Decline of the Mali Empire - Mali - Mali

The period of 1360 – 1390 was a time of troubles for the Empire of Mali [lii]. The Empire suffered under several bad rulers with short reigns [liii]. The throne changed hands between several members of the ruling family and was at one point seized by a man named Mahmud, who was not from Mali nor part of the ruling family [liv]. Eventually, Mansa Mari Djata II managed to regain the throne for the ruling dynasty, but his despotic rule ruined the state [lv]. As in previous years, it was a court official who brought the Empire back on track after a series of bad rulers. Mari Djarta, a ‘wazir’ (minister), took power and ruled, essentially acting as regent, through King Mansa Musa II [lvi]. During the reign of Mari Djarta (also known as Mari Djarta III) the Empire of Mali would restore some of the power that it had lost during the preceding 30 years of misrule and civil war [lvii].

Mansa Musa II died in 1387 and was succeeded by his brother Mansa Magha II, who would also be the puppet of powerful court officials [lviii]. After a year Mansa Musa II was killed, thus ending the line of kings which descended from Mansa Musa I [lix]. This triggered the decline of the Empire of Mali and in 1433 the city was conquered by Tuareg nomads [lx]. For the next 100 years the Empire would slowly give way to the Songhay conquerors from the east, and by the 1500s it had been reduced to only its Malinké core lands [lxi]. During the 17th century Mali had broken into a number of minor independent chiefdoms and thus the Mali Empire was no longer the superpower it had been in its prime [lxii].

DMU Timestamp: May 11, 2020 21:16