The Mali Empire: Sundiata Keita, the Manden Charter and Mansa Musa
The Mali Empire, founded in the 13th century by Sundiata Keita after the Battle of Kirina: the Manden Charter, its peak under Mansa Musa and his 1324 pilgrimage, Timbuktu and Djenné, its decline against the Songhai and the question of its capital.
The country bears its name: the Mali Empire, or Mande Empire, founded in the 13th century, left its mark on all of West Africa. Its language, laws and traditions, carried by griots, still live on in Bamako. Here are the key landmarks, with the uncertainties historians point out.
Key points
- Founded in the 13th century by Sundiata Keita, after the victory at Kirina over the kingdom of Sosso, around 1235.
- The Manden Charter (Kouroukan Fouga), proclaimed around 1236 according to tradition, organises imperial society.
- Peak in the 14th century under Mansa Musa, whose pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 made Mali famous.
- Decline from the 15th century; the remaining kingdom was conquered by the Bambara kingdom of Ségou in 1670.
The name "Mali"
"Mali" comes from an Arabic transcription of Manden (or Mande), the empire's geographical and political heart. Medieval Arab writers such as Ibn Khaldun and al-Umari wrote Malal, Malle or Meli. In modern Bambara-Malinke, mali also means "hippopotamus", a coincidence that does not explain the name.
Sundiata Keita and the Battle of Kirina
In the early 13th century, the Mande was ruled by Soumaoro Kanté's kingdom of Sosso. According to oral tradition, Sundiata Keita, after a long exile, united several Malinke clans and led the revolt. The Battle of Kirina, around 1235, routed the Sosso army; the date remains uncertain, but historians place it in the first half of the 13th century.
Sundiata was then proclaimed mansa ("king of kings"). He is not known to have practised Islam exclusively, but he recognised the religion within the empire and ensured coexistence between traditional cults and Muslim beliefs; several of his advisers were Muslims.
The Manden Charter
A great assembly brought clans and allies together at Kouroukan Fouga, near Kangaba. According to the tradition passed down by griots, the Manden Charter was proclaimed there around 1236: it shared political, military, religious and craft roles among the great families, codified succession and marriage, and divided administration among thirty clans. It is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On oral transmission, see our page on literature and theatre.
Mansa Musa and the empire's peak
In the early 14th century, Mansa Musa (Kankou Moussa) secured the Saharan trade routes. In 1324 he made the pilgrimage to Mecca with thousands of companions; he reportedly took about 10 tonnes of gold, so much that the price of the metal is said to have fallen for several years. Arab sources disagree on both the size of the retinue (8,000 to 14,000 people) and its status.
He returned with scholars and artists, including Abu Ishaq es-Saheli of Granada, architect of Timbuktu's Djingareyber mosque, built in 1328. Under his reign Timbuktu became a great centre of learning. He probably died in 1337.
At its greatest extent, the empire covered parts of present-day Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mauritania. Its economy rested on agriculture, mining, crafts and trans-Saharan trade in gold, copper, salt and slaves.
Decline and legacy
From the 15th century, dynastic crises, loss of control over trade and the rise of the Songhai Empire weakened the empire, which lost its dependencies. The remaining kingdom was conquered by the Bambara kingdom of Ségou in 1670. The legacy remains deep: the spread of the Malinke language, laws, customs and monumental buildings. For Ségou today, see our Ségou page.
Where was the capital? The question is still debated. The Niani hypothesis, put forward in 1923 by administrator Jules Vidal and taken up by Maurice Delafosse and Djibril Tamsir Niane, long prevailed; historian François-Xavier Fauvelle sees it as a form of "collective self-persuasion", and new hypotheses are discussed in the 21st century.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded the Mali Empire?
Sundiata Keita, in the 13th century, after his victory over the kingdom of Sosso at the Battle of Kirina, around 1235.
Who was Mansa Musa?
The emperor of Mali in the early 14th century, famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 and the quantity of gold he reportedly took.
What was the capital of the Mali Empire?
It is not established with certainty: Niani was long accepted, but that hypothesis is now debated.
Source: Wikipedia (French) — Empire du Mali.