Week 10:

Factors that Led to the Fall of the Ancient Songhai Empire: External Factors

The Moroccan Conquest: The defeat of Songhai by the armies of Morocco brought an end to the empire. Songhai Empire was very vast and their trade cities were the envy of many kingdoms, thus rulers of other empires sought to capture Songhai. The Moroccans in October 1590 led by Judar Pashar took the cities of Gao, Djenne and Timbuktu. They went further to burn farmlands in the empire.

Many historians record that the Moroccan forces were supported by the British government under Queen Elizabeth I. They provided the Moroccans with firearms and artillery which flawed the iron weapons of the Songhai army. Thus, the great empire of Songhai fell and the remains of the ancient kingdom can still be found in Mali, Ethiopia and other parts of West Africa.

Week 11: Reasons for Incompletion of Conquest of the Ancient Songhai Empire

The conquest of the ancient Songhai Empire faced various challenges, including geographic size, diverse ethnicities,.... View More