Askia Muhammad I

c. 1443 – 1538

Askia Muhammad I (c. 1443 - 1538), also known as Askia the Great, was the founder of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire. A general under Sunni Ali, he seized the throne in 1493 and brought the empire to its greatest extent, promoting Islam, trans-Saharan trade and the scholarly life of Timbuktu before being deposed by his son in 1529.

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Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Askia Muhammad I.

Life events

Born Muhammad Ture in the western Sudan
c. 1443

Muhammad Ture, of Soninke origin, was born around 1443; he rose to prominence as a military commander under the Songhai ruler Sunni Ali.

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Served as a general and governor under Sunni Ali
c. 1470

He held senior military command in the Songhai Empire during Sunni Ali's reign of expansion.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Seized the Songhai throne at the Battle of Anfao
April 1493

Muhammad Ture defeated Sunni Ali's son and successor Sunni Baru near Gao and took power, founding the Askia dynasty.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Made the pilgrimage to Mecca
1496 – 1498

Askia Muhammad undertook a celebrated hajj with a large retinue and treasury, and was recognized in Cairo as caliph of the western Sudan.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Expanded the Songhai Empire to its greatest extent
c. 1498 – c. 1515

Through campaigns against the Mossi, the Hausa states and Tuareg-held Agadez, he extended Songhai power across much of the western Sudan.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Reorganized the empire's administration and promoted Islamic scholarship
c. 1500

He centralized government with appointed officials, standardized trade practices, and patronized the scholars and mosques of Timbuktu, which flourished as a center of learning.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Deposed by his son Askia Musa
1529

Aging and blind, Askia Muhammad was overthrown in a coup led by his son Musa and later exiled to an island in the Niger River.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Recalled from exile to Gao by Askia Ismail
c. 1537

His son Askia Ismail brought the elderly former emperor back from island exile to live in the capital.

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Died in Gao and was buried in the Tomb of Askia
1538

Askia Muhammad died in 1538; his pyramidal tomb in Gao is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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