Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
Sonni Ali's Cavalry: The Horse Warriors Who Built Songhai
Long before Askia Muhammad's reforms, Sonni Ali Baru forged the Songhai Empire with a brutal, mobile cavalry. This episode follows the horsemen of the Niger bend—the farari and koyam—as they conquered Timbuktu, Djenne, and the vital salt routes. We explore their tactics, their horses (the small but hardy Songhai pony), and how cavalry tactics shifted when the Saadians arrived with harquebuses. Lucas and Luna also trace a forgotten battle: the 1473 campaign against the Mossi kingdoms, where Sonni Ali's cavalry outmaneuvered infantry in the savanna. The conversation touches on the…
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