1280-1337 || Mansa Musa
Certainly the most famous of the Malian Mansa's, Musa held an incredible status of wealth and power. Musa became the Mansa in 1312 following the reign of Abu-Bakr II. He was fluent in Arabic and a Muslim traditionalist. Mansa Musa is most known through Europe and the Middle East as the ruler who traveled the hajj. What is not as known, is that this pilgrimage to mecca secured peace for a golden age in the Malian empire. His journey opened trade and communication routes that had not been open between the Middle East, Europe, and Mali.
On the hajj, which for him was nearly four thousand miles, Mansa Musa was accompanied by many servants, supporters, and camels all dressed expensively. He brought a lot of gold, not as much as he had at home, but enough to flaunt his wealth, and donated and bought many, many things. He caused an influx in the Mediterranean and Middle East economy that would take many years to balance out again. He spent most of his gold on the way there, and only due to the goodness of the people donating money back, was he able to get home to Mali. He brought scholars, government bureaucrats, and architects with him upon his return to his empire and a few mosques he had built, still stand today. Mansa Musa, was a ruler of the Golden Age in Mali. He encouraged education by having mosques, libraries and universites be built. After his pilgrimage, many poets, scholars, and artisans came to the Mali empire. He died of natural causes in 1337 after a twenty-five year reign.
On the hajj, which for him was nearly four thousand miles, Mansa Musa was accompanied by many servants, supporters, and camels all dressed expensively. He brought a lot of gold, not as much as he had at home, but enough to flaunt his wealth, and donated and bought many, many things. He caused an influx in the Mediterranean and Middle East economy that would take many years to balance out again. He spent most of his gold on the way there, and only due to the goodness of the people donating money back, was he able to get home to Mali. He brought scholars, government bureaucrats, and architects with him upon his return to his empire and a few mosques he had built, still stand today. Mansa Musa, was a ruler of the Golden Age in Mali. He encouraged education by having mosques, libraries and universites be built. After his pilgrimage, many poets, scholars, and artisans came to the Mali empire. He died of natural causes in 1337 after a twenty-five year reign.
1441 || The Beginning of the European Slave Trade
The European slave trade began with a shipment of slaves sent from Africa to Portugal. With the blessings of the Catholic church, the Portuguese would eventually dominate the gold, spice, and slave trade for almost a century before other nations became involved. This was more appalling then the interslavary already in Africa due to the fact that the people being traded were not adhering to traditions or paying debts to the Europeans, but that they were simply not viewed as humans by the Portuguese. Slave trading by the Europeans would continue for many, many, years and would lead to a very unjust view of Africa and its people that we still have today.