Kingdom Of Mali Essay

The Kingdoms of Mali and France

While the empire of Mali may have existed as early as 1000 AD, it wasn’t until the mid-1200s that it truly rose to power. Between the years of 1230 and 1340, Sundiata Keita of Mali led a war against Sumaguru Kante, an opposing ruler. In 1240, his victory led to the formation of the kingdom of Mali. Mali grew rapidly, becoming one of the world’s largest empires. Because the kingdom was so large, it controlled many trade routes and gold deposits, further aiding the prosperity of the empire. Over the next hundred years, Mali prospered. It had a complex political system involving a sultan, a full court complete with advisors, musicians, dancers, slaves, and an army of over 100,000 men. The amount of wealth possessed by the time of Mansa Musa’s rule in the early 1300s was so great that over the course of a single pilgrimage to Mecca, he accidentally destroyed the exchange rate of gold in Egypt, the effects of which lasted over a decade. Visitors noted that they felt no fear when travelling through the kingdom, thanks to its law-abiding citizens and strict justice system.
A strict justice system, however, may be putting it lightly. The kingdom was by no means a paradise, and still dealt with war, conquest, and crime.

100 years prior to the rise of the kingdom of Mali, Europe was undergoing many changes of its own. By the mid-1200s, it was well into the high middle ages. Across the continent, population had increased drastically, people were moving into cities, and political systems were becoming more refined. In 1226, Louis IX took control of the kingdom of France at the age of 12. He unified the region under strict Christian rule, in much the same way as was done in Mali. Though Christianity ruled, France’s royalty often challenged the Pope and his power. Louis IX led many failed attempts to expand his empire via religious crusades, expending much of the kingdom’s resources in the