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Empires & Kingdoms

Aksum (Kingdom), also Axum; northern Ethiopia, 1st-7th centuries.

 

Ashanti (Kingdom) – ongoing traditional entity, Ghana; also an ethnic group.

 

Benin (Kingdom), 1440-1897, was in southern Nigeria, not in present-day Benin.

 

Fulani Empire, also known as the Fula or Sokoto Empire, 19th century, founded in northern Nigeria by Usman dan Fodio, was initiated by the Sokoto Jihad, 1803-1830.  Fulani (Fula, Peul) are an ethnic group, Fula (African people).

 

Ghana (Empire), also known as Wagadu or Wagadou, ca. 300-1200; an empire of the Soninke people. It was in what is now western Mali and southeastern Mauritania, not in what is modern Ghana.

 

Kaabu Empire, also Gabou, Gabu, N’Gabu; 13th-19th centuries; western extension of the Mali empire; Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Casamance (southern Senegal).

 

Kanem-Bornu Empire, existed in various forms 9th century – 1900; Chad, Niger, northeastern Nigeria, and at times into southern Libya and northern Cameroon. The first citation in its subject heading authority says it existed late 16th-early 17th century; so its definition varies.

 

Kongo Kingdom, 14th? – 19th centuries; the two Congos and Angola; also an ethnic group.

 

Mali (Empire), ca. 1230-1600, also called Manding empire, Manden; founded by Soundiata (Sunjata) Keita, in what is today southern Mali, expanding west to Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean and somewhat to the east, covering much of West Africa.

 

Mauretania (Kingdom), Roman vassal 2nd century BC, independent 5th century, conquered by Arabs 7th century; northern Morocco and west-central Algeria.  Does not correspond to the modern country, Mauritania.

 

Songhai Empire, 15th-16th centuries, extended at its broadest from the Atlantic coast to Niger, centered in modern Mali; also an ethnic group, Songhai, Songhay, etc. 

 

Takrur Empire, also known as Tukulor or Toucouleur Empire, 1852-1892, founded by Umar Tal, was initiated by the Umarian Jihad, 1852-1863 and swept over much of West Africa before defeat by the French.  The Takrur/Tukulor/Tekrur people, LCSH Tukulor (African people), go back much further, based mostly in the Futa Toro (Fuuta Tooro) region, Senegal, the location of a series of kingdoms. 
 

Takrur, Tekrur, or Tekrour was a kingdom (ca. 800-1285) whose people were the first to convert to Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa, in the 9th century.  It was also known as bilad al-Sudan to Arabs, and Takruri was a general Arabic term for West Africans.  (These two empires have been combined in the LCSH; needs reworking….)

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An oddity to note is this:  “Divide historic kingdoms, former jurisdictions, extinct cities, etc., that lie wholly within a currently existing jurisdiction through that jurisdiction.”  (Subject Headings Manual, H 830: Geographic Subdivision).  These subdivisions are included as MARC field 781 in the name authority record for that entity. 

 

Examples:

 

Benin (Kingdom)              subdivided as    Nigeria – Benin (Kingdom)

 

Ndongo (Kingdom)          subdivided as    Angola -- Ndongo (Kingdom)

 

Buganda                            subdivided as    Uganda – Buganda

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