Mossi Kingdoms
Mossi Kingdoms Moogho | |||||||
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11th century–1896 | |||||||
Pre-Colonial Africa | |||||||
• Departure of Princess Yennenga from the Dagomba Kingdom | 11th century | ||||||
• Conquest by the French colonial empire | 1896 | ||||||
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Person | Mòoré |
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Country | Moogho |
History of Burkina Faso | ||||||||||
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The Mossi Kingdoms, sometimes referred to as the Mossi Empire, were a group of powerful kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso which dominated the region of the upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The largest Mossi kingdoms was that of Ouagadougou and the king of Ouagadougou known as the Mogho Naaba, or King of All the World, serves as the Emperor of all the Mossi. The first kingdom was founded when Dagomba warriors from the region that is present-day Ghana and Mandé warriors moved into the area and intermarried with local people. Centralization of the political and military powers of the kingdoms begin in the 13th century and led to conflicts between the Mossi kingdoms and many of the other powerful states in the region. In 1896, the French took over the kingdoms and created the French Upper Volta which largely used the Mossi administrative structure for many decades in governing the colony.
Some Mossi Kingdoms still exist today as
History
Origin
Accounts of the origin of the Mossi kingdom and parts of their history are imprecise with contradictory oral traditions that disagree on certain aspects of the story.[6] The origin story is unique in that a woman plays a key role as the progenitor of the royal line.[7]
The origins of the Mossi state are claimed by one prominent oral tradition to come from when a
Rise and centralization
Following Oubri, centralization and small-scale expansion of the kingdoms were the primary tasks. The Ouagadougou dynasty retained control in Ouagadougou, but the other kingdoms established by the sons of Ouedraogo retained independence in Tenkodogo, Fada N'gourma, and Zondoma. Under the fifth ruler, Komdimie (circa 1170), two revolutions were started by members of the Ouagadougou dynasty with the establishment of the Kingdom of Yatenga to the north and the establishment of the Kingdom of Rizim. War between Komdimie and Yatenga lasted for many years with Yatenga eventually taking over the independent Mossi state of Zondoma. At the same time, Komdimie created a new level of authority for his sons as Dimas of separate provinces with some autonomy but recognizing the sovereignty of the Ouagadougou dynasty. This system of taking over territory and appointing sons as Dimas would last for many of the future rulers.[8]
Increasing power of the Mossi kingdoms resulted in larger conflicts with regional powers. The Kingdom of Yatenga became a key power attacking the
By the 18th century, the Mossi kingdoms had increased significantly in terms of economic and military power in the region. Foreign trade relations increased significantly throughout Africa with significant connections to the Fula kingdoms and the Mali Empire. These relations included military attacks on many times with the Mossi being attacked by a variety of African forces. Although there were a number of jihad states in the region trying to forcibly spread Islam, namely the Massina Empire and the Sokoto Caliphate, the Mossi kingdoms largely retained their traditional religious and ritual practices.[9]
Domestically, the Mossi kingdoms distinguished between the nakombse and the tengbiise. The nakombse claimed lineage connections to the founders of the Mossi kingdoms and the power of naam which gave them the divine right to rule. The tengbiise, in contrast, were considered the people who lived in the region who became assimilated into the kingdoms and would never get access to naam. However, because of their connection to the area they do have tenga which allows them to decide over issues related to land. The rulers' naam and the support of tenga were connected in a two-way dimension of power in society.[6]
Religion
Being located near many of the main Islamic states of West Africa, the Mossi kingdoms developed a mixed religious system recognizing some authority for Islam while retaining their indigenous Mossi Religion. The king participated in two great festivals, one focused on the genealogy of the royal lineage (in order to increase their naam) and another of sacrifices to tenga.[7]
In addition, although they had initially resisted Islamic imposition and retained independence from the main Islamic states of West Africa, there began to be a sizable number of Muslims living in the kingdom. In Ouagadougou, the Mogho Naaba assigned an Imam who was allowed to deliver readings of the Qur'an to the royalty in exchange for recognizing the genealogical power of the king.[7]
French conquest
The first European explorer to enter the empire was German
As a result of the significant centralization of the kingdoms, the French largely kept the administration making the Mogho Naava in Ouagadougou the primary leader of the region and creating five ministers under him that governed different regions (largely adhering to the Mossi kingdom borders).[8]
Organization
The Mossi kingdoms were organized around five different kingdoms:
See also
- Mossi states
- List of rulers of the Mossi state of Gurunsi
- List of rulers of the Mossi state of Gwiriko
- List of rulers of the Mossi state of Liptako
- List of rulers of the Mossi state of Tenkodogo
- List of rulers of the Mossi state of Wogodogo
- List of rulers of the Mossi state of Yatenga
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Bilanga
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Bilayanga
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Bongandini
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Con
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Macakoali
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Piela
- List of rulers of the Gurma Mossi state of Nungu
References
- ^ "Mogho Naba: Burkina Faso's mediator monarch". BBC News. 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Royaume de Boussouma : Qui est Naaba Sigri, le nouveau Dima ? - leFaso.net". lefaso.net (in French). Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ Ahmed (2021-03-21). "Royauté du Gulmu : vives tensions entre les deux palais". Aujourd'hui au Faso (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ "Palais royal de Tenkodogo : Les autorités régionales sollicitent l'accompagnement de Naba Guiguem-Pollé". aOuaga.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ "Crise au conseil municipal de Ouahigouya : le maire entendu, les imams chez Naaba Kiiba · Islam Burkina Faso Collection · Islambf". islam.domains.uflib.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Englebert, Pierre (1996). Burkina Faso: Unsteady Statehood in West Arica. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
- ^ a b c Shifferd, Patricia A. (1996). "Ideological problems and the problem of ideology: reflections on integration and strain in pre-colonial West Africa". In Claessen, Henri J.M.; Oosten, Jarich G. (eds.). Ideology and the Formation of Early States. Leiden, The Netherlands: E.J. Brill. pp. 24–46.
- ^ S2CID 140297791.
- .
- ^
Lipschutz, Mark R.; Rasmussen, R. Kent (1989). Dictionary of African historical biography. University of California Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-520-06611-3.
- S2CID 145801291.