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African History
A selection of terms from African History
72
History
Undergraduate 3
09/21/2010

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Term
Sahara
Definition
Barrier between North Africa and rest of Africa. Prevents trade and conquest for extended time (with the exception of the Berbers and eventually the Moroccans)
Term
Sahel
Definition
geographic zone of transition inbetween savanna and sahara
Term
Savanna
Definition
rain forests, jungle environment featuring open canopy
Term
Sudan
Definition
geographic region just south of the "Sahel;" located in the Savanna; "land of the blacks"
Term
Ghana/Mali (shared significance)
Definition
kingdoms with huge reserves of gold; home of the Asante (Ashanti),
Term
Songhai Empire
Definition
empire located on the Niger River; replaced Mali as the dominant empire in the region (late 15th century); control of Taghaza (salt producing region); comes under the control of the Moroccans in late 16th century
Term
Akan
Definition
First to trade with the Portuguese when they enter the region; dominated the coastal gold trade from the 15th to 19th centuries
Term
Elmina
Definition
A city set up on the Gold Coast to specifically facilitate trade between the Akan and the Portuguese; late 15th century
Term
asiento
Definition
Spanish law giving permission to other countries to sale slaves in Spanish colonies; 16th to 19th centuries
Term
Kongo Kingdom
Definition
major source of slaves for Portuguese in 16th century; enemy of the Ndongo
Term
Mani-Kongo
Definition
title of the ruler of the Kongo Kingdom
Term
Nzinga Mbemba (Dom Affonso)
Definition
(16th century) Kongo King who converted to Christianity due to Portuguese influence; faced bitter rivalry with brother
Term
pombeiros
Definition
16th century professional slavers operating in the Kongo area; main resource used by Portuguese to capture slaves
Term
Sao Tome
Definition
15th to 17th century; plantation island founded by the Portuguese to facilitate trade (slave and otherwise)
Term
Ndongo (Angola)
Definition
16th century rivals of the Kongo Kingdom; supported by Sao Tome
Term
Nzinga Nbande
Definition
17th century queen of the Ndongo (Angola); resisted Portuguese control; eventually defeated because of her resistance to the slave trade
Term
Luanda
Definition
founded in 16th century; main trade hub for Portuguese in the Angola area
Term
factories
Definition
organizational unit involving an agent living permanently in a coastal town to facilitate trade
Term
trade ounce
Definition
unit of measure equivalent to one half-ounce of gold; used as accounting in systems of bartering
Term
"dash"
Definition
the price paid to African rulers to permit the trade of slaves within their territory
Term
Asante
Definition
Also known as Ashanti tribe; took control of the Akan in the early 18th century; amassed wealth through slave trade; resisted European colonization
Term
Dahomey
Definition
Kingdom founded in 18th Century; famed for female corps of soldiers
Term
Ouidah
Definition
important slave trading town for the Portuguese
Term
Olaudah Equiano
Definition
18th century slave who wrote abolitionist memoirs to raise support for the banning of the slave trade
Term
Vasco de Gama
Definition
16th century explorer that sailed from Europe to India
Term
Kilwa
Definition
major Swahili city-state that existed solely for the gold trade
Term
Mombasa
Definition
important Swahili trading town; sacked by Portuguese in the early 16th century; evidence of trade with China and Muslim worlds
Term
Zimba
Definition
Barbaric armies of displaced Lundu that raided many Portuguese colonies on the Mozambique coast during the late 16th century
Term
Berbers
Definition
Decentralized nomadic peoples that inhabit the Sahara; maintained control on trans-Saharan trade throughout much of African history
Term
Ottoman Empire
Definition
Islamic empire who's responsible for the majority of the Islamic influence in Africa
Term
Abd al-Malik
Definition
7th century conqueror responsible for the formation of the Maghreb
Term
Battle of al-Ksar al-Kabir ("Battle of the Three Kings")
Definition
Late sixteenth century battle that pitted Portuguese king against Moroccan king. Both kings died in battle, leaving Ahmad al-Mansur in charge of Morocco once the dust cleared.
Term
Ahmad al-Mansur
Definition
Late sixteenth century ruler who claimed his throne at the Battle of the Three Kings; notable for capturing Songhay Kingdom across the Sahara to control gold trade
Term
Tuareg
Definition
Brand of Berbers living in Timbuktu; known as Muslim scholars
Term
Taghaza
Definition
Valuable salt mines located in the Sahara and controlled by the Songhay until their defeat by Morocco
Term
Judar Pasha
Definition
Slave general who captured Gao, Taghaza, and Timbuktu for Morocco in late 16th century
Term
Arma
Definition
An ethnicity of people that emerged from Moroccan invaders mixing with Songhay populations; ruled Songhay empire
Term
Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli
Definition
North African territories claimed by France in the late 19th century due to the resistance of Abd al-Qadir.
Term
corsairs
Definition
pirates who are treated as combatants in war, due to their affiliation with a crown; Barbary pirates interrupted many trade interactions between Europe and Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries
Term
Abd al-Qadir
Definition
created the largest resistance to French colonization in the areas of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli; held off for 18 years, and prompted the creation of the Foreign Legion; late 19th century
Term
Foreign Legion
Definition
Legion of non-French citizens fighting for the French government in the late 19th century; created to capture the territories of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli
Term
pieds noirs
Definition
Late 19th century; group of peasant farmers who were encouraged to immigrate to French Algeria and the surrounding territories by the French government
Term
Mamluks
Definition
A Central Asian ethnic group that dominates Egypt's ruling class until the early 16th century. Conquered by Ottomans, but have a presence in Egypt much later.
Term
Napoleon Bonaparte
Definition
French General, late 19th century, that invades Egypt. His fleet is destroyed and flees (alone) after 1 year, leaving his army to stick around in Egypt for 3 years.
Term
Muhammad Ali
Definition
After the French leave Europe, the Ottoman Empire sends this man to reclaim their territory. Attempts to modernize Egypt in a European fashion. He eventually invades Sudan.
Term
Suez Canal
Definition
Project that puts Egypt on the map; a bankrupt Egypt must sell stakes in this project to European powers to stay afloat
Term
Khedive Isma'il
Definition
A caliph of Egypt that bankrupts the economy by pursuing frivolous shows of Egyptian grandeur, aggressive military expansion (Nile Valley, Ethiopia), and inconsequential building projects (palaces). Late 19th century.
Term
Khedive Tawfiq
Definition
Son of Khedive Isma'il; installed on the throne by Ottoman Sultan (at the behest of the French and British) as a puppet caliph
Term
Ahmad Urabi Pasha
Definition
Egyptian general who revolts against non-Egyptian rule in the late 19th century. Above all, wants Egypt's outstanding debt forgiven for projects that were not approved by the Egyptian citizenry.
Term
Islam
Definition
Religion that came to dominate many parts of Africa. Spread through commerce and conquest. Reasons for conversion: provides a sense of trust between merchants; comes with law code (sharia); brings literacy; powerful religious forces
Term
Five Pillars
Definition
1.) Allah is the one God and Mohommed is his prophet. 2.) Make a pilgrimmage to Mecca. 3.) Pray 5 times a day. 4.) Fast during the month of Ramadan. 5.) Give alms to the poor.
Term
Sharia
Definition
Islamic law that relegates familial, criminal, and religious matters. This is the ultimate goal of many religious reformers in the late 19th century.
Term
Jihad
Definition
A war fought on a spiritual or physical front.
Term
Sufism
Definition
Unorthodox Islamic mysticism, with curiously high number of followers leading military campaigns during the late 18th-early 19th centuries. Organized into "orders" or "brotherhoods." Capable of mobilizing many people.
Term
Qadiriyya
Definition
A specific brotherhood in Sufism. Spread as far as the Ottoman empire had spread by the 17th century.
Term
Tijaniyya
Definition
largest Sufi order in West Africa
Term
Fulbe (Fulani)
Definition
Pastoralists who come in two flavors: red (polytheist) and black (muslim). The red variety tend to be nomadic; the black, agriculturalist. Peculiar settlement strategies lead to highly effective Jihads and conquests throughout the mid to late 18th century.
Term
Futa Jallon
Definition
The first Fulbe upheaval happened here in the mid 18th century.
Term
Futa Toro
Definition
The Black Fulbe overthrow the Red Fulbe in this city. Late 18th century.
Term
Usuman dan Fodio
Definition
Belonging to the Qadariyya sufi order, this Fulbe from the Hausalands, founded the greatest Islamic Fulbe "empire" by conquering all of the Hausalands.
Term
Hausa
Definition
People who were conquered by Usuman dan Fodio in the early 19th century. Converted to Islam.
Term
Gobir
Definition
one of the original seven kingdoms of the Hausalands; site of an attempted assassination against Usuman dan Fodio; Usuman dan Fodio began preaching here
Term
takfir
Definition
the declaration of non-belief in Islamic law; permitted Jihad against non-muslim opponents and muslim enemies who were made to seem to be just assuming an Islamic facade
Term
Sokoto Caliphate
Definition
After the death of Usuman dan Fodio, the central point in his empire becomes the Sokoto Caliphate
Term
emirs
Definition
Governors who ruled on behalf of the Sokoto Caliphate; began acting more like kings than governors, producing a legacy of Fulbe leaders over Hausa populations
Term
Muhammad Bello
Definition
the son of Usuman dan Fodio, and the first to take the Sokoto Caliphate in mid 19th century.
Term
Seku Ahmadu Lobbo
Definition
a fulbe scholar and disciple of Usuman dan Fodio; conquers muslim ruler of Massina by declaring takfir; conquers Segu kingdom as well.
Term
Massina (Macina)
Definition
Empire created by Ahmadu Lobbo that spread throughout present day Mali; late 19th century
Term
al-Hagg Umar Tal
Definition
the last great Islamic reformer in the late 19th century; founds the Tukolor empire. Attempts to take over Senegal River region, but is rebuffed by the French. Conquers the Massina Empire.
Term
Tukolor Empire
Definition
Empire founded by al-Haj Umar Tal in the late 19th Century; absorbs Massina Empire
Term
Samori Toure (Ture)
Definition
Juula conqueror who takes over the headwaters of the Niger. Forces followers to convert to Islam, but this is a loose conversion. Forced out by the French in the late 19th century.
Term
Dyula
Definition
Islamic traders that developed methods of dealing with non-Islamic rulers in their mercantile endeavors; unique combination of long-distance commerce, Islamic scholarship, and religious tolerance helped Islam to spread throughout West Africa
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