Sunni Ali

c. 1430 – 6 November 1492

Sunni Ali (died 1492), also known as Sunni Ali Ber, was the first great ruler of the Songhai Empire in West Africa, reigning from 1464 to 1492. Through relentless military campaigns using cavalry and a fleet of river boats, he captured Timbuktu and Djenné and transformed the small kingdom of Gao into the dominant power of the western Sudan.

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Life events

Born into the Sunni dynasty of the kingdom of Gao
c. 1430

Sunni Ali's birth date is not recorded; he was raised partly among his mother's people in Sokoto tradition and trained in warfare and, according to tradition, in traditional Songhai spiritual practices.

Birth ?
Became ruler of the Songhai kingdom of Gao
1464

Sunni Ali succeeded to the throne of Gao as the 15th ruler of the Sunni dynasty and immediately began a policy of military expansion.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Captured Timbuktu from Tuareg control
1468

His forces seized the wealthy trading and scholarly city of Timbuktu; chronicles written by the city's scholars describe the conquest as brutal.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Clashed with the Muslim scholarly class of Timbuktu
c. 1468

Later chronicles by Timbuktu scholars portray Sunni Ali as a tyrant hostile to the ulama, though he combined Islam with traditional Songhai religion; the portrayal is contested.

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Built a river navy to control the Niger River
c. 1470

He developed a fleet of war canoes under an admiral, using control of the Niger to move troops and dominate the river's cities.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Captured the trading city of Djenné after a prolonged siege
1473

Sunni Ali took Djenné, a key commercial center on the Niger River, reportedly after a siege lasting several years.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Repelled Mossi raids and campaigned against neighboring peoples
c. 1480

Sunni Ali fought sustained campaigns against the Mossi, Fulani and Tuareg, securing the empire's frontiers.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died while returning from a military campaign
6 November 1492

According to the Timbuktu chronicles, Sunni Ali drowned while crossing a river on his way back from a campaign against the Fulani; some traditions suggest he may have been killed.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓