Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Mali Empire

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

The Mali Empire was one of the largest and most influential states in African history, rising in West Africa during the thirteenth century and reaching its height in the fourteenth. Known for its immense wealth, the empire became an economic powerhouse, famed for its vast gold reserves. But despite all its money, like all empires, it eventually fell. Learn about the history, government, and economy of the Mali Empire on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Mint Mobile Get your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mali Empire was one of the largest and most influential states in African history, rising in West Africa during the 13th century and reaching its height in the 14th. Known for its immense wealth, the empire became an economic powerhouse, famed for its vast gold reserves. But despite all of its money, like all empires, it eventually fell. Learn more about the history, government, and economy of the Mali Empire on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Fear is the virus is trending on 10. TikTok, vaccines are poison. Then your yoga teacher says that sex traffic children are being sacrificed by satanic liberals,

but it's all okay. The Great Awakening is coming. What is happening? Every week on Conspiratuality Podcast, we explore the fever dreams that suck friends, family, and wellness gurus down the right-wing cult spiral in a search for salvation. From 1226 to 1610, the Mali Empire's expansive reach made it Africa's largest empire at its peak, granting it extraordinary cultural influence across the continent. The empire sat between the Sahara Desert to the north and the coastal rainforest to the

south. At its peak, it stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad and Central Africa, about 2,600 miles or about 4,200 kilometers. In comparison, this is farther than the distance from New York to California today. The Mali Empire was perfectly placed between West Africa, America's abundant gold mines and the agriculturally rich Niger River Flood plain, turning its geography into one of its greatest strengths. The Mali Empire was founded by the Mande people, a linguistic grouping that speaks Monde languages. The Mondei first arrived in the Mondang region during the reign of the Ghana Empire in the 11th century. Upon moving into the region, the city-state of Kaba was ruled by the Mondain in the name of Ghana, and this relationship lasted until the 12th century. During the 12th century,

century, the Ghana Empire began to decline, and the province split into 12 separate kingdoms. The most notable kingdom was the Soso Empire. It began in 1140 and had concluded by roughly 1203. By then the Soso king, Sumer Oro-Cante had conquered much of the former Mandan territory. Simultaneously, as the Soso Empire was rising in power, an opposition formed led by Sundiata Kida, who was born during the Empire's rise. As the son of a king, Sundiata went into exile after his father's death, and during this period he formed connections with the Maninka, Waghadu, and Mima city states. In 1234, he assembled a united army from these states to revolt against the Soso. These combined forces led to the Sosos defeat in roughly

1235. Upon that victory, Sundiata was declared leader of the 12 kingdoms, forming what became the Mali Empire. During his reign, Sundiata authorized his generals to expand the empire. reach. They gained access to goldfields in the south and took additional territory in the north. Following Sundiata's death, the question of succession arose. Though we don't know much about the process, we do know that there was likely a period of conflict amongst members of the Gbara, or the Great Assembly, that served as the deliberative body of the Mali Empire. Most oral traditions aligned with the story that one of Sundiata's sons took over the empire, and some go further and say that two of Sandiata's sons ruled, followed by one of his grandsons.

Regardless, this lineage of rule was eventually interrupted by Sakura in the late 13th century. Sakura was likely a former slave who had been freed. He usurped the throne of Mali after a period of political instability. Under his control, the empire stabilized, allowing Sakura to usher in a period of rapid growth and expansion. One of the most notable examples of this growth was Sakura's fostering a connection with the Muslim world. This relationship was beneficial for both parties as trade enabled them both to flourish. Sakura likely died in the early 1300s, and it's believed he was killed by someone in the Sundiata line. This allowed power to return to their lineage, and the new leader of the empire was named Koo. Between the early 1300s and 1312,

Mali's leadership became unstable. Rulers switched frequently after deaths or were faced. returned from voyages. Stability remained elusive until Kanku Musa was recognized as Manza, or the ruler of the empire. Kanku Musa is one of the most important figures in the history of the Mali Empire, and he's better known to the world as

Mansa Musa, and his reign is considered to be the Mali Empire's Golden Age. Musa was a devout Muslim and was committed to education, which led him to peacefully annex the scholarly city of Timbuktu. Upon acquiring the city, Musa continued to promote education. The best example of this was when he turned the San Corre Madrasa in Timbuktu

into a major center of Islamic learning by funding its expansion, attracting scholars, and integrating it into Mali's state-supported religious and educational system. Mansa Musa is best known for his pilgrimage to Mecca, which became a historic display of Musa's incredible wealth. Mansa Moussa undertook his famous pilgrimage to Mecca from 1324 to 1325, traveling from Mali across the Sahara Desert through cities such as Wallata, Cairo, and Medina, with a vast entourage of officials, soldiers, servants, and camels, all carrying large quantities of gold.

Along the way, Musa distributed the gold generously as gifts and alms, particularly in Cairo, where his spending was so extensive that it temporarily depressed the value of gold and caused notable inflation that lasted for years. Local merchants, rulers, and scholars benefited unevenly, with some enriched by his large S and others disrupted by sudden price changes. The journey dramatically increased global awareness of Mali's wealth and power, placing it firmly on the mental map of the Islamic world and Europe. Following Mansa Mousa's death, his son, ruled for a few short years before being overthrown by his uncle, Sulamon. Following Suleiman's death in 1360, the golden age of Mali came to an end.

The end was a slow decline. It was marked by cruel, short, and incompetent leaders. This doesn't mean that the empire collapsed right away, but its control became much more tumultuous. Molly began to face threats from rival empires, leading to the loss of some territory, but it still held a large portion of its territory going into the 1400s. This period saw more short-lived leadership, often ending in coups, leaving the empire in a near constant state of political turmoil. During this time, Mali still had strong control over its southern and western territories. However, it had lost almost all control in the north.

One of the greatest losses was the city of Timbuktu. Another major loss was the long-held city of Mamma to the Songhai Ami to the Songhai Ami. Empire. The rapid loss of territory led the empire's leadership to seek connections with European powers. The most notable of these was its relationship with Portugal. Regardless of these European connections, the empire's power and control continued to decline. The Songhai Empire remained a thorn in Mali's side, and eventually the Songhai sacked Mali's capital in 1545. The official end of the Mali Empire depends on who you ask and how you define it. By 1599, much of its former lands had been absorbed into the Moroccan Empire.

Some historians argue that Mali technically lasted until 1610, following the death of its last emperor. But others state that it ended in 1645 when the territory was officially defunct. However, it's generally listed as ending in 1610. So while the Mali Empire existed, how exactly did it function? The Mali Empire's governmental structure was established during its foundation. It was composed of three different states, so the government operated them with alliances in mind. The main groups of the empire were the Mali, Mema, and Waghadu.

In addition to these three states, the 12 Doors of Mali also played a major role in the government. The 12 doors of Mali consisted of the territory that Sundiata conquered or aligned with when taking over the region. All of the kingdom, had sworn their alliances to Sundiata and his descendants, and relinquished control of their kingdom to Sundiata's hands. By pledging allegiance, the former kings became commanders of their kingdom. In this way, they basically maintained their control over their own lands, just like they did before,

except they were now just ruling it in Sundiata's name. Despite holding on to some control, ultimate authority still fell into the hands of the Mansa. His power was unquestionable and governed by strict rules. If a new territory was conquered, the Monsa chose the military governors. These governors were responsible for collecting taxes and overseeing the justice system. They could raise armies and take power from native administrators if needed, and this control helped assimilate the land into the empire.

Other important roles in the Mali Empire included the Monsas Second in Command, who served as the chief of the armed forces. The Santigui was the chief of the treasury and oversaw gold in the royal granaries. The Gris-ho served as an advisor to the king, a tutor to the prince, and a master of ceremonies. Overall, the vast majority of the empire consisted of autonomous kingdoms that ruled independently on behalf of the Monsa, simply paying tribute to the main kingdom. Ultimate authority was only really seen at the provincial levels with local politics remaining relatively local. In this respect, the Mali Empire was very similar instruction to the Holy Roman Empire.

The other major political body in the Mali Empire was the aforementioned Gubara or General Assembly. The main purpose of this body was for the clan delegates to meet and discuss social and economic reforms. In many ways, the Gabara served as the Monsas cabinet, helping guide the king on various matters. It also helped ensure that all social groups of the empire were represented. This helped ensure that land and resources were divided fairly. As briefly mentioned earlier, a major reason the Mali Empire is known, known today is the wealthy economy it possessed. At the time, the empire was arguably the wealthiest in the entire world. Mali's economy operated under a taxation system. Basic taxes were collected

for the months by professional governors, who then remitted the funds to the central government. However, the main supply of wealth came from the heavy taxes on trade. Goods that entered or left or traveled throughout the empire were considered heavily taxed. Another part of the reason for the Mali Empire's wealth was its rich agricultural resources. The state's fertile soil was perfect for a wide variety of crops. This meant that food was a secure resource in the area and was so accessible that it could be traded with other powers. Additionally, the country had access to other lucrative specialized skills, the most

important of which was blacksmithing. Molly held a large iron supply allowing smiths to understand manufacturing tools to help feed the people and for weapons to help defend them. A strong military played a huge part in maintaining the economic power of the Mali Empire. Blacksmiths provided weapons with iron tips, helping propel the military forward with stronger weapons. Other specialized skills that help bring the empire wealth included textiles. Because crops were so versatile, they could grow cotton. This meant that cloth was spun, giving them another lucrative trading resource. One of the largest contributions to the empire's success was, of course, its vast supply of gold and salt.

During the 14th century, the Mali Empire was responsible for almost half of the world's gold supply outside of the Americas. However, the empire's wealth didn't really come directly from the gold-producing regions, but rather from the tribute and trade that occurred in the regions where gold was found. Any nugget of gold found were handed over to the Monsa immediately and then exchange for gold dust. Gold nuggets were actually illegal to trade within the Mali Empire's borders. A major reason for this was the vast amount of gold that it contained. So by changing it to a weight in gold dust, it helped prevent the material from becoming

too readily available to the public. In many places, gold dust was used as a currency. So if gold was too prevalent in society, it would lose value leading to inflation. By protecting the value of gold, it helps stabilize prices in the empire, keeping trade lucrative, while also directly contributing to the Monsa's wealth. And as I said, the other crucial trade in Mali was salt. During the empire, salt was considered one of the most valuable resources ranking alongside or even surpassing gold.

Salt was considered important for several reasons. It was crucial for health because it provided essential nutrients for the body, and it helped preserve food. Because of its rarity in other regions, salt was often worth its weight in gold, aiding in contributing. to more wealth for the empire. Overall, the Mali Empire profoundly shaped the culture and societal landscape of West Africa.

Its power as a trading hub and its enormous wealth allowed the region to flourish for centuries, with its impact still being felt today. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. Research and writing for this episode was provided by Olivia Ash. My big thanks, go to everything. everyone who supports a show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible. And I also want to remind everyone about the community groups on Facebook and Discord.

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