Kingdom of Jolof
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Jolof was a West African rump state located in what is today the nation of Senegal
. For nearly two hundred years, the Serer
rulers of the Jolof Empire
collected tribute from vassal kings states who voluntarily agreed to the confederacy. At the Battle of Danki, the Buurba Jolof was defeated by the lord of Kayor resulting in the rapid disintegration of the empire. Jolof survived as a meager state, unable to prosper from the Atlantic trade between its former vassal territories and the Portuguese.
stirred up a rebellion against the Wolof people by a clever ruse. They promised to show the Wolof how to produce millet
without the labor of planting. During the ensuing rebellion, the Mauretanians invaded, killed the rulers of Waalo and Kayor and defeated the burba Jolof. However, when the Mauretanians could not deliver on their promise, the Wolof restored their rulers and drove the invaders out. It should be noted that this claim is questionable. Most rural Wolofs are great farmers producing millet and other crops. To believe that the Wolof would have fallen for such tactic is most unlikely. The Mauretanians still remained a problem, however; and Waalo in particular suffered from their constant raids.
took his jihad
to Djolof. The empire was more or less annexed until 1890. From then on, it was absorbed into the French colony administered from Dakar
. The state was formally extinguished in 1900.
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. For nearly two hundred years, the Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
rulers of the Jolof Empire
Jolof Empire
The Jolof Empire was a West African state that ruled parts of Senegal from 1360 to 1890.-Origins:Traditional accounts among the Wolof agree that the founder of the state and later empire was Ndiadiane Ndiaye who lived in the 13th century...
collected tribute from vassal kings states who voluntarily agreed to the confederacy. At the Battle of Danki, the Buurba Jolof was defeated by the lord of Kayor resulting in the rapid disintegration of the empire. Jolof survived as a meager state, unable to prosper from the Atlantic trade between its former vassal territories and the Portuguese.
Mauretanian promise
In 1670, wandering Muslim clerics from MauretaniaMauretania
Mauretania is a part of the historical Ancient Libyan land in North Africa. It corresponds to present day Morocco and a part of western Algeria...
stirred up a rebellion against the Wolof people by a clever ruse. They promised to show the Wolof how to produce millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
without the labor of planting. During the ensuing rebellion, the Mauretanians invaded, killed the rulers of Waalo and Kayor and defeated the burba Jolof. However, when the Mauretanians could not deliver on their promise, the Wolof restored their rulers and drove the invaders out. It should be noted that this claim is questionable. Most rural Wolofs are great farmers producing millet and other crops. To believe that the Wolof would have fallen for such tactic is most unlikely. The Mauretanians still remained a problem, however; and Waalo in particular suffered from their constant raids.
Baol and Kayor
In 1686, Baol split from Kayor under the teny (king) Lat Sukabe Fall. The burba Jolof used this as an excuse to try and hem in his crumbling empire and invaded Kayor. Sukabe, fearing for his own security, invaded Kayor and killed the burba Jolof in battle. He then annexed Kayor creating a union of the two states that would last until his death in 1702. Thereafter, the two states would be ruled by his sons. By the late 18th century, Kayor was pre-eminent again and annexed Baol while inflicting serious defeats on the Muslim al-Mami of Futa Toro in 1786.Destruction
Around 1875, Ahmadu Shaykhu of the Kingdom of Fouta DjallonKingdom of Fouta Djallon
The Kingdom of Fouta Djallon was a pre-colonial West African state based in the Fouta Djallon highlands of modern Guinea.-Origin:...
took his jihad
Offensive jihad
Offensive Jihad is armed Jihad meant to expand the realm of Islam at the expense of the House of War . Although these world divisions was derived by jurists, they are not mentioned in the Qur'an and hadith....
to Djolof. The empire was more or less annexed until 1890. From then on, it was absorbed into the French colony administered from Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
. The state was formally extinguished in 1900.
See also
- List of rulers of Jolof
- Cayor Kingdom
- History of SenegalHistory of SenegalThe History of Senegal is commonly divided into a number of periods, encompassing the prehistoric era, the precolonial period, colonialism, and the contemporary era.- Paleolithic :...
- History of the GambiaHistory of the GambiaThe modern-day Gambia was once part of the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires.-Early history:The first written accounts of the region come from records of Arab traders in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. In medieval times the area was dominated by the trans-Saharan trade...
- Wolof peopleWolof peopleThe Wolof are an ethnic group found in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.In Senegal, the Wolof form an ethnic plurality with about 43.3% of the population are Wolofs...
- Serer peopleSerer peopleThe Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
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- Jolof EmpireJolof EmpireThe Jolof Empire was a West African state that ruled parts of Senegal from 1360 to 1890.-Origins:Traditional accounts among the Wolof agree that the founder of the state and later empire was Ndiadiane Ndiaye who lived in the 13th century...