1. Mansa Musa I of Mali: Gold, Salt, and Storytelling in Medieval West Africa
- Author:
- Christopher McKenna and Charlie Harris
- Publication Date:
- 04-2020
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Oxford Centre for Global History
- Abstract:
- In 1312, the reigning emperor of Mali – Mansa Abubakari Keita II – sent 200 manned boats and 100 support boats containing supplies to sail until they found the edge of the Atlantic. After a long excursion, one boat returned. Its captain bore only a horror story about the whirlpool that had swallowed his comrades. Unimpressed (and perhaps obsessed) the emperor chose to make the expedition himself – this time with a retinue of 3,000 ships. He chose his deputy, Musa – a member of the court with no blood relation to the king – to act as ruler in his absence. The deliberate appointment, untainted by the hereditary rule that has produced so many poor monarchs, is likely a testament to the character and abilities of Musa.
- Topic:
- History, Natural Resources, Capitalism, Currency, Trade, and Atlantic World
- Political Geography:
- West Africa and Mali