The Wassoulou Empire, sometimes referred to as the Mandinka Empire, was a short-lived (1878–1898) empire of West Africa built from the conquests of Malinke ruler Samori Ture and destroyed by the Frenchcolonial army.
In 1864, Toucouleur ruler El Hajj Umar Tall died near Bandiagara, leaving the then-dominant Toucouleur Empire tottering and a number of chiefs rushing to break their own pieces away from the newly weakened federation. By far the most successful among them was Samori Touré of what is now southwestern Guinea.
Samori's army was well equipped with European firearms and a complex structure of permanent units. His army was divided into an infantry wing of sofa (Mandinka for infantry, usually slaves) and a cavalry wing. By 1887, Samori could field 30,000 to 35,000 infantry and about 3,000 cavalry.[1][full citation needed] Infantry were divided into units of 10 to 20 men known as a "se" or "kulu". Cavalry were divided into bands of 50 horsemen called a "sere".[2][full citation needed] Kulus were under the command of a Kun-Tigui, meaning chief. Ten kulus equaled a bolo (100–200 men). The bolo, which in the Banmana language translates to "arm", was strictly an infantry unit.[3][full citation needed] The bolo kun-tigui commanded this unit. Under Samori Ture, the state had its own firearms industry that employed about 300 and 400 blacksmiths. 12 guns were produced a week and roughly 200–300 cartridges a day.[4]
Samori's campaign swept first through his neighbors, the Bérété and the Cissé, and then into the Wassoulou region (the border of today's Guinea and Mali). In 1876, he secured the Buré gold mines, and by 1878, his position was secure enough to officially declare himself faama (military leader) of a new Wassoulou Empire.
Later conquests included Kankan, a key Malinke trading center, and sections of what are now Sierra Leone and northern Côte d'Ivoire.
From 1880 until his death, Samori's ambition was opposed by the expansion of the French. He entered into combat with the colonial army, defeating them on several occasions, including a notable victory on 2 April 1882, at Woyowayanko in the face of French heavy artillery.
Nonetheless, Samori was forced to sign several treaties ceding territory to the French between 1886 and 1889. Samori began a steady retreat, but the fall of other resistance armies, particularly Babemba Traoré at Sikasso, permitted the colonial army to launch a concentrated assault against his forces. On 29 September 1898, he was captured by the French Commandant Goudraud and exiled to Gabon, marking the end of the Wassoulou Empire.
^Legassick, Martin (1966). "Firearms, Horses and Samorian Army Organization 1870-1898". The Journal of African History. 7 (1): 95–115. doi:10.1017/S0021853700006101. JSTOR 179462. S2CID 161296264.
March 04, 2023
wassoulou, empire, coordinates, 860056, 424056, 860056, 424056the, sometimes, referred, mandinka, empire, short, lived, 1878, 1898, empire, west, africa, built, from, conquests, malinke, ruler, samori, ture, destroyed, french, colonial, army, 1878, 1898flag, p. Coordinates 10 51 36 2 N 14 25 26 6 W 10 860056 N 14 424056 W 10 860056 14 424056The Wassoulou Empire sometimes referred to as the Mandinka Empire was a short lived 1878 1898 empire of West Africa built from the conquests of Malinke ruler Samori Ture and destroyed by the French colonial army Wassoulou Empire1878 1898FlagWassoulou Empire at its peakCapitalBissanduguCommon languagesArabic official MandinkaReligionSunni IslamGovernmentMonarchyFaama 1878 1898Samori TureHistory Established1878 Disestablished29 September 1898Preceded by Succeeded byBate EmpireToucouleur EmpireKong Empire French West AfricaSierra Leone Colony and ProtectorateToday part ofCote d IvoireGuineaMaliSierra LeoneSamory Toure In 1864 Toucouleur ruler El Hajj Umar Tall died near Bandiagara leaving the then dominant Toucouleur Empire tottering and a number of chiefs rushing to break their own pieces away from the newly weakened federation By far the most successful among them was Samori Toure of what is now southwestern Guinea Contents 1 Army organization 2 Expansion 3 The Mandingo Wars 4 ReferencesArmy organization EditSamori s army was well equipped with European firearms and a complex structure of permanent units His army was divided into an infantry wing of sofa Mandinka for infantry usually slaves and a cavalry wing By 1887 Samori could field 30 000 to 35 000 infantry and about 3 000 cavalry 1 full citation needed Infantry were divided into units of 10 to 20 men known as a se or kulu Cavalry were divided into bands of 50 horsemen called a sere 2 full citation needed Kulus were under the command of a Kun Tigui meaning chief Ten kulus equaled a bolo 100 200 men The bolo which in the Banmana language translates to arm was strictly an infantry unit 3 full citation needed The bolo kun tigui commanded this unit Under Samori Ture the state had its own firearms industry that employed about 300 and 400 blacksmiths 12 guns were produced a week and roughly 200 300 cartridges a day 4 Expansion Edit Ruins of Samori Ture s residence at Bondoukou Samori s campaign swept first through his neighbors the Berete and the Cisse and then into the Wassoulou region the border of today s Guinea and Mali In 1876 he secured the Bure gold mines and by 1878 his position was secure enough to officially declare himself faama military leader of a new Wassoulou Empire Later conquests included Kankan a key Malinke trading center and sections of what are now Sierra Leone and northern Cote d Ivoire The Mandingo Wars EditMain article Mandingo Wars From 1880 until his death Samori s ambition was opposed by the expansion of the French He entered into combat with the colonial army defeating them on several occasions including a notable victory on 2 April 1882 at Woyowayanko in the face of French heavy artillery Nonetheless Samori was forced to sign several treaties ceding territory to the French between 1886 and 1889 Samori began a steady retreat but the fall of other resistance armies particularly Babemba Traore at Sikasso permitted the colonial army to launch a concentrated assault against his forces On 29 September 1898 he was captured by the French Commandant Goudraud and exiled to Gabon marking the end of the Wassoulou Empire References Edit Boahen 1990 Boahen 1989 Ogot 463 Legassick Martin 1966 Firearms Horses and Samorian Army Organization 1870 1898 The Journal of African History 7 1 95 115 doi 10 1017 S0021853700006101 JSTOR 179462 S2CID 161296264 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wassoulou Empire amp oldid 1140848068, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
