Medieval States of West Africa: Map & History

According to oral traditions, although they vary much amongst themselves, the legendary progenitor of the Soninke was a man named Dinga, who came "from the east," after which he migrated to a variety of locations in western Sudan, in each place leaving children by different wives. In order to take power, he had to kill a serpent deity (named Bida) and then marry his daughters, who became the ancestors of the clans that were dominant in the region at the time. Some traditions hold he made a deal with Bida to sacrifice one maiden a year in exchange for rainfall, and other versions add a constant supply of gold. Upon Dinga's death, his two sons Khine and Dyabe contested the kingship, and Dyabe was victorious, founding Wagadu.

From Wikipedia: Ghana Empire · Origin historiography: Oral traditions (CC BY-SA 4.0)

He sits in audience or to hear grievances against officials in a domed pavilion around which stand ten horses covered with gold-embroidered materials. Behind the king stand ten pages holding shields and swords decorated with gold, and on his right are the sons of the kings of his country wearing splendid garments and their hair plaited with gold. The governor of the city sits on the ground before the king and around him are ministers seated likewise. At the door of the pavilion are dogs of excellent pedigree that hardly ever leave the place where the king is, guarding him. Around their necks they wear collars of gold and silver studded with a number of balls of the same metals.

From Wikipedia: Ghana Empire · Government (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Since the 6th–7th centuries CE, the Ghana Empire was in charge of trade in central West Africa. They had their own precious resources such as gold, copper, ivory, and salt. Their control of regional trade led to West African trading with North African merchants that brought camel caravans across the Sahara. This established Trans-Saharan trade. Important gold trade routes passed through the capital of Ancient Ghana, Koumbi Saleh. Trade extended throughout the Sahara to kingdoms in southern Europe, which had a very high demand for the precious metal. Demand was also high because Muslim states used gold coins (dinar) as currency. This is what linked Ghana to the Middle East and Europe.

From Wikipedia: Ghana Empire · Economy and Trade (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Little is known about the military structure of the Ghana Empire, but contemporary sources indicate that it was very infantry reliant due to the various references to swords, spears, archers, and shields. Cavalry before the 13th century would've been used mostly for raids and skirmishes. Al-Dimashqi, recorded a shipyard in Ghana's capital that built warships.

From Wikipedia: Ghana Empire · Military (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The early history of Kanem is poorly known and subject to debate. The empire is believed to have originated in the lands between Lake Chad and the Bahr el Ghazal River, with a core territory in the region of Kanem (northeast of Lake Chad). Lake Chad was positioned along key trade routes, ideally situated between Egypt and Sudan in the east, various West African states in the west, and the Sahara Desert in the north.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · History: Origin and early history (c. 700–1000) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Administration of fiefs in the Kanem–Bornu Empire was handled through the chima system, first devised under the Sayfawa and later inherited by both the al-Kanemi dynasty and Rabih az-Zubayr. All land in the empire formally belonged to the sovereign. Fiefs were awarded by the mais and shehus to any persons they wished, including courtiers (kogunawa), princes (abbawa), princesses (nanawa), and religious clerics (ulama). Fief-holders could live in the lands given to them, or live in the capital and subsist on the revenue generated. Frontier fiefs could be given to military commanders, especially those of the lower classes, serving to strengthen the borders and further integrating the imperial periphery with the center. Some fiefs became attached to certain offices over time and became hereditary.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Government and military: Fief administration (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Regional and long-distance trade of commodities formed the core of the economy of Kanem and Bornu. The empire produced salt, textile, and agricultural products which were sold through the trans-Saharan trade. The salt industry was particularly prosperous, producing perhaps 6500–9000 tons per year. The empire likely supplied salt across the entire surrounding region. Slaves were also an important export and the Kanem–Bornu Empire participated actively in the trans-Saharan slave trade until the end of the 19th century. Slaves from Bornu are first recorded in the Mediterranean in the 16th century, when Bornu ambassadors sold them in exchange for Ottoman horses and firearms.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Economy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The title of mai is variously equated to emperor or king. After the conversion to Islam, the rulers of Kanem began to be referred to as sultan and emir in both internal and external sources, alongside the traditional style of mai. Any son of a mai was qualified to become the next mai, which sometimes led to succession conflict and civil war. Persistent conflict and rival claims plagued much of the empire's history and virtually no mai was ever completely secure on the throne.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Government and military: Sovereign and nobility (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The empire began to experience slow economic decline as early as the 15th century because of the increase in trade via the Atlantic Ocean. In the 17th century, Bornu's control over the trans-Saharan trade was increasingly challenged. Ottoman officials in Tripolitania periodically attempted to increase their own influence over the trade, sometimes creating agreements with Bornu and sometimes attempting to establish their own monopoly. The empire also came into conflict with the Tuareg over control of the trans-Saharan trade routes. Under Tuareg pressure, the empire slowly lost the Kaouar oases and its control over the trade routes and was forced to establish defensive military outposts along its northern, western, and eastern borders.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · History: Decline (1650–1807) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Some of the people in the former empire, particularly the Toubou people, continued to resist colonisation, supported by the Ottoman Empire and the Senussi order. Resistance had largely died down by 1920, and the European colonies became firmly established. The division of the al-Kanemi dynasty under British and German rule has survived to the present in the Borno and Dikwa emirates, two traditional states in Nigeria.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Legacy and scholarship (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The early history of Kanem is poorly known and subject to debate. The empire is believed to have originated in the lands between Lake Chad and the Bahr el Ghazal River, with a core territory in the region of Kanem (northeast of Lake Chad). Lake Chad was positioned along key trade routes, ideally situated between Egypt and Sudan in the east, various West African states in the west, and the Sahara Desert in the north.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · History: Origin and early history (c. 700–1000) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Administration of fiefs in the Kanem–Bornu Empire was handled through the chima system, first devised under the Sayfawa and later inherited by both the al-Kanemi dynasty and Rabih az-Zubayr. All land in the empire formally belonged to the sovereign. Fiefs were awarded by the mais and shehus to any persons they wished, including courtiers (kogunawa), princes (abbawa), princesses (nanawa), and religious clerics (ulama). Fief-holders could live in the lands given to them, or live in the capital and subsist on the revenue generated. Frontier fiefs could be given to military commanders, especially those of the lower classes, serving to strengthen the borders and further integrating the imperial periphery with the center. Some fiefs became attached to certain offices over time and became hereditary.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Government and military: Fief administration (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Regional and long-distance trade of commodities formed the core of the economy of Kanem and Bornu. The empire produced salt, textile, and agricultural products which were sold through the trans-Saharan trade. The salt industry was particularly prosperous, producing perhaps 6500–9000 tons per year. The empire likely supplied salt across the entire surrounding region. Slaves were also an important export and the Kanem–Bornu Empire participated actively in the trans-Saharan slave trade until the end of the 19th century. Slaves from Bornu are first recorded in the Mediterranean in the 16th century, when Bornu ambassadors sold them in exchange for Ottoman horses and firearms.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Economy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The title of mai is variously equated to emperor or king. After the conversion to Islam, the rulers of Kanem began to be referred to as sultan and emir in both internal and external sources, alongside the traditional style of mai. Any son of a mai was qualified to become the next mai, which sometimes led to succession conflict and civil war. Persistent conflict and rival claims plagued much of the empire's history and virtually no mai was ever completely secure on the throne.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Government and military: Sovereign and nobility (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The empire began to experience slow economic decline as early as the 15th century because of the increase in trade via the Atlantic Ocean. In the 17th century, Bornu's control over the trans-Saharan trade was increasingly challenged. Ottoman officials in Tripolitania periodically attempted to increase their own influence over the trade, sometimes creating agreements with Bornu and sometimes attempting to establish their own monopoly. The empire also came into conflict with the Tuareg over control of the trans-Saharan trade routes. Under Tuareg pressure, the empire slowly lost the Kaouar oases and its control over the trade routes and was forced to establish defensive military outposts along its northern, western, and eastern borders.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · History: Decline (1650–1807) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Some of the people in the former empire, particularly the Toubou people, continued to resist colonisation, supported by the Ottoman Empire and the Senussi order. Resistance had largely died down by 1920, and the European colonies became firmly established. The division of the al-Kanemi dynasty under British and German rule has survived to the present in the Borno and Dikwa emirates, two traditional states in Nigeria.

From Wikipedia: Kanem–Bornu Empire · Legacy and scholarship (CC BY-SA 4.0)