeguarding their respective territories. The amiru were supported by local councils and

812-487: Was only the Almami who could demand a revision of a policy or decision or act as a lawyer on behalf of a plaintiff. If the Grand Council and the Almami ever came to a disagreement 40 of the 60 judges were selected randomly to make the final decision. The Grand Council also possessed the authority to designate the succeeding Almami. While, in theory, the almami did not have to be a member of the Bari family, but only someone who

841-553: Was the second Almami , or ruler, of the theocratic Caliphate of Hamdullahi or Diina of Hamdullahi in what is now Mali . He held this position from 1845 until his death in 1853. His rule was a short period of relative peace and prosperity between the violent reigns of his father and his son. Masina is the Inner Niger Delta , a large area where the Niger River divides into separate channels that overflow and flood

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