What kingdoms did Mali take over?
Jessica Cortez
Updated on April 05, 2026
The Empire of Mali was formed when a ruler named Sundiata Keita united the tribes of the Malinke peoples. He then led them to overthrow the rule of the Soso. Over time, the Mali Empire became stronger and took over surrounding kingdoms including the Empire of Ghana.
What are the 4 African kingdoms?
7 Influential African Empires
- The Kingdom of Kush. Meroë is an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile app.
- The Land of Punt. Papyrus showing preparations for an Egyptian journey to Punt. (
- Carthage. Tunisia, Carthage. (
- The Kingdom of Aksum.
- 5 Myths About Slavery.
- The Mali Empire.
- The Songhai Empire.
- The Great Zimbabwe.
What countries were part of the Mali Empire?
The empire’s total area included nearly all the land between the Sahara Desert and coastal forests. It spanned the modern-day countries of Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and northern Ghana.
What happened to the Mali Empire?
The Mali Empire collapsed in the 1460s following civil wars, the opening up of trade routes elsewhere, and the rise of the neighbouring Songhai Empire, but it did continue to control a small part of the western empire into the 17th century.
How did Mali fall?
Following Mansa Musa’s death around 1337, the empire fell victim to declining influence around Africa. Other trade centers developed, hurting the commercial wealth that had once so freely surrounded Mali. Poor leadership set the kingdom on a path of civil wars.
Who was the founder of the Mali Empire?
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita founded the powerful Mali Empire. Known for its progressive values and their wealth, it followed the Ghana as the next great west African empire.
What was the largest African empire?
the Songhai Empire
The most powerful of these states was the Songhai Empire, which expanded rapidly beginning with king Sonni Ali in the 1460s. By 1500, it had risen to stretch from Cameroon to the Maghreb, the largest state in African history.
What caused the rise of Mali Empire?
The rise of the Mali Empire can be traced back to Sundiata, or the “Lion King,” as some called him. After seizing the former capital of the Ghana Empire in 1240, Sundiata and his men consolidated control while continuing to expand the Mali Empire. Using his large army, Musa doubled the empire’s territory.
How did the Mali Empire rise?
When did the Songhai Empire fall?
1591
In 1590, al-Mansur took advantage of the recent civil strife in the empire and sent an army under the command of Judar Pasha to conquer the Songhai and to gain control of the Trans-Saharan trade routes. After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tondibi (1591), the Songhai Empire collapsed.
What is the history of the Mali Empire?
Mali, trading empire that flourished in West Africa from the 13th to the 16th century. The Mali empire developed from the state of Kangaba, on the Upper Niger River east of the Fouta Djallon, and is said to have been founded before ad 1000. The Malinke inhabitants of Kangaba acted as middlemen in the gold trade during…
Who were the Keita kings of Mali?
…Sundiata, the Keita kings of Mali, in the well-watered and gold-bearing lands of the uppermost Niger valley, gained ascendancy and incorporated what was left of ancient Ghana into their own considerably more extensive empire.… Mandinka empire of Mali (13th–15th century), founded around the upper Niger.
What happened to Mali in the 1400s?
For the following century, the empire was constantly attacked from all sides [iv]. Mali has lost its northern provinces by the mid-1400s, and city states in the west such as Tucolor and Wolof began to revolt [v].
How did Mali fall to the Songhai?
…to its replacement by the Mali, or Mandingo, empire, centred on the upper Niger River. Mali in turn was overthrown during the latter part of the 15th century by the expansion of the Songhai, or Gao, empire, which developed from Berber settlements established on the lower Niger as early as….