The Kingdom of Songhay

The time when Songhay counted as a kingdom was roughly from 1350 (with significant overlap with Mali) to 1500. Most of its power came from control of the caravan routes across the Sahara like Ghana and Mali before. Songhay also benefited from the religious leadership of the king. There are records of King Kossoi accepting Islam around 1009 CE, but it took longer for the religion to dominate the region. Songhay presided over the strengthening of Islam in the region, to the exclusion of other religions. By the time Songhay dominated western Africa, the king and the religious bureaucracy were securely intertwined. This, for obvious reasons, made the government more powerful.

The first of two great rulers in the Kingdom of Songhay was Sonni Ali. He came to power in 1464. He seized Timbuktu and Djenne, which had been parts of the Kingdom of Mali. These, as well as the capital city of Gao, continued to be important centers of learning and commerce under Songhay rule. His successor was Mohammed Askia, who came to power in 1493. He continued expanding the kingdom and set up amore advanced and strongly centralized government. Mohammad Askia developed a new system of laws, expanded the military, and encouraged scholarship and learning. Unlike Sonni Ali, he was a devout Muslim, who used the combination of Islam and commerce to build his kingdom. He brought peace and stability to the kingdom during his reign.

Songhay was conquered by Moroccans in 1600. It was the last great state of Western Africa.

(Source: exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu)