Mali/Songhay and other West African Kingdoms

[beauchamp]

Well, heer goes, my newest historical obsession.
Recently I was looking in the library and came upon this:
http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/wag-1.JPG

These cavaliers of the Bornu tribe were renoqned for their skill in battle, and used as literally knights for the Mali and Songhay empires. The two present were one of the largest and wealthiest nations on the planet during their time. They flourished under the trans saharan trade in which salt and other goods from the north were traded for gold in the great trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao. Three great Islamic (except for Ghana) empires arose from this trade route that had been present since the dawn of Rome: Ghana, Mali and Songhay. Since this mod goes from 1450-1700, I propose that we do the Mali, Songhay and Kanem-Bornu kingdoms, and feature many trading cities such as Benin for Europeans to try their luck at :2thumbsup:.

Anyways: Here are some maps of the three empires.
Mali and empire founded in the 1300's and then replaced by the songhai in the 1500's: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/MALI_empire_map.PNG

songhay (replaces Mali and eventually falls to a Morroccan rule in the 1600's: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/SONGHAI_empire_map.PNG

Kanem-Bornu (Working on the map :embarassed: sorry)

Here are some more units:
http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/HW0005.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/166.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/wag-2.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/064.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/279.JPG

Ill post more :2thumbsup:

[beauchamp]

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/B016.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/B027.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/DuChaillu-77.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/Norman05.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/NW0318.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/VILE-120.JPG

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/VILE-36.JPG


Alot of these pictures are from different time periods, but still all awsome. If theirs anything else needed, don't hesitate to ask. I can get a list of kings and cities etc. Right now though, my comp is completely broken so im lookin to buy somethin new.

[YanTraken]

hmm,nice work!You have increased my knowledge about African warfare:)
But please,next time use smaller! images.
Does this empire will be included into P&MTW2 mod??

[beauchamp]

Sorry about the pictures Yan. I certainly hope theyll be included, but as for now, most of the knowledge about MT2 is all rumors.

[beauchamp]

Heers another unit idea for both PMTW mods:
The Tuareg
These desert nomads were famed for their swordsmanship and their skill as camel riders. Since the beggining of time, they have been crossing the sahara on dromedaries, sharpening their swordswork and trading with the west african kingdoms. When the turks invaded Tunis and Algeria, they were met by only a handful of tuaregs and were utterly crushed, so they never even went CLOSE to the sahara cause they know they wouldve had their assess kicked. They were then on used as merciaries by the later Mamluks and the african empires...

http://www.postcardman.net/80134.jpg

http://www.marlamallett.com/Morocco-Tuareg.jpg

Here is the Takouba or tuareg sword, handcrafted in the middle of the Aghar mountains, they are without equal.

http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/takouba/takoubao.jpg

Those are the only pics I can find for now....
Comments are welcomed!

Also, check out this Tuareg band im into from Mali! (Im seein em in Minneapolis this Saturday)
http://tinariwen.artistes.universalmusic.fr/

[Inal_the_Great]

Are you also intrested in Eitophia (spelling :( ). I just want to know if they had a big empire back than ?:inquisitive: :book:

[beauchamp]

They did have an empire, with many different mixed religions and warefare (in fact, one of the only empires in africa to include Jewish, Chrisitan and Muslim nobles and dynasties) but their military is a bit boring. Its mostly based around the Masai warriors and the void of any cavalry or artillery. I think the Mali/Songhay and Kanem-Bornu empire would be the most interesting to pursue because of their amazing military and vast wealth and opportunities for good games, they had to deal with the Spanish, Portugese, Moorocans, British, French and also the local kingdoms...

[cegorach]

I have a book about Ethopean army and its wars in the XVIth century and it looks quite different:

feudal, knight-like cavalry, various infantry types including handgunners and boomerang throwers, even warrior monks. Their muslim enemies are quite interesting as well - somali and sudanese warriors, 'fake' janissaries, slave hunters, beduins etc. It has colourful pictures, I might throw them here during the weekend if you want. :2thumbsup:

[beauchamp]

Yea, that would be great. I know that the kingdom of Axum was really famous, but once it fell, the eithiopean kingdom was a feudal mess. It is one of the only countries in the world to have been ruled by Jewish, Christian and Muslim kings.

[beauchamp]

ALso, Ceg, what books did u use for the Turkish and African reasearch? Im trying to hoard a large collection of Islamic knowledge...

[beauchamp]

Ive begun reasearch again, this time on eastern africa. In eithiopia, The dynasty we would be dealing with in P&M would be the Solomonic dynasty, 1260-1630. They apparently had a substantial empire and in the 1600's were corrupted by the Portugese, thus creating the catholic "Gondar" period that lasted from 1630-1769. Im looking for more info, especially armies, but im not finding anything. They aparrantly used alot of Portugese mercinaries if that helps...

[cegorach]

Here is what I have about them - I promised it some time ago, but had to get my camera back... I don't have scanner, but it should be good enough.

THe guy who wrote the book is somehow unreliable, but when it come so the ethiopians ir seems quite good and without too many mistakes.

So the Ethiopians used feudal-like army with armoured knights with lighter mounted retainers + infantry levy with spears and bows.

They were formed in feudal units recruited and led by the nobles and mostly consisting of infantry. The fight was quite ritualised and for example knights didn't fight infantry only their equals so the knights could move with their servansts with maces and big colourful umbrellas which marked higher commanders and protected them partly from the sun.

They generally looked like this

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/ethcav.jpg

Of course most of them were lighter armoured with short chainmail and leather leg armour.

On the left side you can see the formation of the ethiopean army.

The emperors tried to create their more professional, centrally controlled army called 'chana' or similar - they were mostly infantrymen as well, many painted their bodies, but not all and the colours were different in different regions.

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/czana.jpg

IN the XVIth century the state fought a long war against muslim invaders which made some changes in the Ethiopena warfare.

Missile troops were better used and shot in salvos - before it was more individual. Thanks to the Portuguese some firearms were used, but majority of the 'new' soldiers still used bows, javelins or very popular multi bladed throwing knives

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/newethinf.jpg

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/noz.jpg

There were other types of troops used as well -

imperial guard - armed like the other soldiers, but with higher morale,

warrior monks - in fact rather chaplins who inspired soldiers - it was the result of muslim jihad in the region.

finally - 'fellashides' or Fellashid Jews - in fact ethnic Ethiopeans, but worshipping the God accoring to the Jewish religion - somehow modified anyway with their local language use instead of hebrew.

Quite bad soldiers, but excellent when fighting for their religion - usually against the Ethiopean rulers - so dangerous rebells.



Now something about their enemies

Majority of them were infantrymen, often fighting in formation wth spears which made them quite dangerous to the feudal army of Ethiopia. Most of them came from Yemen, but there were black converts from Africa and many other Ghazi.

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/jemen.jpg

Their cavalry were mostly Beduin or similar desert scavengers, but there were Mamluk soldiers banished to Sudan after the fall of their country in 1517.

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/sudan.jpg

Very good soldiers, but unreliable, because fought for themselves, even if payed very well - somehow isolated or even hated by other soldiers in the same army.

Fake jennisaries - were quite popular thanks to the famous 'real' soldiers in the Ottoman army. Many mercenaries tried to copy their fighting style and weaponry, but of course it was never as good as in the 'original' army - weapons were much worse.

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/fakeinf.jpg

Mercenaries from eastern Africa - often slave hunters, many were Somalese.

https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/merc.jpg

I have no idea how reliable it is, but it is better than nothing.

Regards Cegorach :2thumbsup:

[beauchamp]

Badass! Awsome work! Im reading more about them too, ill draw up a plan and put some more pictures in as well about west/east/central Africa.

[beauchamp]

Although, these arnet as good as Ceg's above, here are some Abyssinian warriors (they are from the 1890's, but reguardless, the military stayed reletivley the same from the 1400's onward, in fact, at Adowa, the smaller, worse equipped Eithiopeans deafeated the large Italian amry and establshed themselves as one of the only African nations to not be conquered) :

http://www.warflag.com/shadow/uniforms/ital7.jpg

http://www.warflag.com/shadow/uniforms/ital8.jpg

http://www.warflag.com/shadow/uniforms/ital9.jpg

http://www.warflag.com/shadow/uniforms/ital10.jpg

thanks,

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Cegorach, I'm sorry, but... It seems that the author of the book that you took pictures, collected in one pile weapons from all over Africa and he came up with an army of Ethiopia. In his portrayal of traditional costumes is not the peoples of Ethiopia (Amhara, Tigray, Oromo, Afar, ...), no shields, traditional for these people. Horse warrior - it looks like the obvious fantasy of the author. Form of infantrys shields more typical more for the Central, Southern, Western Africa, but not for East Africa.
The images, which gave Beauchamp, untrue. They are supported by archaeological findings, photographs, images of Ethiopian frescoes and icons.

[cegorach]

First of all - welcome to the ORG.

Yes, Michałek was known of 'controversial' approach to any subject he touched. Thankfully there is no problem with the gaphics.

Simply I can only make very basic changes when it comes to the Africans in the mod (available in the MP/custom mode pack). I am glad that descriptions were more realistic and thankfully it was enough to prepare basic unit rosters for both Ethiopean, their Jihadists enemies and Songhai armies facing the Moroccan invasion.