Mansa Mahmud IV was the last great emperor of the Mali Empire according to the Tarikh al-Sudan. Prior to his rule there was a vacancy of some sort, indicated by the long period of the time in which neither written or oral sources give a ruler. We do know that more than one person made a claim for the throne, which caused the Sankar-Zouma and Farima-Soura to refuse aid to Mansa Mahmud IV on his military operation against Jenne.

Battle of Jenne

Mansa

Mansa

Mansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings". It is particularly associated with the Keita Dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa from the thirteenth to the fifthteenth century...

 Mahmud IV launched an attack on the city of Djenne

Battle of Jenné

The Battle of Jenné was a military engagement between forces of the Mali Empire and the Moroccan pashalik of Timbuktu. The battle marked the effective end of the great Mali Empire and set the stage for a plethora of smaller West African states to emerge....

 in 1599 with Fulani allies hoping to take advantage of Songhai

Songhai

The Songhai are west Africa people who speak Songhai languages, the lingua franca of the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. The Songhai are found primarily throughout Mali in the Western sudanic region...

’s defeat. Moroccan fusiliers, deployed from Timbuktu

Timbuktu

Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...

, met them in battle, exposing Mali to the same technology (firearms) that had destroyed Songhai

Songhai

The Songhai are west Africa people who speak Songhai languages, the lingua franca of the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. The Songhai are found primarily throughout Mali in the Western sudanic region...

. Despite heavy losses, the mansa’s army was not deterred and nearly prevailed; however, the army inside Djenne intervened, forcing Mansa Mahmud IV and his army to retreat to Kangaba.

See also

• Mali Empire
  Mali Empire
  The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
  
  
• Keita Dynasty
  Keita Dynasty
  The Keita Dynasty ruled pre-Imperial and Imperial Mali from the 12th century into the early 17th century. It was a Muslim Dynasty, and its rulers claimed descent from Bilal. Bilal was a freed slave who accepted Islam and became one of the Sahabas of the Prophet Muhammad. Bilal bears the...