The Kanem-Bornu empire existed in modern Chad and Nigeria. It was known to the Arab geographers as the Kanem Empire from the 9th century AD onward and lasted, in some form, until 1893.

At its height it encompassed an area covering not only much of Chad, but also parts of modern southern Libya, eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon. The history of the Empire from the 13th century onwards is mainly known from the Royal Chronicle or Girgam discovered in 1851 by the German traveller Heinrich Barth.

Origins of the empire

The Kanem Empire originated at an unknown period to the northeast of Lake Chad. It was located at the southern end of the trans-Saharan trade route between Tripoli and the region of Lake Chad. Besides its urban elite it included a confederation of nomadic peoples who spoke languages of the Teda-DazaToubou) group. (

One theory, based on early Arabic sources, suggests that the dominance of the Zaghawa people bound the confederation together.

The Diwan refers to the Zaghawa as Duguwa. The Sayfuwa, often thought to have been the only dynasty of Kanem, only took power in the process of Islamization. Their ancestor Sef was since the thirteenth century identified with the legendary Yemenite hero Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan, hence it became customary to call the second ruling dynasty Sayfawa instead of Sefuwa. Both, the Duguwa and the subsequent Sayfawa, seem to have belonged to the same ruling establishment of the Magumi. Also the royal title Mai would appear to have been shared by the Duguwa and the Sayfawa. In the pre-Islamic period the subjects regarded their king as divine.

The major factor that influenced the history of the state of Kanem was the early penetration of Islam. North African traders, Berbers and Arabs, brought the new religion. Towards 1068, Hummay, a member of the Sayfawa establishment, who was already a Muslim, discarded the last Duguwa king Selma from power and thus established the new dynasty of the Sayfuwa. Islam offered the Sayfawa rulers the advantage of new ideas from Arabia and the Mediterranean world, as well as literacy in administration. But many people resisted the new religion favouring traditional beliefs and practices. When Hummay had assumed power on the basis of his strong Islamic following, for example, it is believed that the Duguwa/Zaghawa began some kind of internal opposition. This pattern of conflict and compromise with Islam occurs repeatedly in Chadian history.

When the ruling dynasty changed, the royal establishment abandoned its capital of Manan and settled in the new capital Njimi further south of Kanem (the word for "south" in the Teda language). By the 13th century, Kanem's rule expanded. At the same time, the Kanembu people drew closer to the new rulers and increased the growing population in the new capital of Njimi. Even though the Kanembu became the main power-base of the Sayfuwa, Kanem's rulers continued to travel frequently throughout the kingdom and especially towards Bornu, west of lake Chad. Herders and farmers alike recognized the government's power and acknowledged their allegiance by paying tribute.

   Mai Dunama Dabbalemi

Kanem's expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221-1259), also of the Sayfawa dynasty. Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special hostel in Cairo to facilitate pilgrimages to Mecca. During his reign, he declared jihad against the surrounding tribes and initiated an extended period of conquest. After consolidating their territory around Lake Chad the Fezzan region (in present-day Libya) fell under Kanem's authority, and the empire's influence extended westward to Kano (in present-day Nigeria), eastward to Ouaddaï, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands (in present-day Cameroon). Portraying these boundaries on maps can be misleading, however, because the degree of control extended in ever-weakening gradations from the core of the empire around Njimi to remote peripheries, from which allegiance and tribute were usually only symbolic. Moreover, cartographic lines are static and misrepresent the mobility inherent in nomadism and migration, which were common. The loyalty of peoples and their leaders was more important in governance than the physical control of territory.

Dabbalemi devised a system to reward military commanders with authority over the people they conquered. This system, however, tempted military officers to pass their positions to their sons, thus transforming the office from one based on achievement and loyalty to the mai into one based on hereditary nobility. Dabbalemi was able to suppress this tendency, but after his death, dissension among his sons weakened the Sayfawa Dynasty. Dynastic feuds degenerated into civil war, and Kanem's outlying peoples soon ceased paying tribute.

From Kanem to Bornu

By the end of the 14th century, internal struggles and external attacks had torn Kanem apart. Between 1376 and 1400, six mais reigned, but BulalaLake Fitri to the east) killed five of them. This proliferation of mais resulted in numerous claimants to the throne and led to a series of internecine wars. Finally, around 1396 the Bulala forced Mai Umar Idrismi to abandon Njimi and move the Kanembu people to Bornu on the western edge of Lake Chad. Over time, the intermarriage of the Kanembu and Bornu peoples created a new people and language, the Kanuri. invaders (from the area around

But even in Bornu, the Sayfawa Dynasty's troubles persisted. During the first three-quarters of the 15th century, for example, fifteen mais occupied the throne. Then, around 1472 Mai Ali Dunamami defeated his rivals and began the consolidation of Bornu. He built a fortified capital at Ngazargamu, to the west of Lake Chad (in present-day Niger), the first permanent home a Sayfawa mai had enjoyed in a century. So successful was the Sayfawa rejuvenation that by the early 16th century Mai Ali Gaji (1497-1515) was able to defeat the Bulala and retake Njimi, the former capital. The empire's leaders, however, remained at Ngazargamu because its lands were more productive agriculturally and better suited to the raising of cattle.

Kanem-Bornu peaked during the reign of the outstanding statesman Mai Idris Aluma (c. 1571-1603). Aluma is remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms, and Islamic piety. His main adversaries were the Hausa to the west, the Tuareg and Toubou to the north, and the Bulala to the east. One epic poem extols his victories in 330 wars and more than 1,000 battles. His innovations included the employment of fixed military camps (with walls); permanent sieges and "scorched earth" tactics, where soldiers burned everything in their path; armored horses and riders; and the use of BerberKotoko boatmen, and iron-helmeted musketeers trained by Turkish military advisers. His active diplomacy featured relations with Tripoli, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire, which sent a 200-member ambassadorial party across the desert to Aluma's court at Ngazargamu. Aluma also signed what was probably the first written treaty or cease-fire in Chadian history (like many cease-fires negotiated in the 1970s and 1980s, it was promptly broken). camelry,

Aluma introduced a number of legal and administrative reforms based on his religious beliefs and Islamic law (sharia). He sponsored the construction of numerous mosques and made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he arranged for the establishment of a hostel to be used by pilgrims from his empire. As with other dynamic politicians, Aluma's reformist goals led him to seek loyal and competent advisers and allies, and he frequently relied on slaves who had been educated in noble homes. Aluma regularly sought advice from a council composed of heads of the most important clans. He required major political figures to live at the court, and he reinforced political alliances through appropriate marriages (Aluma himself was the son of a Kanuri father and a Bulala mother).

Kanem-Bornu under Aluma was strong and wealthy. Government revenue came from tribute (or booty, if the recalcitrant people had to be conquered), sales of slaves, and duties on and participation in trans-Saharan trade. Unlike West Africa, the Chadian region did not have gold. Still, it was central to one of the most convenient trans-Saharan routes. Between Lake Chad and Fezzan lay a sequence of well-spaced wells and oases, and from Fezzan there were easy connections to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. Many products were sent north, including natron (sodium carbonate), cotton, kola nuts, ivory, ostrich feathers, perfume, wax, and hides, but the most important of all were slaves. Imports included salt, horses, silks, glass, muskets, and copper.

Aluma took a keen interest in trade and other economic matters. He is credited with having the roads cleared, designing better boats for Lake Chad, introducing standard units of measure for grain, and moving farmers into new lands. In addition, he improved the ease and security of transit through the empire with the goal of making it so safe that "a lone woman clad in gold might walk with none to fear but God."

   Decline and fall

The administrative reforms and military brilliance of Aluma sustained the empire until the mid-1600s, when its power began to fade. By the late 1700s, Bornu rule extended only westward, into the land of the Hausa. Around that time, Fulani people, invading from the west, were able to make major inroads into Bornu. By the early 19th century, Kanem-Bornu was clearly an empire in decline, and in 1808 Fulani warriors conquered Ngazargamu. Usman dan FodioFulani thrust and proclaimed a jihad (holy war) on the irreligious Muslims of the area. His campaign eventually affected Kanem-Bornu and inspired a trend toward Islamic orthodoxy. But Muhammad al-Kanem contested the Fulani advance. Kanem was a Muslim scholar and non-Sayfawa warlord who had put together an alliance of Shuwa Arabs, Kanembu, and other seminomadic peoples. He eventually built in 1814 a capital at Kukawa (in present-day Nigeria). Sayfawa mais remained titular monarchs until 1846. In that year, the last mai, in league with Ouaddai tribesmen, precipitated a civil war. It was at that point that Kanem's son, Umar, became king, thus ending one of the longest dynastic reigns in regional history. led the

Although the dynasty ended, the kingdom of Kanem-Bornu survived. But Umar, who eschewed the title mai for the simpler designation shehu (from the Arabic shaykh), could not match his father's vitality and gradually allowed the kingdom to be ruled by advisers (wazirs). Bornu began to decline, as a result of administrative disorganization, regional particularism, and attacks by the militant Ouaddai Empire to the east. The decline continued under Umar's sons, and in 1893 Rabih az-Zubayr, leading an invading army from eastern Sudan, conquered Bornu.

The empire of Kanem Bornu (Kanuri) was founded by a son of a great Arab hero living in the North east of Lake Chad. He therefore established a Sefawa or Saif ruling dynasty having founded the kingdom in the 8th century. This dynasty ruled Kanem Bornu until 1848 and was one of the longest dynasties in the world history. Leaders with a title of Mai ruled that empire.

Kanem Bornu was situated in the north east of Lake Chad and it developed independently of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. It was separated by a track of barren land which hindered communication and travel to the West.

The Kanem Empire did not have significant towns due to their nomadic style of life. However towards the end of the 12th century, towns were established like Manan and Njimi. In fact Njimi became the capital city of the empire.

Mai Dunama II: Dunama II was a war like and enterprising king. During his reign Kanem Bornu attained great heights of power and influence in the south and North Africa.

He maintained an embassy in Tunis thus establishing diplomatic relations. He also bought a hotel in Cairo for the pilgrims and resident students from Kanem Bornu.

As regards to territorial expansion, he began from where his predecessor Mai Dunama I had stopped. With a cavalry of 30,000 men,  he extended the empire to Fezzan in the north, to Adamawa in the south and in the West to Bornu and Kano and in the East to Wadai.

Dunama II also established a state council of 12 advisors. These exercised considerable control and management over state policy.

He also divided the empire into 4 provinces each under a provincial governor for example the most important of the governors was known as Yerima and he was in control of the province of Yeri. He also established a strong army under a commander in chief of General known as Kaigama.

The Decline of the first Kanem Bornu: From the middle of the 13th century especially after the reign of Mai Danama II, the Kanuri empire began to decline.

Dynastic conflicts: This system of entrusting the post of provincial governors to members of the royal family had an inherent weakness. The governors got chance of organizing rebellions against the Mais. This weakened the central authority making it incapable to resist external enemies.

Islamisation: The Kings of Kanem Bornu put a lot of emphasis on converting the nomads of Kanuri into Islam. However this antagonized the pagans in Kanem Bornu with the kings. As a result it created political instability.

The So attacks: Kanem was attacked by its neighbours from the east known as So tribe. For a long time, the So tribe continually attacked the Kanuri people who were defeated and killed. During these attacks Kanem Bornu lost 4 kings in succession conflicts.  This generally weakened the empire.

Attacks of the Bulala: The final blow to the existence of Kanem Bornu was from the Bulala tribe these completely conquered the first Kanem Bornu and took over the area. The Mat was forced to move his empire West of Lake Chad where they founded the second Kanem Bornu in the 14th century.

THE SECOND KANEM BORNU

This was founded towards the end of the 14th century by the Mai Umar ibn Idris. He was driven out of the first Kanem Bornu by the Bulala. Therefore he was forced to transfer his capital to a rich pastoral country West of L. Chad. The capital city was called Nzagamu and it became the centre of administration in the 2nd Kanem Bornu.

The 2nd Kanem Bornu was ruled by able and competent leaders like Mai Ali Ghaji, Idris Katakambi, but the most prominent and greatest was Idris Alooma.

Idris Aloma 1571-1603: Idris was perhaps the greatest of the rulers of the 2nd Kanem Bornu. His name was Idris but after his death, they added on Alooma. He got this name after a place called Aloma a marshy place in modem Maiduguri where he met his death after a military campaign.

During his reign the 2nd Kanem Bornu empire reached its height of power and prosperity. He immediately imported fire arms and Turkish muskets of musketers from Tripoli. He also obtained the best Arab horses and camels. It is important to note here that guns were unknown in Western Sudan not until the Moroccan invasion of Songhai in 1590.

Having strengthened the army, the Alooma subdued the So tribesmen of the borders of the kingdom. Then he conquered Kano City a province in the West. He attacked the Tuaregs of Air and Agades in the North. He also defeated the pagans of Mandra in the south and once and for a" he also conquered the Bulala tribe.

He reformed the administration of the empire, which improved the political organisation of Kanem Bornu. He based most of his reforms on Islamic principles thus enhancing the greatness of his empire.

Alooma was a devout Moslem. He made a pilgrimage of Mecca and on his return, he came with many Islamic ideas. He constructed mosques and also made Islam a state religion, he also bought a hostel in Mecca for the pilgrims from Bornu.

He established a judicial system that was effective and based on the Islamic law. This was enforced by the Kadis or moslems judges. There was a high court which was headed by the chief judge. Generally the judges, the king of legal and religious matters.

He attracted and invited many celebrated Moslems scholars, lawyers, teachers, judges and administrators. Some of these were posted to the various provinces. For this reason therefore, Kanem came to be known in the Islamic world. This increased the prestige of the empire.

By the time of his death in 1603, Kanem Bornu was at the peak of its power and prosperity. It is no wonder that even after his death, the empire survived after the 19th century. Therefore his achievements, he deserves to be counted among the great leaders of Kanem Bornu.

Political Organisation

Politically the empire of Kanem was headed by a king with the title of Mai. He was assisted by a council of the people. These councilors were chosen from members of the royal family and also among the great nobles.

Each councilor was appointed for life and for this reason the exercised authority which the Mai always appreciated. They were responsible for maintaining law and order and they also collected taxes. Intact they were answerable to the Mai.

The empire was divided into provinces which were administered by provincial governors. These were appointed by the Mai and were royal to him. The governors also served as divisional army commanders.

Another office of influence was that of the Queen mother known as the Magira. The kings' officials elder sister and his first wife exercised great authority and influence. In most cases, decisions were made with the consent of these.

The king of Kanem established a proper judicial system based oh islamic law. These were enforced by the Kadis or moslem judges. The chief judge and the other 12 judges constituted the high court which had a seat at the capital, Nzagarmu. The judges also played the role advisers to the king.

On the military, the empire was divided into four regions each Under a military commander who was the provincial governor. The army of Kanem was well equipped with guns and muskets. It had horses and camels. It was a standing army which also served as the king's royal body guard.

SOCIAL ORGANISATION

Kanem Bornu was an Islamic state and it was mainly islamised by Alooma. He built mosques especially in the capital and Quoranic schools. He acquired hostels in Mecca for the Kanem pilgrims and even encouraged move Kanuri people to visit Mecca.

The customary love of the people of Kanuri was replaced with the Islamic law, the Shariah. This law harmonized the Kanem society since it was administered by the judges called Kadis.

Islamic education was a very important aspect of the people of Kanuri. Arabic language was taught and Islam became part of the way of life of the Kanem people.

To achieve this he constructed many mosques especially in Nzagaimu. He also acquired a hostel in Mecca for the Kanem Bornu pilgrims. Kanem Bornu was blessed with a number of islamic scholars who generally influenced the trade of islam.

 

The life and career of al-Kanami

Al-Kanami's father was a Kanembu Quranic teacher, while his mother was the daughter of an Arab merchant. His parenthood explains al-Kanami's life­long devotion to Islam. At an early age he made the pilgrimage to Mecca and could thus call himself al-Hajj. His real name was al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amin. After some years of study in the east he settled in Ngala, south of Lake Chad, in the Bornu Empire.

This was in the early years of the 19th century, when the Fulani of West Bornu had declared a jihad, or holy war, against the state, claiming that Bornu had become a godless country, its leaders corrupt and irreligious. The Fulani took their inspiration from the jihad in Gobir of Usuman dan Fodio and under the leadership of Goni Mukhtar they succeeded in conquering large areas of Bornu. In 1808 the capital, Birni Ngazar-gamu, was taken and sacked.

The Mai, or King, of Bornu at this time was Mai Ahmad, who was old and weak. He abdicated in favour of his son, Dunama, and it was Dunama who turned to al-Kanami for help. Al-Kanami was leading the life of a Muslim scholar and teacher but he had earned a reputa­tion for military leadership by organizing successful counter-attacks on the Fulani in his own area. Apart from his qualities of generalship, being a religious scholar he was also in a position to refute the arguments on which the jihad against Bornu was based. Together Dunama and al-Kanami managed to retake the capital and force the Fulani to retreat, although they kept control of the western areas of the kingdom. However, Dunama shortly left his capital because he thought it was too close to the source of danger.

For some years Mai Dunama was a king without a country, having been overthrown by his uncle. It was in 1813 that al-Kanami once again came to the rescue. He managed to restore Dunama to the throne and in return for his favour he demanded and received the right to administer half the kingdom and collect taxes there. In effect he was now the most powerful man in Bornu and Mai Dunama was little more than a puppet.

In 1814 al-Kanami established his own capital at Kukawa and took the title of Shehu or Shaykh. He administered his territory according to Muslim law but he seems to have been in no way a fanatic-in spite of his strong belief in Islam, he made no attempt to introduce religious reforms or enforce Islamic practices on those who were not believers.

In 1820 Mai Dunama tried to restore himself to full power and authority, being tired of living in the shadow of al-Kanami. However, his plans came to nothing and finally he was killed in battle. This strengthened al-Kanami's position still further and he was effectively the king, but he did not have himself installed as Mai since he knew that this would anger many people, who believed in the succession through the ancient line of the Kanuri kings. Dunama's brother, Ibrahim, was duly crowned and became a mere puppet like his brother. The real power lay with al-Kanami in Kukawa, where he ruled with the help of a council of six. The people closest to him tended to be Shuwa, Kanembu or from the Fezzan and he was known to employ North African mercenaries in his army, which may account in some measure for his military successes. The employment of so many 'foreigners' was bound to cause resentment in Bornu, and it did, especially after al-Kanami's death.

Al-Kanami's dream was to recreate the old Bornu Empire and to do this he led his armies in a series of campaigns. He conquered Zinder, Kanem and Baghirmi but he was unable to regain the western territories be­cause of the strength of the Fnl.mi there. Wisely, instead of waging a fruitless and expensive war, he made peace.

Under his rule Bornu did regain some of its former prosperity but forces beyond al-Kanami's control were already at work and trade patterns in the area were undergoing a drastic change to the detriment of Bornu. Efficient though al-Kanami's administration was, it made the traditional Sefawa Mais separate and apart from the administrative machinery made up mostly of his parents' fellow nationals. When al-Kanami died in 1837 the divisions became deeper and the strong state that he had created was weakened.

Causes and results of the civil war in Bornu in 1846

By 1813 al-Kanami had established himself as effective ruler of Bornu although the traditional Mais (Kings) sat still on the throne and served as figureheads with no real power. Not unnaturally the Mai's resented the power of al-Kanami and dreamed of recovering the authority they had once held. Another thing that they disliked was that al-Kanami relied heavily on foreigners for his advisers and in his army.

In 1837 al-Kanami died and his position was taken by his son, Umar, thus proving to the Mai and his supporters that al-Kanami's real aim had been not just personal power but the creation of a new dynasty of Shehus, or religious rulers. Umar apparently did not have the same persuasive powers as his father, who had allowed the Mais to keep some self-respect by letting them believe they had some real power. In other words, Umar openly said that he was the true ruler and he set about proving it by reducing the revenue paid to Mai Ibrahim.

In an attempt to get rid of Umar, Ibrahim plotted with the Sultan of Wadai, a neighbouring state that was going through a period of prosperity and expansion. This was in 1846. A war ensued with Ibrahim and his supporters, backed by Wadai, fighting against Umar and those who supported him. Even though Umar's capital, Kukawa, was taken and burned by the forces of the Sultan of Wadai, in the end Umar was victorious and Mai Ibrahim was killed in the fighting, together with many of his followers.

The most immediate effect of Umar's victory was to bring to an end the Sefawa dynasty, one of the oldest in history, which had ruled for maybe a thousand years.

The second was that Umar declared himself Mai, thus re-uniting the ruling family and the religious leadership. Umar continued to rule until his death in 1881. However, this was a period of economic and territorial decline for Bornu. Wadai be­came bigger at its expense, taking Kanem and Baghirmi. Umar's sons each ruled briefly in. turn before Bornu was conquered in 1893 by Rabih.

Rabih's career from 1890 to 1900.

Rabih was born in the eastern Sudan, north of Khartoum. Sudan was then under the control of the Ottoman Khedives of Egypt and he served for a time in the Egyptian army. He then became the commander of the army of a trader, one of the Khartoumers who raided into northern Uganda looking for slaves and ivory. This army was defeated by the Egyptian forces and the slaver himself killed.

Rabih gathered what forces re­mained and built them up into his own private army. Rabih was also a follower of the Sudanese Mahdi, who from 1881 fought a holy war against British and Egyptian influence in the Sudan.

Rabih soon came to the conclusion that if he was to retain his independence he would have to move. Just as in the west Samori Toure had moved eastward to avoid the French, so now Rabih began to move westward. The kingdoms that stood in his way were on the whole weak and divided and, with his well-trained army, he defeated them easily.

One of the states that barred his path was Wadai. Wadai was economically prosperous at that time and Rabih would have liked to conquer it since this would have given him the means to build a much stronger empire. He took some of the southern areas of Wadai but was unable to complete the conquest in the face of strong opposition.

In 1893 Rabih invaded Bornu. The Shehu, a desce­ndant of al-Kanami, was a weak man who could not make up his mind. Although some resistance to the invaders was organized at the last minute, it failed and its leaders were all killed.

Rabih, now the effective ruler of Bornu, built a new capital at Dikwa. As a harsh ruler and a foreigner he was greatly disliked by the people of Bornu, who rebelled against him in 1896, without success.

It seamed that his soldiers were allowed to roam the countryside in search of food and this led to the collapse of agriculture. In the event Rabih was not overthrown by internal rebellion in Bornu but by the Europeans. By this time the British were re-establishing control in the eastern Sudan after a campaign against the Mahdi.

In the west the French were building an empire by military conquest. Rabih tried to persuade some of his neighbours to declare jihad against the Europeans, but there was no support. He and his armies stood alone against the French but the fight was unequal. He could not match their fire-power and was killed in battle in 1900.

THE DECLINE OF THE SECOND KANEM BORNU EMPIRE

The incompetent and inexperienced leaders led to the collapse of the empire. After the death of the Idris Alooma, the second Kanuri empire started declining. The empire fell into the hands of rulers who were incompetent, weak and were not courageous. This weakened the empire.

Decline of the military force also weakened the empire. Because of a long period of peace, which prevailed for most of the 18th century. The army went into a slow decay. So, it fell into a state of inactivity, such that when Mai Ahamed attacked the Mandara, he was defeated and lost most of his soldiers.   

Frequent attacks from the Tuaregs facilitated the fall of the Second Kanem Bornu. These attacks weakened the empire and agriculture and famine became frequent in Kanem Bornu.

Internal conflicts had weakened the empire and contributed to its collapse. The empire witnessed internal quarrels between various provincial governors which weakened the empire. In fact these divisions further disintegrated Kanem Bornu.

The Fulani Jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio led to the fall of the empire. In 1808, Uthman overran Kanem Bornu which was now very weak and struggling to survive. In fact Mai Ahamed fled from his capital city on hearing the coming of the Jihadists. This completed the end of the only surviving empire in Western Sudan.     

WHY THE SAIF/ SEFAWA LASTED LONG

The Sefawa dynasty which started in about 774 AD was one of the long lasting dynasties in world history. Reasons for this are the following:-

The lack of succession disputes; many historians have proof that shows that many dynasties failed to last long because the disputes among the royal family in particular for the throne.

Location of the empire: Mali and Songhai sprung up in the heart of Western Sudan where there was frequent threats from their neighbours, Kanem Bornu was spanned from this problem because if was in the extreme east of Western Sudan divided by barren land.                            

Kanem was ruled by strong and able leaders outstanding of these leaders was Mali Dunama the first who ruled for 53 years, Dunama the second 38 years, Ali Ghaji 32 years and Alooma 32 years. This was rare with other kingdoms.

The profitable trade: Kanem Bornu prospered in their trade, which was; part of the Trans-Saharan trade. The kings of Kanem Bornu encouraged the Kanuri people to participate in the trans-Saharan trade which brought enough revenue to sustain the kingdom.

Islam: Islam influenced and united the people of Kanem Bornu. In fact the kings used islam to strengthen political, economic and 'social organizations. Besides that islam gave Kanem Bornu international reputation from the islamic world.

Popular Questions.

1.    (a) Describe the- origins of the 1st Kanem Bornu .empire,

(b) How was the empire organised of the -19th century?

2.    (a) .How did Idris Alooma govern the Kanuri empire of Bornu?

(b) What factors Influenced the survival of the empire?

3.    (a) Explain the origins of the 1st and 2nd Kanem Bornu.

(b) Why did they eventually collapse in the 19th century?

(c) Why did it survive for such a long time?

 

References

Barkindo, Bawuro, "The early states of the Central Sudan: Kanem, Borno and some of their neighbours to c. 1500 A.D.", in: J. Ajayi und M. Crowder (Hg.), History of West Africa, Bd. I, 3. Ausg. Harlow 1985, 225-254.

Lange, Dierk, Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa: Africa-Centred and Canaanite-Israelite Perspectives, Dettelbach 2004. (the book suggests a pre-Christian origin of Kanem in connection with the Phoenician expansion)