Askia Muhammad I

Lore & Background

Askia Muhammad was born Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi, also known as Muhammad Ture. He served as a prominent general under the Songhai ruler Sunni Ali. When Sunni Ali died in 1492 and his son Sunni Baru succeeded, Muhammad challenged the succession on grounds that the new ruler was not a faithful Muslim. He defeated Baru at the Battle of Anfao in April 1493 and ascended to the throne, taking the title 'Askia.' His mother, Kassey, is said in oral tradition to have been the sister of Sonni Ali. The exact origin of his family is disputed; the Tarikh al-Sudan gives his name as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi or al-Sillanki, and the Tarikh al-Fattash gives his name as Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Al-Turi and al-Sillanki have been interpreted as the Soninke clan names Ture and Sila by many historians, but Stephan Bühnen has argued they should be interpreted as nisbas referring to ancestry from Futa Toro or Silla in the Senegal valley. Songhai oral traditions claim the father of Askia Mohammed originated from a clan of Songhai magicians, and the theory that his family originated in Futa Toro has been generally rejected by the Songhai people themselves.

Reader's Guide

Askia Muhammad I is significant for transforming the Songhai Empire into the largest in West African history through military conquest and administrative reform. He replaced the traditional model with a bureaucratic government, dividing the empire into provinces with centrally appointed governors and creating ministries for finance, justice, interior, protocol, agriculture, waters and forests, and matters pertaining to tribes of the white race. He standardized trade measures and regulations, initiated the policing of trade routes, and established an organized tax system, which spurred trade with Europe and Asia. His devotion to Islam led him to base the legal system on sharia law, invite Islamic scholars from North Africa, and improve treatment of the ulama, who had been persecuted under Sunni Ali. He also created a professionalized army of soldiers who were legally slaves of the Askia, allowing long expeditions away from the Niger river. His reign ended when he was forced to abdicate by his son Askia Musa in August 1528 after going blind and becoming politically isolated. The title 'Askia' is of unknown origin, and his exact ethnic background remains disputed, with Songhai oral traditions rejecting theories of Futa Toro origin.

Did You Know?

• Askia Muhammad made the hajj to Mecca in 1496–1497, accompanied by 500 horsemen and 1000 infantry, and returned having accumulated 50,000 ducats in debt.
• He is said to have had 471 children from many wives and concubines of various origins, according to the Tarikh al-Fattash.
• The title 'Askia' may derive from an Arabic word for 'general,' and a folk etymology claims it came from the lament of Sonni Ali's daughters: 'a si Kiya,' meaning 'it is not his.'
• After going blind and being forced to abdicate by his son Askia Musa in 1528, he was exiled to an island in the Niger, from where he plotted with his son Ismail to retake the throne in 1537.
• His mother, Kassey, is said in oral tradition to have been the sister of Sonni Ali, making him a nephew of the previous ruler.