History of Africa: Recent Episodes
The History of Africa Podcast
Take a deep dive deep into African history with this in-depth podcast. From Casablanca to Cape Town, tune in to this podcast to learn about the magnificent and oft-forgotten history of Africa. To access more free resources about African history, provide feedback, or support the show, check out our associated website at https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com
The economic progress made under Ranavalona's early reign was seemingly awe-inspiring. The country had rapidly transformed from a feudal state pumping endless sums of cash into perpetually failing companies, into a more coherent system of state-run capitalism. However, this economic progress came at an enormous human price and was propped up by a system of horrifically brutal exploitation.This episode will focus on unfree labor within the Merina economy, with a focus on how the Merina system justified and explained the use of enslaved and corvee labor, the effect that reliance on unfree labor had on the Merina economy, and how unfree laborers responded to their oppression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ranavalona hires a new group of foreign artisans like Jean Laborde and James Cameron to hasten the transformation of Madagascar into a modern, industrialized economy. Will the Merina Kingdom become the first industrialized country in Africa? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Radama I died without a clear heir, his wife, Ranavalona I, allied with a group of military officers to secure her place as the new queen of Madagascar. Almost immediately, she was faced with numerous challenges, including revolts from conquered peoples, criminal lynch mobs attacking Christians, growing resentment against missionary schools, a stumbling economy, and a French invasion of the largest Malagasy port. Not to mention she has to do it all while ruling as a woman - something which had never happened before in Merina history.
An industrial revolution in Southeast Africa?
Following the abolition of the slave trade in 1817, the future of the economy of Imerina was in flux. Looking for a replacement for the system of slave trading, the Merina king Radama initiates a strategy of industrialization, one of the first intentional industrialization initiatives in history. Large iron forging complexes, agricultural processing facilities, leather tanning centers, and gunpowder manufacturing facilities were all part of Radama's plan to replace the slave trade economy with one of finished good manufacturing.
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Prior to his coronation, the king of Imerina, Radama, promised to his father that he would expand the kingdom towards the coast. In 1817, he accomplished this goal, conquering the largest port on Madagascar's eastern coast, Toamasina.
But this was only the beginning. With a new coastal possession, Imerina was launched into a global world of international politics. Starting in 1817, Radama initiated a crusade to "modernize" his kingdom, launching radical new reforms to its systems of education, economy, industry, and architecture.
In a sense, the reforms of the Merina kingdom mark the first period of history in which an African country tries to "catch up" with Europe, a phenomenon still relevant throughout Africa to this day. Imerina's fate in this quest is an informative story to follow for anyone interested in the questions of why certain countries are rich, others are poor, and how this relationship may be changed.
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If his father is the most remembered king in Madagascar, Radama is probably the best-known Malagasy king in the rest of the world. Radama is famous not only for leading the first major push to unify his home island but also for his later efforts to modernize and industrialize the Merina Empire. But how did this fascinating man come to power in the first place? Today, we track Radama's ascent from heir to the throne to the most powerful king in the history of Madagascar.
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In our last episode, Andrianampoinimerina reunited the warring kingdoms of Imerina after seven decades of intermittent civil war. While this alone is a significant achievement, Andrianampoinimerina also had to shoulder the considerable burden of trying to repair his economically and socially devastated kingdom. Through smart and efficient use of the Fanamapoana corvee labor system, Andrianampoinimerina directed the repair, construction, and maintenance of hundreds of canals and dams, which greatly revitalized the region's agricultural output. Combined with the end of the Sakalava raids, this resulted in a major population boom. Soil depletion and overpopulation, however, forced Merina people to expand their territory for further settlement, at the expense of neighboring people.
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Andrianampoinimerina is the most famous monarch in Malagasy history, and for good reason.
At a young age, Andrianampoinimerina, still then known by his birth name Rambosalamarazaka, quickly emerged as the favorite to inherit the kingdom of Ambohimanga. However, the kingdom was instead inherited by his uncle Andrianjafy. Throughout his rule, the king would enact several unpopular policies. His failed wars against the king of Antananarivo led to economic strife, as did growing tribute demands from Ambohimanga's Sakalava overlords. In order to cope with these growing demands, Andrianjafy made the unpopular decision to begin manufacturing criminal accusations against his own subjects to justify selling them into slavery. This unpopular decision justified a group of nobles in overthrowing Andrianjafy and placing Andrianampoinimerina into power.
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After Andriamasinavalona's passing, his sons' feud will blossom into a 70-year long civil war. Communities will tear each other apart, slave raiding will reach new heights, and famine will re-emerge as a new threat. Meanwhile, Merina rulers will engage in some experimental policies, like the minting of the region's first local coins, but mostly just kill each other.
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The 18th century will be a painful time for the people of Imerina. The once proud kingdom will devolve into a deadly multilateral civil war, splitting into dozens of smaller kingdoms, each suffering from intermittent famine and domination by foreign enemies. How could the kingdom of Andriamasinavalona, rapidly rising to become a major player in Madagascar, fall so far. The inciting incident lays at the feet of the otherwise great king Andriamasinavalona.
The mpanjaka Imerina had spread his kingdom several times beyond what his predecessors would have even considered possible. Could such a large kingdom survive in highland Madagascar? Andriamasinavalona believed that the answer was "no." Instead, he favored transforming the Merina kingdom into a confederation of four smaller states called Imerina Efa Toko, or "Imerina like the Legs of a Cooking Pot." The king's advisor Andriamampandry repeated warned him against the plan, cautioning that the newly empowered princes would immediately seek to make war with each other. But Andriamasinavalona persisted.
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The class conflict of Imerina comes to a head, as the free peasants of central Madagascar overthrow the hated king Razakatsitakatrandria. In his place they elevate Andriamasinavalona, a king far more willing to listen and act on their concerns, ushering in a golden age of Merina history.
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As Andrianjaka passes his stable but poor kingdom to his grandchildren, they undertake an enormous project to improve the agricultural output of Imerina. Their largest project, consisting of the miles of canals and terraces of Betsimitatra, would go on to transform the destiny of Imerina's history. This project, completed using the fanampoana system of conscript labor, would forever transform the demographics of Imerina by kicking off a decades-long trend of rapid Merina population growth.
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Despite being the younger of Ralambo's sons, Andrianjaka inherited the kingdom of Imerina due to his brother's board gaming addiction. He would make the most of this time, with some of the most important developments during his rule including: the foundation of Madagascar's most important city in Antananarivo, the canonization of religious practices surrounding the sampy, and the final expulsion of the remaining Vazimba from the kingdom.
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In the early 17th century, a raiding party of Sakalava soldiers entered Imerina. King Ralambo, faced with an existential threat, was forced to rely only on a combination of his own wit and divine assistance from the idol Kelimalaza. According to the Tantara, Kelimalaza assisted Ralambo in all of his shocking victories over his larger and better-equipped enemy armies.
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While Imerina is our primary focus this season, they were far from the pre-eminent power in 18th Century Madagascar. In today's show, let's learn about the first empire to truly dominate Madagascar, the equally fascinating and enigmatic kingdom known as Sakalava. Since our show is primarily told from the Merina perspective, they will be the primary "antagonists" of this season. However, don't get it twisted: the Sakalava kingdom and its people were so much more than mere enemies of the Merina.
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Of all seven of the king's children, Ralambo was the only son to survive into adulthood. Emerging into a world through a miraculous birth, Ralambo's rule would be miraculous in its own right. From transforming his country's views on marriage, completely rewriting its system of religious worship, and setting up the foundations of its future class system, Ralambo's rule could be argued to be the true beginning of the Merina Kingdom.
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With Rangita deceased, it is now time for her sons to live up to her promise to cooperate and share power. Which lasts about as long as you'd expect.
With his brother dead, Andriamanelo now has to decide the direction of his rule. He will certainly make a lasting impact.
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In today's episode, we examine the Vazimba, the mysterious original inhabitants of inland Madagascar. Are they fact, fiction, or somewhere in between?
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This episode charts the numerous hypotheses and perceptions of Madagascar's confusing early history of migrations, its place in the economic system of the ancient Indian Ocean, and the demographics that eventually became the ancestors of the Malagasy.
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Today, we take our first steps into the history of Madagascar by looking at some unique features of the island itself, including the various topological and climatic regions within, as well as its unique flora and fauna.
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By the 1810s, the militant stage of the Sokoto Revolution was coming to an end. The Commander of the Believers, Usman Dan Fodio, had vanquished his enemies. What had started as a small social movement led by a charismatic iterant teacher had conquered the largest contiguous territory in the entirety of Africa. And, according to Fodio, this new state would be no ordinary empire, but a righteous state that carried on the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad himself. His imamate would be a government worthy to call itself Muhammad's successor: the Sokoto Caliphate.
However, this would prove to be no easy task. Join us for our final part of our examination of the Sokoto Revolution, in which we take a critical and close look at the consequences of Fodio's world altering movement, as well as the monumental progress and suffering that define its legacy.
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Just as tensions are heating to a fever pitch between Usman Dan Fodio and the Gobirawa Monarchy, the sudden death of Sarki Nafata seems like a sign of future relief. The young prince Yunfa, a former student of Fodio, comes to the throne. However, Yunfa's ascent would not mark the end of tension between the Jamaa and Gobir. Rather, it was the final step in the escalation of Gobir into a state of civil war that would eventually envelope all of Kasar Hausa.
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In this episode we trace the beginnings of the empire of Gobir, the early life of Usman Dan Fodio, his intellectual and political influences, and the beginning of his rise to prominence during the rule of Sarki Bawa.
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In the early 19th century, Northern Nigeria underwent a dramatic social, political, economic, and religious transformation. The cause: a revolution. Led by the charismatic Shehu Usman Dan Fodio, a small army of revolutionaries managed to topple the centuries-old kingdoms of Kasar Hausa and replace them with a new order. The Sokoto Caliphate was born.
How did this happen? How should weview the Sokoto Revolution in retrospect? Was the Sokoto Revolution a violent jihad led by dangerous terrorists, the ideological ancestors of Boko Haram? Were they men and women fighting for freedom and dignity against wicked despots? And, perhaps the most pressing question of all: is there even a difference between a terrorist, revolutionary, and freedom fighter?
Join us on our first special mini-series chosen by the topic of our patreon supporters: the Fulani Jihad of Usman Dan Fodio.
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In 1900, the War for the Golden Stool began when Ashanti militia companies attacked the occupying British garrisons and pushed them out of Asanteman. The few that remained were trapped in Fort Kumasi and besieged from all sides by Ashanti militiamen. What came next is the most famous war in Ashanti history, the War of the Golden Stool. Would this war turn out to be the easy victory that the British expected? Or would the Ashanti win a victory to ensure that their nation and culture survived?
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As the War of the Golden Stool intensifies, the British suffer their biggest defeat in Ghana since Nsamankow at the Battle of Kokofu. Despite this unexpected defeat, the British re-evaluate their strategy and, between a daring escape attempt by the colonial governor and a readjustment of battlefield strategy, the British manage to reverse their floundering war effort. But even if the war is a defeat, that doesn't make it a loss. The tough fighting of the War of the Golden Stool will leave a lasting impression on both the Ashanti and the British. The war's legacy will ensure the survival not only of the Ashanti nation and monarchy, but the survival of traditional monarchies all of British Africa.
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Outside of Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa is the most famous Ashanti historical figure by a wide margin. The queen-mother of Ejisu is widely cited as the pre-eminent symbol of Afro-feminism, a black African woman who advocated for the position of women and led Ashanti society in its last major resistance against British colonialism.
These depictions, while not necessarily incorrect, miss out on much of the context behind the rise of Yaa Asantewaa. They also often misunderstand the purpose of the rebellion she led, her role within that rebellion, and the context behind its beginning. So, who was Yaa Asantewaa? Why did she become such a dominant figure in Ashanti history? And how did the war of the Gold Stool begin?
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After finally putting an end to the gruelling Ashanti Civil War, Agyeman Prempeh I goes to work trying to repair his country's economy through the importation of new industries. But, his reign is cut short by the gradual escalation of tensions between his kingdom and the British Empire.
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Tired of his despotic abuse, a coalition of disgruntled Ashanti elites overthrows Asantehene Mensa Bonsu. Rather than ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity, Mensa Bonsu's impeachment marked the beginning of an unprecedented period of misery and violence in the Ashanti Kingdom. In this episode, the Ashanti state falls apart into a brutal civil war.
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As the dust settles from the bloody war against Juaben, Asantehene Mensa Bonsu begins the hard work of trying to bring his crumbling empire back to a state of relative repair. Aiding him in this task is the radical reformer Owusu Ansah, a British-educated diplomat turned political advisor. As the duo struggles to reform the Ashanti Empire's civic and educational structures, the rise of a reactionary witch-hunting cult led by a charismatic demagogue threatens to destroy what's left of the fabric of Ashanti civilization.
Quick note. Yes, I messed up pronunciation again. I should have been saying Domankama, not Domankwama. No idea where the w came from, it's not even written that way in the script lol. Oops.
Check out the History of Yorubaland Podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1977603:
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In the aftermath of the catastrophic Third Anglo-Ashanti War, Asantehene Kofi Kakari desperately tries to bring Ashanti finances into a state of normalcy and gets impeached for his efforts. The responsibility to stop the imminent economic and political collapse of the Ashanti Empire falls to Kakari's brother, an obscure prince named Mensa Bonsu. His first challenge comes when Juaben, the second most important city in the entire empire, and Adansi, the capital of Ashanti gold mining operations, try to secede from the Ashanti fold.
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As the Ashanti armies retreated back across the Pra River, Kofi Kakari and the Ashanti legislature were forced to admit defeat. They offered to concede on all of the British demands. However, the British commander Garnet Wolesly was not willing to accept these terms. Despite the pleas of others in the British colonial authority, Wolesly decided that there was only one way that the Anglo-Ashanti Wars would end: with the complete destruction of the Ashanti Empire.
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In 1873, Ashanti crowds celebrated as the nation's army marched through the streets of Kumasi. This army was en route to leave the city in a southern direction, where they would invade the British protectorate and force the British to relinquish their claims on Elmina. This celebration would not last long, as the Ashanti offensive of 1873 would soon devolve into a major military humiliation, and open the gates for a far worse fate to befall Asanteman.
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When the British annexed the Dutch Gold Coast in 1872, a new conflict kicked off between the Ashanti and British Empires. Allowing the British to possess a complete monopoly on the Ghanaian coast was not an acceptable option for the Ashanti government. In response, the Ashanti government debated its next move. Would it be war?
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In 1867, Asantehene Kwaku Dua passed away suddenly after four decades of ruling the Ashanti Empire. Shortly after, roving gangs of royal executioners would begin massacring thousands of civilians in Kumasi. Amidst this chaos and violence, an unlikely candidate ascended to the golden stool: a previously minor prince named Kofi Kakari.
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Much more obscure than its earlier and later wars, the second Anglo-Ashanti war is certainly a fascinating topic. This brief conflict almost ended the British colonial project in Ghana altogether.
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Following the disastrous rule of Osei Yaw Akoto, the Ashanti Empire was not in its best spot. The refugee crisis of the people of Juaben was on the verge of boiling over into a full-blown civil war, the economy was in terminal decline, and an ever-growing number of Ashanti workers and peasants were becoming relegated to debt slavery. Into this mess rose Kwaku Dua, an obscure diplomat of vague royal birth but with a reputation as a great military and civic leader. He will institute radical reforms to try and save his empire, solving some problems while creating entirely new ones along the way.
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After his humiliating defeat at Katamanso, the asantehene Osei Yaw Akoto attempts to drown his sorrows in Akpeteshie. However, as the king's behaviors become increasingly unhinged, a crisis begins to envelop the Ashanti Empire, leading to the first foundation of New Juaben.
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After decimating a British invasion force at the Battle of Nsamankow, the asantehene Osei Bonsu passed away. The responsibility to finish his war fell to his younger brother Osei Yaw Akoto, who will struggle to live up to the enormous expectations created by his brother's success. At the coming Battle of Katamanso, the British and Ashanti will face off one final time, and the outcome of this battle will determine Ghana's future.
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In 1822, two empires clashed in the coastal forests of southern Ghana. When the British Empire dissolved their West African trade company, the previous treaties signed between the Ashanti and the company were made void. The British began to establish treaties of submission with the Ashanti's Fante vassals, provoking the Ashanti kingdom to war. Osei Bonsu mobilized his armies and the two most powerful empires that the region had ever seen met in a true war for the first time.
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Throughout the show, we've covered the lives of Ashanti kings, queens, bureaucrats, merchants, and religious elites. What about the Ashanti average working-class Kwadwo? This episode attempts to paint a picture of the lives, labor, leisure, and education of the average Ashanti subject.
Disclaimer This episode covers a sensitive issue, namely enslavement. While, obviously, we all have great passion and interest in Ashanti history, we shouldn't let this fascination turn into infatuation. It's paramountly important to be honest about the realities of the past, even when these realities make us uncomfortable and question our own relationship to the past. Enslavement as a series of global institutions is tragically a part of the grand human history, and worthy of reflection and condemnation. Rather than engaging in self-congratulatory moral grandstanding about how much we've progressed as a species, personal shame over the actions of our ancestors, or, god forbid, historical denialism to sanitize our image of the past, I personally believe that the most productive moral discussion to have regarding the history of enslavement is one of moral improvement. Think: what are some institutions we rely on today that future generations might find condemnable? What aspects of our own societies cause undue suffering that we justify as necessary or natural? And, of course, what can we do to improve our own moral standing in the eyes of history.
If you are interested in further research on the topic, here's some good reading:
Buying Freedom by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Martin Bunzl
Friendly Assistance: Archetypal Pawnship in Pre-Colonial Akan Society by Kwabena Adu-Boahen
The Marriages of Abina Mansah: Escaping the Boundaries of ‘Slavery’ as a Category in Historical Analysis by Trevor Getz and Lindsay Ehrishman in the Journal of West African History.
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Osei Bonsu's rule has already seen the most significant Ashanti conquest in decades, but he's far from done. When the Fante and Akyem rise up in rebellion against Ashanti overlordship in 1811, the asantehene mobilizes another army to reassert control over the south. Meanwhile, a brewing diplomatic crisis in the north, stimulated by the creation of a second golden stool, provoke the Ashanti to assemble the largest army in their history to subjugate their northwestern neighbor.
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In pursuit of rebellious nobles who gravely insulted his family and people, the asantehene Osei Bonsu invades the rival Fante Confederacy. After winning and unprecedented victory over the Fante, his army faces a soon to be recurring foe for the first time: the British Empire.
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With his place on the golden stool in a tenuous position, the young asantehene Osei Kwame secures his power through a series of purges of the Ashanti government. But, despite firmly entrenching his allies in power, Kwame's downfall will come not because of his governmental policy, but his personal religious views.
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In the years following the death of the reformer king Osei Kwadwo, the Ashanti Empire once again regressed into a period of political instability. In 1777, two factions vied to place their favorite candidate on the golden stool. The two factions generally fell along lines of class and religion. On the one hand, the entrenched nobility and governmental establishment supported Konadu Yaadom, a politically ambitious woman who acted as the bridge between multiple dynastic families. On the other hand, the emerging class of non-noble bourgeoisie, less entrenched political elites, and Muslims supported the young and Muslim-sympathetic prince of Mampong, Osei Kwame.
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Asantehene Osei Kwadwo attempts to reintegrate the lost Ashanti conquests of Wasa and Akyem. To do this, he must pry them away from their premiere ally - the Fante confederation. To show good will to the Fantes, he sends his close relatives, Osei and Danso, to the Fantes as hostages. However, when relations between the two states deteriorate and war seems to approach, Osei and Danso are suddenly put into grave danger. Yep, it's basically a political drama from 18th Century Ghana.
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The late 18th Century was a period of revolutions throughout the world, and the Ashanti Empire was no different.
After the unpopular asantehene, Kusi Obodom, is impeached and removed from power, a new king is elected by an assembly of citizens in Kumasi. The newly elected asantehene, Osei Kwadwo, will prove himself to be the most energetic, active, and radical reformer in Ashanti history. His rule will go down in history as the Kwadwoan Revolution, and no institution in Ashanti society will go unchanged. From the institution of a meritocratic government, to the creation of two new legislatures, the Ashanti Empire would never be the same after Kwadwo's reign.
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The Ashanti's Akwamu allies, after decades of gradual decline and infighting, are conquered by emerging Dahomey Empire. Later, when the Ashanti catch the Dahomey supporting their enemies in the south, the hawkish Ashanti nobleman Appiah Odankua urges the Asantehene to order a punitive invasion of Dahomey.
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When the old Asantehene passes away, the regional governors and bureaucrats of the Ashanti Empire find that their tensions can no longer be contained to political meddling. The Ashanti are soon engulfed in a true civil war for the first time. The man who emerges from this war the victor, Kusi Obodom, will prove to be one of Ashanti's most well regarded, if not necessarily its most effective, ruler.
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With Osei Tutu killed in action, the Ashanti descend into an extended succession dispute. As chaos envelopes the Ashanti, their capital is sacked by a foreign invasion, leading to a compromise to enstool a new king. The new asantehene was a teenager named Opoku Ware. While nobody knew it yet, the teenage king would eventually go on to double the empire's territory and lead the Ashanti to an early peak.
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At the small village of Feyiase, the Ashanti and Denkyira armies would clash. The outcome changed the history of Ghana and the world.
However, while Osei Tutu's leadership on the battlefield would be his most famous trait, his legacy runs even deeper than that. Join us as we discuss not only his conquests, but his forward thinking civic reforms that ensured that his empire would outlive him.
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After returning to his capital of Kumasi after years in exile, the new king of the Oyoko Tribe, Osei Tutu, begins constructing a new army to fight the inevitable war against his Denkyira foes. He will be aided by his own group of Akwamu advisors and bodyguards, and will succeed in turning the Ashanti army from a collection of feudal mercenaries into a united, professional, tactically modern military. But what did this new Ashanti Army look like?
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On this episode, we look at the humble beginnings of what would eventually become the Ashanti empire, including the origins of its dominant tribal family, the beginnings of Ashanti unity, and the foundation of its most important city. At this early state in the Ashanti Empire's metamorphosis, the Ashanti were still ruled by independent city states. However, one city state, Kumasi, was slowly establishing itself as the political, economic, and military hegemon of the Ashanti.
Apologies if there was anymore background noise than usual, or if there are problems related to volume. As mentioned last episode, I'm undergoing a pretty intense change in my life right now, so your support of the show, whether financially or through your patience with these changes, is greatly appreciated.
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During this episode, we will track the evolution of the town of Jukwaa from small trading post into the capital of the largest empire that southern Ghana had ever seen. We'll also closely examine and dissect the impact of the arrival of European merchants on the Ghanaian coast, the economic effect of trade with Europe on West Africa, and the origins of the slave trade.
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Before the meteoric rise of the Ashanti Empire of southern Ghana could begin, first the region of Ghana had to be peopled. And, throughout the 10th to 14th centuries, the region was settled by multiple waves of new migrants, including the ancestors of the Akan, Dagomba, and Ga-Dangbe. Learn how, why, and to what affect these people migrated to Ghana, as well as the implications that these migrations had on the rest of West African history.
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This is just a short little episode that answers some viewer questions about Aksum, including questions about the Ge'ez language, the Aksumite-Roman relationship, and Ethiopian saints.
Also features an announcement regarding next season.
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Gudit, the princess of a cadet branch of the Aksumite Royal family, was betrayed, tortured, and exiled from the city of Aksum. In exile, she plots a scheme to take her revenge. At Gudit's hands, the Aksumite empire will collapse not with a whimper, but with a bang.
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After decades of restoring the Aksumite Empire to glory, Nigusa Nagast Degna Djan is dead, and his system will not last. However, what happened to his sons is mired in unreliable histories and later propaganda. Join us for the latest episode of the History of Africa Podcast, where we attempt to dissect and navigate the historical minefield of late Aksum to determine what really happened in the Ethiopian Highlands of the 10th Century.
How do great civilizations fall? In this three part sub-season on the final fall of the Aksumite Empire, we will examine the causes, effects, and legacy of the fall of the Aksumite state.
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Aksum's seemingly unending civilizational decline is finally reversed. The new Negus, Degna Djan, formulates a plan to reclaim the power of the autocratic kings of old and weaken the power of the church. With this power secured, he begins a prolonged series of successful wars against Aksum's neighbors, including the Agaw, Amhara, Omotic peoples, and Somalis. However, no matter the successes of his reign, Degna Djan also has an unfortunate legacy of setting into motion the events that would lead to the eventual decline and death of the Aksumite Empire.
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Throughout the 8th until the 10th centuries, Aksumite society changed immensely. Once a powerful, centralized empire, Aksum increasingly evolved into a decentralized, feudal state. Where once the Negus was an unchallenged hegemon, they now had to frequently contend with rivals for power within the priestly and landowning classes.
However, not everyone took these changes lying down. The Aksumite merchant class, in a desperate attempt to reverse their dwindling powers, began a series of aggressive naval wars in the Red Sea. From the Dahlak islands to the port of Jeddah and even the island of Socotra, Aksumite merchants desperately tried to reassert their power.
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After centuries of thoroughly dominating the commerce and trade of the Red Sea, the powerful merchants of Aksum have finally met their match. After a devastating raid from the caliphate on the port city of Adulis, the Somali merchants will finally gain the opportunity they need to equal and even surpass the Aksumite trade monopoly.
To learn more about the topic and African history more generally, check out the new blog post.
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Facing the threat of persecution from the polytheistic elite of Mecca, the early followers of the Prophet Muhammad are forced to leave the city. They find refuge in the Empire of Aksum. However, not all is well in the empire. The current negus, Armah (more often known as Al-Najashi) is struggling to put down the rebellion of the treacherous general Hatsani Danael.
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A triumvirate of a disgraced Aksumite prince, a Persian death-row prisoner, and an Arab-Jewish nobleman threaten to permanently kick the Aksumites out of their Yemeni client kingdom Learn more about the Aksumite-Persian war (or about African history as a whole (on our accompanying blog.
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In the 530s AD, a mysterious disease swept across the Aksumite territories of Ethiopia and Yemen. The black plague, with mysterious origins somewhere in the interior of East Africa, would soon spread on the ships of Aksumite merchants across the world. To make matters worse, a surge in volcanic activity caused a drop in global temperature, causing further chaos in the agrarian economy of Aksum. Meanwhile, as Abraha's kingdom of Aksumite Arabia struggled to recover from the plague, the former general concocts a plan to restore his economy through ancient religious tourism, only to have his scheme ruined by a single elephant.
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The Aksumite invasion of Yemen was a success! The Himyarite king had killed himself, and the entirety of the Himyarite kingdom was under Aksumite control. Now what?
Two Aksumite generals: the prince-general Ariat and the slave-turned-general Abraha, disagreed strongly as to what they should do next. These disagreements, over such different matters as forced conversions, which villages should be raided, and how much power should be given to a puppet king, all eventually escalate into a catastrophic civil war.
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Kaleb was never meant to be king. For his entire life, he wanted to live a scholarly and humble life as a monk. However, when his father died at a young age, he was forced onto the throne with only his trusted slave-turned-advisor, Abraha, to help him. Upon hearing news of brutal persecution of his fellow Christians in the Arabian Kingdom of Himyar, Kaleb leaps into action, assembling the largest army that Aksum had ever seen to finally conquer his Arabian enemy.
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After Saizana's death, a mysterious man named Mahedyas takes the throne of Aksum. He begins a crusade to rid Aksum of the holdovers from its polytheistic past, and consolidates the church under his direct control. Later, a group of refugee priests land in Aksum and begin revolutionizing the Aksumite church.
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The Ancient Nubian kingdom of Meroe had existed before Aksum's foundation as a city, and was the preeminent power in East Africa for most of its existence. But, by the year 360, the tables had turned. Nubia was a kingdom in decline, while Aksum was the hot new hegemon in the region. After dealing with many internal struggles within the Aksumite Empire, King Ezana has set his eyes on ending the ancient kingdom to his North.
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King Ezana of Aksum is widely regarded among scholars of Aksumite history as the greatest ruler in the empire's history. He transformed the empire religiously, politically, and economically in a way that is unmatched by other Aksumite rulers. In this episode, we will focus on his childhood, upbringing, and the early years of his reign. Learn about how Ezana heightened Aksum's economic power, subdued his neighbors, and began the process of Christianizing the empire.
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In the aftermath of the great conquests of king Gadarat, Aksum was left in a vulnerable position. Diplomatically isolated, militarily exhausted, and limited only to Najran and its immediate surroundings, Aksum will soon find itself trapped in a series of perpetual conflicts in Arabia. And, in one of these many wars, Aksum will suffer the worst military defeat in its entire history.
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In the year 200 AD, the Aksumite King, Gadarat, went to work expanding Aksumite influence. At first, his ambitions were contained to the African continent, but when pirates from the southern Arabian kingdom of Himyar begin seizing Aksumite ships, his attention turns to the conquest of Arabia.
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In 300 BC, a small agrarian village in the Ethiopian highlands was beginning its rise to glory. This village, known as Aksum, would soon rise to become a great power, revered as far away as Rome, China, and Persia. Listen this week to learn about the humble origins of this magnificent civilization and its rise from humble village to global trade empire.
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In 690 BC, the Sabaean confederacy crumbled into a bloody civil war. As the Sabaean king scrambles to reassert his rule, the fledgling and mysterious kingdom of D'mt emerges as the new power in the Ethiopian highlands.
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With Egypt's declining influence in East Africa, a new power will rise to take their place, the Yemeni kingdom of Saba. Most well known for its place in biblical and quranic lore as the kingdom of Sheba, learn about the true character of this marvelous Arabian kingdom, and their unique impact on Ethiopian history.
(Note: in this episode and others, I refer to some cities on the fringes of the highlands like Qohaito as "coastal", even though they are not on the coast. This was an attempt to come up with a term to differentiate these cities from further inland sites like Yeha and Aksum. In retrospect I think this caused more confusion than it helped, but just keep that in mind. Qohaito is on the northern fringes of the highlands, not on the coast.)
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In the highlands of Ethiopia, a civilization will be born that will become the most respected on the continent. Other African nations will borrow their colors for their flags, and it will be viewed as an aspirational symbol for Africans everywhere. Join us this week, as we learn about how the geography of East Africa drove the early development of Ethiopian civilization, witness the migration of the proto-afroasiatics, and the rise of Puntite city-states.
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The Old Kingdom is reeling from a series of disastrous civil and reforms. Things only get worse when the pharaoh Teti is assassinated, leaving a devastating power vacuum on Egypt's throne. When order is finally restored, the last pharaohs of Egypt will desperately strive to restore Egypt's glory. But, just when things finally seem to be improving, events will conspire to bring the Old Kingdom crumbling down.
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Userkaf, an illegitimate son, has ascended to the throne of Egypt. To keep his power, he must find allies, and soon. The growing Cult of Ra, a powerful new religion, seems like a strong potential ally for the new pharaoh. What will come out of this precarious new relationship?
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When Sneferu ascended to the throne of Egypt, he had something to prove. He was born no royal, living his early life as a minor nomarch, and only lucked into the position by marrying the daughter of a pharaoh with no heir. In a quest to prove his status as a god-king, Sneferu commanded the most impressive building project yet made with human hands. Join us this week as Sneferu and his fourth dynasty successors build Egypt's most iconic landmarks. If you'd like to learn more about Egypt's fourth dynasty, or support the show, click here
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Khasekhemwy is dead, and his son, Djoser, has inherited a kingdom with political stability and a flourishing economy. Djoser and his successors in the Third Dynasty will use this wealth to build the most magnificent structures that humans have ever laid eyes on. To learn more about this period of Egyptian history, or to support the show and the free education we provide, click here
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When the last pharaoh of Egypt's first dynasty dies without an heir, Egypt is thrown into a protracted, blood civil war. This is only the beginning of Egypt's problems though, as the rule of Egypt's second dynasty will be a non-stop series of crisis after crisis. How will Egypt emerge from such a devastating period of instability?
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Edit: apologies for the error with the music being too loud at some points. I'm still learning the software and mistakes happen.
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Egypt's first dynasty is relatively unknown, with only cursory records of them existing. But we can still learn a lot about the history of Egypt from these early pharaohs. This week we learn about how the great pharaohs of the First Dynasty built the foundation of the great achievements of Egypt, and how a series of obscure civil wars brought their rule crumbling down.
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5,100 years ago, Egpyt was first united. The man behind the unification was Narmer, the first pharaoh. Join us this week as we learn about the life and times of this legendary leader and his family.
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Known for its hieroglyphs, animal-headed gods, and deified kings, Egypt is one of the oldest and most famous civilizations in the world. But have you ever wondered how this wonderful civilization first emerged? Join us as we follow the migration of peoples into the Nile Valley, the development of agriculture, and the rise of Egypt's first big cities.
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Today we look into the origins of modern humanity, the spread of humans across the African continent, and the linguistic families that form the basis of most modern African cultures.
Later Edit: I didn't realize at the time that "Berber" is actually something of a derogatory word for the Amazigh peoples of North and West Africa. Oops.
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For our first episode, we will explore the various regions of Africa, from the Mediterranean in the North to the Cape in the South. We'll learn about the defining climate characteristics of each region to learn about what geographic factors drove the history of that area.
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