Kingdom of Jolof
Jolof Kingdom جولوف | |||||||||
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1549–1890 | |||||||||
Alboury N'Diaye | |||||||||
Legislature | Jaaraf Jambure | ||||||||
Historical era | Early Modern Period | ||||||||
• Established | 1549 | ||||||||
• Evacuation of Jolof by Alboury Ndiaye and occupation by the French | 1890 | ||||||||
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The Kingdom of Jolof (
History
The last Buurba of a united Jolof Empire,
Biram Penda Tabara succeeded his uncle Giran, leading to a period of succession conflicts. During his reign, in 1670, a regional rebellion against the Wolof rulers of Senegambia broke out, led by Muslim clerics from Mauretania. He reputedly fought ten battles against the Muslims before finally driving them out of Jolof.[5] The Mauritanians still remained a problem, however; Waalo in particular suffered from their constant raids.[6]
Civil war
Biram Penda Tabara's death inaugurated a long period of civil war in Jolof. The electoral college chose his maternal half-brother Biram Mbaakure as Buurba, but a rival claimant, Bakar Penda Xole, exiled himself in Cayor with his supporters. With the support of the
After his victory, Alboury Jaxeer moved the capital from Ceng, which had supported his rival, to the more loyal Warkhokh. Only two years into his reign, however, his rule was contested by his nephew Bira Yamb Majigeen Ndaw. Two battles, one at Warkhokh and one at Njabakundam, were indecisive. Alboury Jaxeer allied with the Damel of Cayor, but was nevertheless defeated in a third battle at Ndipa and forced into exile.[9] The accession of Bira Yamb Ndaw marked the end of the period of civil war.[10]
19th century and the growing French presence
In the early 19th century, the
In 1865
In 1870 another reformer, Shaikh Amadou Ba of the Imamate of Futa Toro, again tried to convince the buurba to convert. Ultimately, he succeeded in cowing the political leadership of the kingdom, Islamizing the state, and he settled there with his numerous followers.[14]
Alboury Ndiaye
Resistance remained, however, led by the tuube Sanor Ndiaye and
Ndiaye re-established firm royal control in Jolof, ended the frequent raiding, promoted trade and agricultural production, and continued the Islamization of the country.
Society
Jolof society was, like many of its neighbors, composed of three groups - the freeborn (including both nobles and peasants), the artisan castes, and slaves, which were around 15% of the population. Most slaves were captured in war or raids, and those born into slavery could not be sold.[21] The economy was fundamentally agricultural, and Jolof was isolated from the growing commercial exchanges with European merchants on the coast.[10]
For much of Jolof's history Islamic practice was deeply syncretized with pre-Islamic and animistic practices and the rulers and nobility were nominal Muslims at best. The marabout class was generally set apart, serving as providers of magical amulets and gri-gris as well as secretaries and priests for the nobility. The distinction between observant Muslim marabouts and quasi-pagan ceddos deepened over time and was at the heart of the religious conflicts of the 1860s.[22]
Government
The buurba, or king, was the head of state. He appointed from the royal family the tuube, who served as regent in the king's absence, and the buumi, who commanded a province and was the burba's presumed successor. The Lingeer, often the king's mother but sometimes his sister, ran the royal household and was the most powerful woman in the kingdom. Nobles with territorial commands were known as kangaame, and among these the most powerful and influential were the belep and bergel, each of whom ruled an important province on Jolof's borders and whose titles were hereditary.[23]
The jaraaf jambuure was the council of nobles who elected new kings and advised them on all matters. Each caste and minority ethnicity also had a representative who served as an intermediary between them and the buurba. The ruler also controlled a force of slave soldiers which maintained order and formed the core of the kingdom's army.[24] Succession generally went from uncle to nephew. This created endemic succession disputes that often led to civil wars and foreign interference, which the jaraaf jambuure was generally powerless to prevent.[25]
See also
- List of rulers of Jolof
- Cayor Kingdom
- History of Senegal
- History of the Gambia
- Wolof people
- Serer people
- Mali Empire
- Jolof Empire
- Anna Kingsley
Sources
- Charles, Eunice A. (1977). Precolonial Senegal : the Jolof Kingdom, 1800-1890. Brookline, MA: African Studies Center, Boston University. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- Kane, Oumar (2004). La première hégémonie peule. Le Fuuta Tooro de Koli Teηella à Almaami Abdul. Paris: Karthala. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- Ndiaye, Bara (2021). "Le Jolof: Naissance et Evolution d'un Empire jusqu'a la fin du XVIIe siecle". In Fall, Mamadou; Fall, Rokhaya; Mane, Mamadou (eds.). Bipolarisation du Senegal du XVIe - XVIIe siecle (in French). Dakar: HGS Editions. pp. 166–236.
- Ogot, Bethwell A. (1999). General History of Africa V: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06700-2.
References
- ^ Mwakikagile, Godfrey Ethnic Diversity and Integration in the Gambia
- ^ Ndiaye 2021, pp. 224.
- ^ Kane 2004, pp. 191.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 3.
- ^ Ndiaye 2021, pp. 227.
- ^ a b Stride, G.T. & C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 1000-1800" page 24. Nelson, 1971
- ^ Ndiaye 2021, pp. 228–9.
- ^ Ndiaye 2021, pp. 230–1.
- ^ Ndiaye 2021, pp. 231.
- ^ a b Ndiaye 2021, pp. 232.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 30.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 40.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 60.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 72.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 78.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 88.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 93–5.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 111–2.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 114.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 124–7.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 7.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 9.
- ^ Charles 1977, pp. 10.
- ^ Ndiaye 2021, pp. 233.