Sonni dynasty

(noun)

A dynasty of rulers of the Songhai Empire of medieval West Africa. The first ruler of the dynasty, Sunni Ali Kulun, probably reigned at the end of the fourteenth century. The last ruler, Sonni Baru, ruled until 1493 when the throne was usurped by the Askiya Muhammad I (known also as Askia the Great), the founder of the Askiya Dynasty.

Related Terms

Examples of Sonni dynasty in the following topics:

  • Songhai

    • Initially, the empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty (c. 1464–1493), but it was later replaced by the Askiya dynasty (1493–1591).
    • In the second half of the 14th century, disputes over succession weakened the Mali Empire and in the 1430s, Songhai, previously a Mali dependency, gained independence under the Sonni Dynasty.
    • Around thirty years later, Sonni Sulayman Dama attacked Mema, the Mali province west of Timbuktu, paving the way for his successor, Sonni Ali, to turn his country into one of the greatest empires sub-Saharan Africa has ever seen.
    • Sonni Ali reigned from 1464 to 1492.
    • Oral traditions present a conflicted image of Sonni Ali.

  • Ancient Africa

    • In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great founded Alexandria in Egypt, which would become the prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic dynasty after his death.
    • The Almoravids were a Berber dynasty from the Sahara that spread over a wide area of northwestern Africa and the Iberian peninsula during the eleventh century.
    • Its leader Sonni Ali and his successor Askia Mohammad I (1493–1528) made Islam the official religion, built mosques, and brought to Gao Muslim scholars.

  • The Qing Dynasty

  • Introduction to the Shang Dynasty

    • The Shang Dynasty (also called the Yin Dynasty) succeeded the Xia Dynasty, and was followed by the Zhou Dynasty.
    • Jie, the last king of the Xia Dynasty (the first Chinese dynasty), was overthrown c. 1760 BCE by Cheng Tang.
    • While scholars still debate whether the Xia Dynasty actually existed, there is little doubt  that the Shang Dynasty existed.
    • The Shang Dynasty is, therefore, generally considered China's first historical dynasty.
    • The Shang Dynasty is the oldest Chinese dynasty supported by archaeological finds.

  • The Second Intermediate Period

    • The Second Intermediate Period (c. 1650-1550 BCE) spanned the Fourteenth to Seventeenth Dynasties, and was a period in which decentralized rule split Egypt between the Theban-based Seventeenth Dynasty in Upper Egypt and the Sixteenth Dynasty under the Hyksos in the north.
    • The capital of this dynasty was likely Avaris.
    • They would also conquer the Sixteenth Dynasty in Thebes and a local dynasty in Abydos (see below).
    • The Abydos Dynasty was a short-lived local dynasty that ruled over part of Upper Egypt and was contemporaneous with the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties c. 1650-1600 BCE.
    • Thebes was the capital of many of the Sixteenth Dynasty pharaohs.

  • The Qing Dynasty and the West

  • The Qin Dynasty

    • The Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), though short-lived, is known for its military strength and its unification of China.
    • The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting only 15 years from 221 to 206 BCE.
    • Despite its military strength, however, the Dynasty did not last long.
    • Picture of Qin Dynasty Arcuballista Bolts shown with Regular Handheld Crossbow Bolts, 5th- 3rd century B.C.
    • Describe the establishment of the first imperial dynasty of China, and the architecture, literature, weaponry and sculpture it produced.

  • The Xia Dynasty

    • After the final ruler became corrupt, he was overthrown by Cheng Tang, who founded the Shang Dynasty.
    • According to this history, the last of the great Five Emperors, Emperor Shun, left his throne to Yu the Great, who founded China's First Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty.
    • This led to his overthrow in c. 1760 BCE by Cheng Tang, who founded a new dynasty, the Shang Dynasty, in the Huang River Valley.
    • Many argue that the Zhou Dynasty, which ruled China much later, invented the idea of the Xia Dynasty to support their claim that China could only be, and had always been, ruled by one ruler.
    • This hanging scroll shows Yu the Great, as imagined by Song Dynasty painter Ma Lin.

  • Rise of the Tang Dynasty

    • The Tang dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝) was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
    • Decline of the Sui Dynasty and the Founding of the Tang
    • The Sui dynasty was a short-lived imperial dynasty of pivotal significance.
    • The Sui dynasty was succeeded by the Tang dynasty, which largely inherited its foundation.
    • Wu's rule was actually a short break in the Tang dynasty, as she established the short-lived Zhou dynasty; the Tang dynasty was restored after her rule.

  • Architecture of the Qin Dynasty

    • The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 206 BCE.
    • The Dynasty followed the Warring States Period and resulted in the unification of China, ending 15 years later at the introduction of the Han Dynasty.
    • Architecture from the previous Warring States Period had several definitive aspects which carried into the Qin Dynasty.
    • These walls would be expanded and rebuilt multiple times by later dynasties, also in response to threats from the north.
    • The initial construction of what would become the Great Wall of China began under Qin Shihuang during the Qin Dynasty.