Mansa Musa
Early Life:
Unfortunately, not much is known about Mansa Musa’s early life, so we are forced to speculate a little bit. Mali as a kingdom was founded by the great king Sundiata in around 1240 AD. By most accounts, Sundiata was a great ruler, conquering the territory of Mali and laying the foundations for the gold and salt mines that would later make Mali rich. Much of Sundiata’s story and adventures that we know of come from one epic poem called the “Epic of Sundiata.” This poem has survived a thousand years being passed down by oral tradition and is one of the oldest and intact histories we have from this time period. However, this story is not about Sundiata, and the Epic tells us that he unfortunately drowned around 1255 AD.
Following Sundiata, a man named Abubakari II, who was either Sundiata’s brother or son, ascended the throne. While we don’t have nearly as much information on his reign compared to Sundiata and Musa, it is safe to assume that his reign was one of stability. He most likely expanded upon the mines made by Sundiata and expanded foreign trade, bringing Mali into the vast trade networks of central and northern Africa. Sources are sparce, though most historians agree that Abubakari II was most likely Musa’s father.
Growing up in the new but prosperous kingdom, Musa would have had access to vast quantities of wealth from a young age. Also, with the expansion of trade, he likely came into frequent contact with Muslim traders, who would bring much more than just spices and goods to trade. Oftentimes they brought books and scriptures as well, a byproduct of the Islamic Golden Age occuring at this time, which undoubtedly formed a critical component of Musa’s education. Also, these conversations with Muslim merchants introduced Musa to Islam, though he was most likely a follower of traditional African beliefs until his reign.
While his father did not teach him much in the ways of war, as Abubakari II was mainly focused on exploring the ocean past Mali’s coast, he certainly taught him a lot about trade and business. During his reign, Abubakari II sought to normalize relations with the powerful North African Kingdoms and would often trade gold, salt, and slaves for spices and textbooks on astronomy, navigation, and ship building. This trade made Musa realize the power of Mali’s resources and that the world would give anything for Malian goods, especially gold.
One day, Musa’s father was preparing to go on a voyage to explore the Atlantic like he had dozens of times before. However, this trip would be the furthest one he had ever gone on before, and Abubakari II was determined to find new lands and goods for his people. Musa most likely waved his father off at the docks, and got some experience ruling the kingdom in his absence. However, weeks went by. Then months. After about a year, it was assumed that Abubakari II was lost forever, most likely drowned at sea. Thus, in around 1312, the young Musa ascended the throne.
It is not known what actually happened to Abubakari II, but some sources claim he made it to America, and there is actual archaelogical evidence to back this claim. But, in all honesty, this is one of the mysteries we will probably never truly know the answer to.
Modern image of what Sundiata might have looked like
His Reign
First off, let’s clear something up. While he is often called Mansa Musa, this wasn’t really his name. Mansa is a title that Malian rulers would use that means something similar to a king. Thus, before his asension, Mansa Musa would have been known simply as Musa. However, even then, he only took the name Musa after converting to Islam, as Musa is the arabic form of Moses. Before his conversion, his name was most likely Keita I. That is why, before his reign, I called him Musa, since he hadn’t earned the title of Mansa yet. I still call him Musa though, instead of Keita I, as that was the name he chose for himself, and it is not exactly clear when the name change happened.
With that out of the way, Mansa Musa’s rule was known as one of the most propserous reigns in history. While historians debate whether Sundiata or Abubakari II were Muslim, there is no doubt that Mansa Musa was, most likely converting shortly before coming to power. Now, as Mansa, one of his first acts was to start sponsoring Muslim scholarship in his kingdom and facilitating the spread of the religion. During his reign, he would spend some of his vast wealth making mosques and attracting scholars and manuscripts from around the world. Under his reign, the famous city of Timbuktu started to flourish, becoming arguably the most significant bastion of Islamic scholarship in Africa. With the blessing and money from the Mansa, architect Abu Ishaq Al-Sahili starting construction on the Great Mosque (called Djinguereber) and the Great Palace (called The Madugu). Ibn Khaldun, a famous muslim scholar and primary source for Mansa Musa’s reign, reports on the grandeour of these temples and the success Mansa Musa had in turning his kingdom into an enlightened Muslim state. Both of these were beautiful feats of architectural accomplishment which used new techniques and skills, though unforunately The Madugu was lost to time in one of the various sacks the city later went through. Luckily, though, the Great Mosque still survives to this day, but it was rebuilt many times, so how much it kept to the original design is unknown. Another mosque, the Mosque of Sankore, built later in Mansa Musa’s reign, still stands, mostly due to the aforementioned innovative archetectural techniques.
Following these great successes, Mansa Musa decided in 1324, 12 years into his reign, that now was the time to fulfill his Muslim duty and embark on a Hajj. A Hajj is a trip to Mecca that all Muslims who are able to are required to go on, and it is symbolic with the journey of Muhammad and a crucial part of a Muslims religious duties. Now, you’d think that for such a religious and spiritual journey, Mansa Musa would separate himself from his vast wealth and earthly desires, right? Well, no, not at all. Instead, he brought hundreds of slaves, servants, animals, and hundreds–if not thousands–of pounds of gold. His entourage was so large that it was reportedly a mile in length. When his entourage reached Cairo, Mansa Musa threw around gold like it was nothing, sponsoring the creation of a mosque and gifting generously to the populace. His spending and charity was so extravagent that it actually caused an economic crash because he gave away so much gold that it became practically worthless. It would take about 50 years for prices to stabalize again in the region, and this story of his wealth became famous worldwide.
While he was on his Hajj, Mansa Musa’s general Sagmandia was waging war on the neighboring kingdom of Songhai. Through allied help from the North African Kingdoms and the purchasing of vast mercenary armies, Sagmandia was able to capture the enemy capital of Gao, practically doubling the amoung of territory in the Malian empire shortly before Mansa Musa’s return. In his letter to the Mansa, Sagmandia reported that it would now take more than a year to cross all of Mali’s vast territory. Ibn Battuta, another famous muslim scholar and source for this period, reports that it actually took around four months, which while much less than a year, is still very impressive.
On his return from his Hajj, Mansa Musa made a stop in Gao to receive the surrender of it’s king personally. After having probably one of the greatest and extravagant celebration parties of all time, Musa returned home for the first time in years. Unfortunately, shortly after his return, in 1337, Mansa Musa passed away from natural causes. By the end of his reign, he ruled over 40 million people and established one of the most famous and wealthy personas in world history.
His Impact
Though we do not know nearly as much about Mansa Musa as we do about other rulers like Genghis Khan or Julius Caesar, he still had a massive impact on the world. His efforts to convert Mali to a Muslim state increased its trade opportunities and started a cultural shift that is still visible in it’s modern form, as modern day Mali is about 95% muslim. Furthermore, the impact he made in places like Timbuktu helped to catapult the region to fame, attracting numerous muslim scholars that pushed the boundary of world knowledge and innovation.
However, his greatest impact was undoubtedly due to his wealth. Through his expendetures, especially on his Hajj, he single handedly changed the global perspective of Mali and Africa as a whole. Before his reign, Mali was rarely shown on world maps, and even dating back to the classical period only Egypt was consistantly shown as a significant kingdom. But after his reign, Mali would be depicted for centuries after with him holding a golden nugget, shown as a symbol of wealth. Furthermore, his accomplishments would later be mythologized by Europeans into the idea of Prestor John, a mythical Christian African King who had near limitless wealth. For centuries after, European kings and scriptures would discuss and inflate this myth, eventually inspiring the beginning of the European voyages to Africa. Though the myth was incorrect, as it ignored the fact that Mansa Musa was a devout muslim and dead for centuries by that point, it still inspired Europeans and made them see the potential for wealth.
In the modern day, Mansa Musa serves as a reminder to many that Africa has a strong and wealthy history. In the wake of the relatively recent events of colonialism, many are inclined, especially in America, to think of Africa as poor and underdeveloped. Furthermore, in schools we are rarely taught stories of African history due to the lack of sources as well as various other factors. Mansa Musa’s story defies both of these modern stereotypes. He was arguably the most wealthy man of all time, and his legendary adventures were recorded by all who knew him, forming an integral piece of African history. Though he lived about a thousand years ago and few parts of his life are well known, Mansa Musa continues to inspire and impact the world we live in and the way we perceive it.
Sources
Encyclopedia.com
Middle Ages Reference Library. . Encyclopedia.Com. 15 Nov. 2023 .” Encyclopedia.Com, Encyclopedia.com, 24 Nov. 2023, www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mansa-musa#:~:text=As%20for%20his%20early%20life,his%20devotion%20to%20the%20faith.
World Eras. . Encyclopedia.Com. 15 Nov. 2023 .” Encyclopedia.Com, Encyclopedia.com, 24 Nov. 2023, www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mansa-abubakari-ii.
“Mansa Musa | Biography, Facts & Accomplishments – Study.Com.” Study.Com, study.com/learn/lesson/mansa-musa-facts-biography-significance.html. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.
“Mūsā I of Mali.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.
“The Spread of Islam in West Africa: Containment, Mixing, and Reform From.” FSI, spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/the_spread_of_islam_in_west_africa_containment_mixing_and_reform_from_the_eighth_to_the_twentieth_century#:~:text=Muslims%20played%20a%20prominent%20role,pilgrimage%20from%20Mali%20to%20Mecca. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.
“Timbuktu.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 1 Nov. 2023, www.britannica.com/place/Timbuktu-Mali#ref634140.