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39-461: The most important source for the early history of Zazzau is a chronicle composed in the early 20th century from an oral tradition. It tells the traditional story of the foundation of the Hausa kingdoms by Bayajidda , an Arab adventurer from Baghdad , and gives a list of rulers along with the length of their reigns. According to this chronology, the original Hausa or Habe kingdom is said to date from

78-587: A " folk personification " of the supporters of Abu Yazid (a tenth-century Kharijite Berber rebel), whose followers fled southwards from North Africa after Yazid's defeat by and death at the hands of Fatimids . According to this theory, the Hausa states would have been founded by Kharijite refugees in the tenth century CE. Elizabeth Isichei , in her work A History of African Societies to 1870 , suggests that Bayajidda's stay in Borno prior to arriving in Hausaland

117-459: A great snake which deprived her people of access to water. By the Queen of Daura, Bayajidda had a son called Bawo, another called Biram by the Borno princess, and yet another son, Karbagari, by his Gwari paramour. Bawo is said to have succeeded his father and had six sons who became the rulers of Daura , Katsina , Zazzau , Gobir , Kano and Rano . These, together with Biram , which was ruled by

156-671: A princess whom he met at a well, and was involved with metalworkers. Most of the heroes of Genesis met their wives at sacred wells or springs. Abraham married Keturah at the Well of Sheba (Beersheva). Issac (Yitzak) found a wife at a well in Aram. Moses encountered his wife at a well sacred to the Midianites and won her hand after he delivered the women and flocks from Egyptian raiders. In his 1989 book An Imperial Twilight , Gawain Bell suggests that

195-410: A week. Bayajidda set out for the well and killed the serpent with the sword and beheaded it with the knife the blacksmiths had made for him, after which he drank the water, put the head in a bag, and returned to the old woman's house. (The Kusugu Well where this is said to have happened is nowadays a tourist attraction.) The next day, the people of Daura gathered at the well, wondering who had killed

234-490: Is "perhaps a folk memory of origins on the Borno borderland, or a reflection of Borno political and cultural dominance." One view is that the story of the marriage of Bayajidda and Daurama symbolizes the merger of Arab and Berber tribes in North and West Africa. Biblical Anthropologist, Alice C. Linsley, maintains that Bayajidda's closest biblical counterpart is Cain [1] . Cain is said to have fled from his father, married

273-486: Is said to have fathered three children with three different women. Bawo fathered six of his own sons, whose names were Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zazzau . Together with Biram, the son of Magaram, these seven went on to rule the seven "legitimate" Hausa states , the Hausa Bakwai . (Some versions of the tale leave Bawo and Magaram out entirely, with Biram, Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria being

312-454: The Battle of Ogbomosho , which was a decisive Ilorin emirate victory. However, Ilorin's southward expansion effectively ended in 1838 when Ibadan , an Oyo successor state decisively Defeated Ilorin in the battle of Battle of Òsogbo . The Ilorin cavalry were ineffective in the jungle to the south, and by the 1850s Ibadan had access to guns from European traders on the coast. Ilorin, as a part of

351-559: The Ogboni cult. He moved to Ilorin from Oyo with some Yoruba Muslims. In approximately 1810, Shehu Alimi and Afonja form alliance to repel the punitive forces of Oyo. Oyo intended to punish Afonja's rebellion and also get rid of the Islamic scholar who was gaining Yoruba converts. Shehu Alimi sought help from Sheik Usman Dan Fodio, who sent Jama'a force to Ilorin to aid his friend. In the initial conflict, Ilorin's forces successfully repelled

390-552: The Sokoto Caliphate , maintained ongoing interactions with other Yoruba states while being situated in the midst of northern and southern Nigeria . These interactions encompassed various aspects, including frequent conflicts as well as continuous exchanges in terms of commerce and culture. After Shehu Alimi's demise, there was a tussle for the rulership of Ilorin, a young and burgeoning town. The alfas wanted to establish an Islamic Caliphate based on knowledge, while Afonja

429-677: The jihad , the culturally similar but pastoral or nomadic Fulani intermarried with the more settled Habe farmers, and the people of the Emirate today are generally known as Hausa–Fulani . The government of the Zaria Emirate differed from other emirates created at this time in that offices were rarely hereditary, but were appointed based on merit or obligation. Names and Dates taken from John Stewart's African States and Rulers (1989). Capitals (c. 1010 – c. 1578): Turunku, Wuciciri, Rikoci, Kawar The kingdom's name changed to Zaria at

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468-409: The 11th century, founded by King Gunguma. This source also makes it one of the seven Hausa Bakwai states. Zazzau's most famous early ruler was Queen (or princess) Amina , who ruled either in the mid-15th or mid-16th centuries, and was held by Muhammed Bello , an early 19th-century Hausa historian and the second Sultan of Sokoto , to have been the first to establish a kingdom among the Hausa. Zazzau

507-665: The Emir, who "had little social upheaval, who most secretly desired to free themselves, from their Fula masters". In the past, slaves had mainly been sent north across the Sahara , but now they were being sent south via the Yoruba lands to the coast to supply demand from the US , the West Indies , and Brazil . Leading to the civil wars, left a lot of Yoruba subject to slavery. Rulers of

546-875: The Ilorin Emirate: Due to Ilorin's unique history,it has a kingmaking tradition that is a blend of traditions taken from both sources. Whenever the throne of the emirate (which is vested in the Fulani descendants of Shehu Alimi) is vacant, the representative of each quarter in the Emirate namely; the Balogun Gambari (Hausa), the Balogun Ajikobi (Yoruba), the Balogun Fulani (Fulani) and the Balogun Alanamu (Yoruba) - along with

585-547: The Oyo forces. However, the Alaafin decided to retaliate with a larger force aimed at suppressing Afonja's rebellion and eliminating Shehu Alimi. In a preemptive move, Ilorin's forces attacked and burned down Oyo-Ile , the capital of the old Oyo Empire. Ilorin continued to expand southward with a lot of resistance, in the 1830s Yorubas fought the emirate which was made up of the ranks of Fulanis , Yoruba Muslims , and Hausas in

624-418: The area called Ilorin today. At the start of the 19th century, Ilorin had substantial Fulani , Hausa and Yoruba populations. Afonja , an Oyo warlord, who fled to avoid a suicidal war commissioned by the then Alaafin of Oyo found his way to Ilorin. An Islamic scholar, Salih Janta, popularly called Shehu Alimi because of his Islamic knowledge, also found his way to Ilorin from Oyo because of persecution by

663-528: The area their own; they left with no known reason. Then came Ojo Isekuse, a Yoruba hermit, who lived by the sharpening stone where hunters gathered to sharpen their wares. Ilorin was named after the sharpening stone which still exists today. Ojo Isekuse allegedly left after committing incest with his daughter, and another family named Asaju settled near the sharpening stone. It was after the Asajus that numerous people settled in different independent hamlets around

702-463: The authority of Gwandu . There were multiple unsuccessful attempts by Yoruba's, and Yoruba allies to regain, and or expel Fulani's from Ilorin, such as Battle of Pamo , Battle of Ogbomosho , Battle of Ilorin , Mugbamugba war . The strategic location of the emirate between the north and south bestowed upon Ilorin a unique significance, which persisted even after the Caliphate throughout

741-476: The colonial and post-colonial eras. Ilorin was brought under the northern Protectorate through diplomacy and applying minimal force considering the political situation of the state then. For some time, Ilorin was a major center of the slave trade , described by Richard Henry Stone as the "largest slave market in that part of Africa". Most Yorubas in Ilorin were still pagan , which lead to most being subjects to

780-612: The end of the 16th century. Capital (c. 1578 – 1835): Zaria (originally founded in 1536 and named after Chief Bakwa's daughter Zaria) The kingdom was taken over by the Fulani Empire in 1804 and became an emirate in 1835. The Hausa rulers went into exile and founded Abuja . The emirate was taken by the British in 1902. Rulers of the independent Fulani emirate: Rulers of the independent Fulani emirate: Bayajidda Bayajidda ( Hausa : Bàyā̀jiddà) was, according to

819-609: The following year. Ilorin Emirate The Ilorin Emirate is a traditional state based in the city of Ilorin in Kwara State , Nigeria. It is largely populated by the Yoruba-speaking people , though the kingdom is a hybrid state due to the influence of the many other tribes that make up the city. The first settlers in Ilorin were Barubas who lived there for many years and considered

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858-719: The head of the Afonja chieftaincy family, the Mogaji Aare, and his sub-chief called the Baba Isale of Ilorin - come together to elect and install a new emir, subject to the approval of the governor of Kwara State . The longest reigning of the four Baloguns is then conferred with the Balogun Agba title, which makes him the second in command to the Emir of Ilorin. All of the Baloguns have districts which they administer on

897-445: The king heard of the plot and, after consulting with his advisors, gave Bayajidda his daughter, Magaram (also known as Magira), in marriage . Later, when the king attacked and took over several towns, he tricked his new son-in-law into leaving his own men to guard the towns, thereby decreasing the number of men Bayajidda had at his disposal. Bayajidda realized that he was being tricked when he had only his wife and one slave left; during

936-476: The king represented Bayajidda, the official queen mother Magajiya Daurama and the official royal sister Bagwariya. Formerly the celebrations of the Mawlūd or Gani festival consisted in the re-enactements of the major details of the legend: departure from Iraq, slaying of the snake in the well and marriage between the hero and the queen. The royal sword and the knife are still believed to have been those ones used for

975-466: The legends surrounding most West African states before the 19th century, the founder of the Hausa states. Most accounts say that Bayajidda came from Baghdad . Bayajidda came first to Borno where he was given one of the Mai's daughters as a wife, and then later lived for a while in Hausa land where he married the Queen of Daura, who also gave him a Gwari mistress as a reward for slaying " Sarki ", said to be

1014-410: The marriage of Bayajidda and Daurama signals a "change from a matriarchal to a patriarchal system." Bayajidda's story inspired a comic book adaptation titled "Bayajidda: An African Legend" adapted/written by Claude Opara and drawn by Ibrahim Yakubu under the 'An African Legend' comic series. The comic was published in 2018 using the popular bande dessinee style. A French translation was later released

1053-676: The night, they fled to Garun Gabas, now situated in the Hadeja region. While there, Magaram gave birth to Bayajidda's first child, Biram, the eponymous ancestor of the petty kingdom of Gabas-ta-Biram ("east of Biram"). However, according to another version of the story, Bayajidda was welcomed into Borno, married Magaram and became popular among the people. Because of this, the king envied him and plotted against him; upon being informed of this by his wife, he fled Borno with her. Bayajidda left his wife and child in Garun Gabas and continued on to

1092-530: The oral palace version of the legend, Daurama gave him Bagwariya because she wanted to break her "queenly vow to remain a virgin," but had to undergo rituals to do so.) Bagwariya had a son fathered by Bayajidda and she named him Karap da Gari , or Karbagari which means "he snatched the town" in Hausa . This worried Daurama, and when she had a son of her own (also fathered by Bayajidda), she named him Bawo which means "give it back". Throughout his life, Bayajidda

1131-581: The slaying of the snake and the cutting of its head. The Bayajidda legend is widely known at the courts of the "Seven Hausa" kings where it is considered to correspond to the oldest known history of Hausaland. As already observed by the traveller Heinrich Barth the basic division between the Seven Hausa and the Seven Banza is used among the Songhay to distinguish between the northern hausa and

1170-421: The snake; Magajiya Daurama , the local queen, offered sovereignty over half the town to whoever could prove that he killed the snake. Several men brought snake heads forth, but the heads did not match the body. The old woman, owner of the house Bayajidda was staying in, informed the queen that her guest had slayed it, after which Daurama summoned Bayajidda. Having presented the snake's head, proving to her that he

1209-570: The son of Bayajidda and of the Borno Princess, formed the " Hausa Bakwai " or the "Hausa 7". However, Karbagari the son of the Gwari mistress had seven sons too who ruled Kebbi , Zamfara , Gwari , Jukun, Ilorin , Nupe and Yauri which are referred to in this tradition as the " Hausa Banza " or "Hausa Bastards" According to the legend, Bayajidda was a prince from Baghdad (the capital of modern-day Iraq ) and son of King Abdullahi, but he

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1248-536: The sons of Bayajidda and Daurama). Karbagari's descendants, meanwhile, founded the seven "illegitimate" states, the Banza Bakwai . The Hausa kingdom began as seven states founded by the Bayajidda legend and the six sons of Bawo and himself, in addition to the hero's son Ibrahim of an earlier marriage. The different figures of the Bayajidda narrative were embodied by precise officials of the former Daura kingdom:

1287-649: The southern gurma side of the River Niger. There are a variety of views on the Bayajidda story, with differing opinions on the meaning and historicity of the tale. Some scholars suppose that Bayajidda is a historical person, the founder of the Seven Hausa states, and contemporary Hausa royals - especially those in Daura and Zaria (Zazzau) - trace their lineage to and draw their authority from him (see Kano Chronicle ). By contrast, others claim that Bayajidda never existed. W. K. R. Hallam argues that Bayajidda represents

1326-437: The village of Gaya near Kano - which others believe to be Gaya in modern Niger -, where he had the local blacksmiths make him a knife. He then came to the town of Daura (located in modern-day Katsina State ), where he entered a house and asked an old woman for water. She informed him that a serpent named Sarki ( sarki is the Hausa word for king ) guarded the well and that the people were only allowed to draw water once

1365-470: Was a collection point for slaves to be delivered to the northern markets of Kano and Katsina , where they were exchanged for salt with traders who carried them north of the Sahara . According to the history in the chronicle, Islam was introduced to the kingdom around 1456, but appears to have spread slowly, and pagan rituals continued until the Fulani conquest of 1808. At several times in its history, Zazzau

1404-469: Was exiled from his home town after Queen Zidam, also known as Zigawa, had conquered the city. Once he left Baghdad, he traveled across Africa with numerous warriors and arrived in Borno . Once in Borno, tales differ as to what caused tension with the local king. According to one story, Bayajidda realized his forces were stronger than those of the king; because of this, he planned to overthrow him. However,

1443-476: Was planning on establishing his rule, but Abdulsalam, a son of Shehu Alimi, emerged with the help of the Jama'a, being the biggest military presence in Ilorin. Afonja was killed during the reign of Abdulsalam when a brawl broke out between the Yoruba forces and Jama'a caused by the masquerade of Afonja. Masquerades were banned in Ilorin because of that incident. Ilorin became an emirate of the Sokoto Caliphate under

1482-584: Was subject to neighboring states such as Songhai , Bornu and Kwararafa . In December 1808 the kingdom was captured in the Fulani jihad . The Hausa (Habe) ruler had escaped to Abuja , where he established a state now known as the Suleja Emirate , retaining his independence and the title of "Sarkin Zazzau". The ruler of the modern Zazzau Emirate also uses the title "Sarkin Zazzau" or "Sarkin Zaria". After

1521-493: Was the one who had slain Sarki, he turned down the offer of half the town, instead requesting her hand in marriage; she married him out of gratitude for slaying the serpent. Because it was against the custom of the people of Daura for their queens to marry, Daurama made a compromise with Bayajidda and said she would only have sexual intercourse with him later; because of this, she gave him a concubine named Bagwariya. (According to

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