Dunama IX Lefiami
Encyclopedia
Dunama IX Lefiami was the leader of the Kanuri empire
of Borno
, located in what is now Niger
, during the early nineteenth century. He was twice made ruler, first by his father and then by supporters loyal to him after he was deposed in 1809.
west of Bornu. Dunama took on power in the midst of external challenges to the empire. To help secure Bornu, he invited an Islamic warrior
and scholar, El Kanemi
, who had success in battles with the Fulani. The two combined forces and restricted the expansion of the Fulani Jihad eastward. Dunama rewarded El Kanemi with innumerable gifts and titles. However, members of the empire's court who were weary about the circumstances of his ascension to the throne decided to depose him in 1809. Dunama's uncle Mohammed Ngileruma was made the new king. However, the new monarch refused to give due respect to El Kanemi and was finally deposed by El Kanemi and a few other supporters of Dunama IX Lefiami. By the time, El Kanemi had emerged the most powerful individual in the kingdom.
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
of Borno
Borno
-Places:Italy* Borno, Lombardy, a comune in the Province of BresciaNigeria* Borno State* Kanem-Bornu Empire Other:Borno may also refer to a commonly used spam on Xbox live deriving from a game of scrabble...
, located in what is now Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, during the early nineteenth century. He was twice made ruler, first by his father and then by supporters loyal to him after he was deposed in 1809.
Life
Dunma succeeded his father, Ahmad Alimi, an old and fragile ruler who was constantly faced with attacks led by Uthman Dan Fodio, a Fulani warrior who was waging a JihadJihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
west of Bornu. Dunama took on power in the midst of external challenges to the empire. To help secure Bornu, he invited an Islamic warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
and scholar, El Kanemi
Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi
Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî was an Islamic scholar, teacher, religious and political leader who advised and eventually supplanted the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In 1846, Al-Kanemi's son Umar I ibn Muhammad al-Amin became the sole ruler of Borno, an event...
, who had success in battles with the Fulani. The two combined forces and restricted the expansion of the Fulani Jihad eastward. Dunama rewarded El Kanemi with innumerable gifts and titles. However, members of the empire's court who were weary about the circumstances of his ascension to the throne decided to depose him in 1809. Dunama's uncle Mohammed Ngileruma was made the new king. However, the new monarch refused to give due respect to El Kanemi and was finally deposed by El Kanemi and a few other supporters of Dunama IX Lefiami. By the time, El Kanemi had emerged the most powerful individual in the kingdom.