Seku Amadu
Encyclopedia
Seku Amadu (1773–1845) was the founder of the Fula
(Peul in French) Massina Empire
in what is now the Mopti Region
of Mali
. He ruled from 1818 to 19 March 1845 as Imam
or Amir al-Mu´minin, also taking the title Sise al-Masini.
A Qadiriyyah Sufi imam
by training, Seku Amadu preached for years against what he saw as the corruption of the Islam
ic elites governing Timbuktu
and Djenné
. Inspired by the recent uprising of Usman dan Fodio
in neighboring Hausaland
, Seku Amadu led his followers in a jihad
against the then-dominant Bambara Empire
in 1818. By 1819, he had decisively defeated the Bambara in battle, seizing Djenné
and much of Inner Niger Delta region. He founded a capital for his new Massina Empire at Hamdullahi
, northeast of Djenné, just south of the present day city of Mopti
.
At the height of the Empire's power, a 10,000 man army was stationed in the city, and Seku Amadu ordered the construction of six hundred madrasas to further the spread of Islam. He also ordered alcohol, tobacco, music and dancing banned in accordance with Islamic law, and constructed a social welfare system to provide for widows, orphans, and the poor.
One of the most enduring results of his rule was a code regulating the use of the inland Niger delta region by Fula cattle herders and diverse farming communities.
In 1845, Seku Amadu conquered Timbuktu
. However, he died within the year, leaving control of the Massina Empire to his son, Amadu Seku
. Seku Amadu's Empire outlived him by only seventeen years, falling to Toucouleur
conqueror El Hajj Umar Tall
in 1862.
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
(Peul in French) Massina Empire
Massina Empire
The Massina Empire was an early nineteenth-century Fulbe Jihad state centered in the Macina and Inner Niger Delta area of what is now the Mopti and Ségou Regions of Mali...
in what is now the Mopti Region
Mopti Region
Mopti is the fifth administrative region of Mali, covering 79,017 km². Its capital is the city of Mopti.-Geography:Mopti Region is bordered by Tombouctou Region to the north, Ségou Region to the southwest, and Burkina Faso to the southeast....
of Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. He ruled from 1818 to 19 March 1845 as Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
or Amir al-Mu´minin, also taking the title Sise al-Masini.
A Qadiriyyah Sufi imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
by training, Seku Amadu preached for years against what he saw as the corruption of the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic elites governing 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...
and Djenné
Djenné
Djenné is an Urban Commune and town in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 32,944. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region....
. Inspired by the recent uprising of Usman dan Fodio
Usman dan Fodio
Shaihu Usman dan Fodio , born Usuman ɓii Foduye, was the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1809, a religious teacher, writer and Islamic promoter. Dan Fodio was one of a class of urbanized ethnic Fulani living in the Hausa States in what is today northern Nigeria...
in neighboring Hausaland
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
, Seku Amadu led his followers in a jihad
Amadu's Jihad
Amadu's Jihad was a religious war or jihad fought from 1810 to 1818 in what is now the Mopti Region of Mali.Seku Amadu , a Fulani Muslim leader in West Africa, overthrew the ruling Fulani dynasty of the Macina region of what is now Mali and created a new theocratic state with its capital at...
against the then-dominant Bambara Empire
Bambara Empire
The Bamana Empire was a large pre-colonial West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa 1640 by Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u...
in 1818. By 1819, he had decisively defeated the Bambara in battle, seizing Djenné
Djenné
Djenné is an Urban Commune and town in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 32,944. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region....
and much of Inner Niger Delta region. He founded a capital for his new Massina Empire at Hamdullahi
Hamdullahi
Hamdullahi was a nineteenth-century imamate in what is now the Mopti Region of Mali...
, northeast of Djenné, just south of the present day city of Mopti
Mopti
Mopti is a city at the confluence of the Niger and the Bani in Mali, between Timbuktu and Ségou. The city lies on three islands linked by dykes: the New Town, the Old Town and Medina Coura. As a result it is sometimes known as the "Venice of Mali".-History:The city of Mopti derives its name from...
.
At the height of the Empire's power, a 10,000 man army was stationed in the city, and Seku Amadu ordered the construction of six hundred madrasas to further the spread of Islam. He also ordered alcohol, tobacco, music and dancing banned in accordance with Islamic law, and constructed a social welfare system to provide for widows, orphans, and the poor.
One of the most enduring results of his rule was a code regulating the use of the inland Niger delta region by Fula cattle herders and diverse farming communities.
In 1845, Seku Amadu conquered 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...
. However, he died within the year, leaving control of the Massina Empire to his son, Amadu Seku
Amadu Seku
-External links:* *....
. Seku Amadu's Empire outlived him by only seventeen years, falling to Toucouleur
Toucouleur
The Toucouleurs are a Fula agricultural people who live primarily in West Africa: the north of Senegal in the Senegal River valley, Mauritania, and Mali.-History:...
conqueror El Hajj Umar Tall
Umar Tall
El Hadj Umar ibn Sa'id Tall , , born in what is now actual Senegal was a West African political leader, Islamic scholar, and Toucouleur military commander who founded a brief empire encompassing much of what is now Guinea, Senegal, and Mali.-Name:Umar Tall's name is spelled variously: in...
in 1862.
See also
- Amadu's JihadAmadu's JihadAmadu's Jihad was a religious war or jihad fought from 1810 to 1818 in what is now the Mopti Region of Mali.Seku Amadu , a Fulani Muslim leader in West Africa, overthrew the ruling Fulani dynasty of the Macina region of what is now Mali and created a new theocratic state with its capital at...
1810 to 1818. - Massina EmpireMassina EmpireThe Massina Empire was an early nineteenth-century Fulbe Jihad state centered in the Macina and Inner Niger Delta area of what is now the Mopti and Ségou Regions of Mali...
1818/1820-1862.- Amadu SekuAmadu Seku-External links:* *....
(ruled 1845-1852). - Amadu AmaduAmadu AmaduAmadu Amadu was the last ruler of the Fula Massina Empire in what is now the Mopti Region of Mali...
(ruled 1852-1862).
- Amadu Seku