Keita Dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Keita Dynasty ruled pre-Imperial and Imperial Mali
from the 12th century into the early 17th century. It was a Muslim
Dynasty
, and its rulers claimed descent from Bilal
. Bilal was a freed slave who accepted Islam and became one of the Sahabas of the Prophet Muhammad. Bilal bears the distinction of being the first muezzin
in Islam
. According to Mandinka
traditionalist accounts passed down by djelis (oral chroniclers), Bilal had seven sons of which one settled in Manden
. This son, Lawalo, had a son named Latal Kalabi, who later sired Damul Kalabi. Damul Kalabi's son was Lahilatoul and the first faama
of Niani
. It is through Lahilatoul that the Keita clan becomes a ruling dynasty, though only over the small area around Niani. There would be nine Faamas of Niani prior to the founding of the Great Mali Empire. Its first mansa
would be the famous Sundiata Keita
. A couple of generations after him his great-nephew, Mansa Musa I of Mali, made a celebrated pilgrimage to Mecca which established his reputation as the richest man of his day. The Dynasty he belonged to remained a major power in West Africa from 1235 until the breakup of the Mali Empire around 1610. Rivals from within the clan founded smaller Kingdoms within contemporary Mali
and Guinea
. Of the members of these modern daughter dynasties, the late politician Modibo Keita
and the musician Salif Keita
are arguably the most famous.
List of Royal Faamas of Niani
Niani conquered by the Susu under King Soumaoro Kante
Empire collapses after death of Mahmud IV
Capital moved from Niani to Kangaba after botched attack on Segu
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
from the 12th century into the early 17th century. It was a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
, and its rulers claimed descent from Bilal
Bilal ibn Ribah
Bilal ibn Rabah or Bilal al-Habashi was an Ethiopian born in Mecca in the late 6th century, sometime between 578 and 582.The Islamic prophet Muhammad chose a former African slave Bilal as his muezzin, effectively making him the first muezzin of the Islamic faith...
. Bilal was a freed slave who accepted Islam and became one of the Sahabas of the Prophet Muhammad. Bilal bears the distinction of being the first muezzin
Muezzin
A muezzin , or muzim, is the chosen person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for prayer from one of the mosque's minarets; in most modern mosques, electronic amplification aids the muezzin in his task.The professional muezzin is chosen for his...
in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. According to Mandinka
Mandinka people
The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....
traditionalist accounts passed down by djelis (oral chroniclers), Bilal had seven sons of which one settled in Manden
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
. This son, Lawalo, had a son named Latal Kalabi, who later sired Damul Kalabi. Damul Kalabi's son was Lahilatoul and the first faama
Faama
Faama is a Mandinka word meaning "king". It was commonly used within the area of pre-imperial Mali. The title spread into areas conquered by Mali and was later used by the Bamana Empire and the Wassoulou Empire of Samori Toure and non-Mandinka groups in the Kenedougou Empire.-See also:*Mali...
of Niani
Niani
Niani may refer to...* Niani District, along the banks of the River Gambia, in the Central River Division of The Gambia. Named after the Niani tribe of The Gambia.* Niani village, in north east Guinea....
. It is through Lahilatoul that the Keita clan becomes a ruling dynasty, though only over the small area around Niani. There would be nine Faamas of Niani prior to the founding of the Great Mali Empire. Its first mansa
Mansa
Mansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings". It is particularly associated with the Keita Dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa from the thirteenth to the fifthteenth century...
would be the famous Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita, Sundjata Keyita, Mari Djata I or just Sundiata was the founder of the Mali Empire and celebrated as a hero of the Malinke people of West Africa in the semi-historical Epic of Sundiata....
. A couple of generations after him his great-nephew, Mansa Musa I of Mali, made a celebrated pilgrimage to Mecca which established his reputation as the richest man of his day. The Dynasty he belonged to remained a major power in West Africa from 1235 until the breakup of the Mali Empire around 1610. Rivals from within the clan founded smaller Kingdoms within contemporary Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. Of the members of these modern daughter dynasties, the late politician Modibo Keita
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
and the musician Salif Keita
Salif Keita
Salif Keïta is an internationally recognized afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is unique not only because of his reputation as the Golden Voice of Africa, but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita...
are arguably the most famous.
List of Royal Faamas of NianiNianiNiani may refer to...* Niani District, along the banks of the River Gambia, in the Central River Division of The Gambia. Named after the Niani tribe of The Gambia.* Niani village, in north east Guinea....
- Lahilatoul Kalabi
- Kalabi Bomba
- Mamadi Kani
- Bamari Tagnogokelin
- M’Bali Nene
- Bello
- Bello Bakon
- Maghan Kon FattaNaré Maghann KonatéNaré Maghann Konaté was a 12th-century faama of the Mandinka people, in what is today Mali. He was the father of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, and a character in the oral tradition of the Epic of Sundiata....
(1200s-1218) - Dankaran Touman (1218)
Niani conquered by the Susu under King Soumaoro Kante
Soumaoro Kanté
Soumaoro Kanté was a thirteenth century king of the Sosso people. Seizing Koumbi Saleh, the capital of the recently-defunct Ghana Empire, Soumaoro Kanté proceeded to conquer several neighboring states, including the Mandinka people in what is now Mali...
List of Imperial Mansas at Niani
- Mari Djata ISundiata KeitaSundiata Keita, Sundjata Keyita, Mari Djata I or just Sundiata was the founder of the Mali Empire and celebrated as a hero of the Malinke people of West Africa in the semi-historical Epic of Sundiata....
(1235–1255) - Uli I (1255–1270)
- Wati (1270–1274)
- Khalifa (1274–1275)
- Abubakari IAbu Bakr (mansa)Abu Bakr, also known as Abubakari I or Manding Bory, was the fifth Mansa of the Mali Empire, reigning from 1275 to 1285.He was born Manding Bory to mother Namandjé, third wife to Naré Maghan kon Fatta...
(1275–1285) - SakouraSakura (mansa)Mansa Sakura or Mansa Sakoura was the sixth mansa of the Mali Empire. A slave at birth, Sakura was freed and became a general in the army of Sundiata Keita, legendary founder of the Mali Empire. After a debilitating struggle for succession between Sundiata's sons Ouati Keita and Khalifa Keita and...
(1285–1300) - GaoGao (mansa)Gao was Mansa of the Mali Empire from 1300 to 1305.Mansa Gao was one of two sons of Kolonkan. Kolonkan was a sister of the legendary founder Sundiata Keita. The mansa assumed the throne following the murder of the usurper Sakura on his return from the hajj. He ruled until 1305, when he was...
(1300–1305) - Mohammed ibn Gao (1305–1310)
- Abubakari II (1310–1312)
- Musa I (1312–1337)
- Maghan I (1337–1341)
- SouleymanSuleyman (mansa)Suleyman was mansa of the Mali Empire from 1341 to 1360. The brother of the powerful Kankan Musa I, he succeeded Musa's son Maghan to the throne in 1341...
(1341–1360) - CambaKassa (mansa)Mansa Camba, also known as Mansa Kassa, briefly acted as mansa of the Mali Empire in 1360. Nephew of the powerful Mansa Kankan Musa I and son of Mansa Suleyman, Kassa assumed the throne following his father's 1360 death. He was succeeded the same year by Mansa Maghan's son Mari Diata II. Tesfaun...
(1360) - Mari Djata II (1360–1374)
- Musa II (1374–1387)
- Maghan II (1387–1389)
- Sandaki (1389–1390)
- Maghan IIIMahmud (mansa)Maghan III, also known as Mahmud I, was mansa of the Mali Empire from 1390 to about 1400. He assumed the throne following the usurper Sandaki, who ruled for only two years.-See also:*Mali Empire*Keita Dynasty...
(also known as Mahmud IMahmud (mansa)Maghan III, also known as Mahmud I, was mansa of the Mali Empire from 1390 to about 1400. He assumed the throne following the usurper Sandaki, who ruled for only two years.-See also:*Mali Empire*Keita Dynasty...
) (1390–1404) - Musa III (1404 - c.1440)
- Uli IIUli II (mansa)Mansa Uli II , also known as Gbèré, was the twentieth mansa of the Mali Empire. He ruled over the realm during the latter half of the 15th century....
(c.1460 - 1480/1481) - Mahmud IIMahmud II (mansa)Mansa Mahmud II, also known as Mamadou, was mansa of the Mali Empire from 1481 to 1496.Mansa Mahmud II’s rule was characterized by more losses to Mali’s old possessions and increased contact between Mali and Portuguese explorers along the coast...
(also known as Mamadou) (1480/1481–1496) - Mahmud IIIMahmud III (mansa)Mansa Mahmud III, also known as Mamadou II, was mansa of the Mali Empire from 1496 to 1559. He was the last mansa to rule from Niani and is known as the mansa under which Mali suffered the most losses to its territory....
(1496 - 1559) - Unknown Mansa or Vacancy (1559 - c. 1590)
- Mahmud IVMahmud IV (mansa)Mansa Mahmud IV was the last great emperor of the Mali Empire according to the Tarikh al-Sudan. Prior to his rule there was a vacancy of some sort, indicated by the long period of the time in which neither written or oral sources give a ruler...
(c.1590 - c. 1610)
Empire collapses after death of Mahmud IV
List of Post-Imperial Mansas of Kangaba
- Unknown number of Mansas (c. 1610 - c. 1660)
- Mama Maghan (c.1660 - c. 1670)
Capital moved from Niani to Kangaba after botched attack on Segu
Segu
*Segu may refer to**Ségou, a city in south-central Mali, and former capital of the Bamana Empire**Sergi López Segú, a Spanish footballer**Segu , a novel by Maryse Condé...
See also
- Mali EmpireMali EmpireThe Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
- FaamaFaamaFaama is a Mandinka word meaning "king". It was commonly used within the area of pre-imperial Mali. The title spread into areas conquered by Mali and was later used by the Bamana Empire and the Wassoulou Empire of Samori Toure and non-Mandinka groups in the Kenedougou Empire.-See also:*Mali...
- MansaMansaMansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings". It is particularly associated with the Keita Dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa from the thirteenth to the fifthteenth century...
- Modibo KeitaModibo KeïtaModibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
- Salif KeitaSalif KeitaSalif Keïta is an internationally recognized afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is unique not only because of his reputation as the Golden Voice of Africa, but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita...
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties