answersLogoWhite

0

Who was King Sundiata?

Updated: 8/19/2023
User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

Best Answer

He was an African warrior whose conquests laid the foundation for the Empire of Mali in West Africa. Sundiata's rise to power is told in the Epic of Sundiata, an orally transmitted song passed down through generations via griots.

Sundiata was crippled from childhood and his mother (Songolon) was the subject of ridicule among her co-wives. She was constantly teased and ridiculed openly for her son's disability. This significantly affected Sundiata and he was determined to do everything he possibly could in order to walk like his peers. Through this determination, he one day miraculously got up and walked. Among his peers, he became a leader. His paternal half-brother, Dankaran Touman, and Dankaran's mother, Sassouma Bereté, were cruel and resentful of Sundiata and his mother. Their cruelty escalated after the death of Naré Maghann (the king). To escape persecution and threats on her son's life, Sogolon took her children, Sundiata and his sisters, into exile. This exile lasted for many years and took them to different countries within the Ghana Empire and eventually to Mema where the king of Mema granted them asylum. Sundiata was admired by the King of Mema for his courage and tenacity. As such, he was given a senior position within the kingdom. When King Soumaoro Kanté of Sosso conquered the Mandinka people, messengers were sent to go and look for Songolon and her children, as Sundiata was destined to be a great leader according to prophecy. Upon finding him in Mema they persuaded him to come back in order to liberate the Mandinkas and their homeland. On his return, he was accompanied by an army given to him by the King of Mema. Thewarlords of Mali at the time who were his age group included : Tabon Wana, Kamadia Kamara (or Kamadia Camara), Faony Condé, Siara Kuman Konaté and Tiramakhan Traore (many variations : "Trimaghan" or "Tiramaghan", future conqueror of Kaabu). It was on the plain of Siby (var: Sibi) where they formed a pact brotherhood in order to liberate their country and people from the powerful Sosso king. At The Battle of Kirina, Sundiata and his allies defeated the Sosso king and became the first Emperor of the Mali Empire. He was the first of the Mandinka line of kings to adopt the royal title Mansa(King of Kings in theMandinka language).

User Avatar

Wiki User

6y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

shanshan Jiang

Lvl 10
2y ago

the first ruler of the Mali Empire from 1235 C.E. to 1255 C.E.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

Sundiata was king of Mali. He built a strong military, introduced cotton, reopened trade routes, allowed his people to worship who they pleased, and let slaves work to their freedom.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

"lion prince" ruled Ghana from 1230 to 1240.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

shanshan Jiang

Lvl 10
2y ago

the first ruler of the Mali Empire in the 13th century C.E.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

sundiata is king of mali

This answer is:
User Avatar
User Avatar

jeremiah nelson

Lvl 1
3y ago
ARE U SURE ABOUT THAT?

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

society.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Who was King Sundiata?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

What was the life span of king sundiata?

sundiata was a political leader who ruled of Sudan Africa


Was Sundiata a king of Mali?

Yes he was.


Who was Mali's Lion King?

Sundiata


Who was the first king of Mali empire?

Sundiata Keita was the first king and founder of the Mali Empire. Upon the death of his father, the king, Sundiata and his mother were forced to flee and take refuge with the King of Mema. The king admired Sundiata and equipped him with an army to take back his kingdom, which he did in 1235.


What was king Sundiata's nickname?

Bill Board


Who was the king defeated by sundiata?

Sumanguru


Why is Sundiata Keita important?

Sundiata Keita established the Mali Empire. He was crowned the Emperor after The Battle of Kirina in 1235 where he defeated the Sosso king.


What did Sundiata accomplish?

Sundiata Keita (c. 1217 â?? c. 1255) was the founder of the Mali Empire. He is also the hero of the Mandinka people in the semi-historical Epic of Sundiata, known primarily through oral tradition.


What were sundiata's achievements?

Sundiata Keita's family was killed by the evil king Sumanguru. Sundiata was spared because he was ill and likely to die anyway. But he lived and overthrew the king. He then introduced cotton to the farmers, allowed people to worship as they please, and let slaves work to their freedom.


What about king sundiata of mali is true?

He was a famous griot, or storyteller.


Which statement about king sundiata of mail is true?

He believed strongly in education


Who was the king whose name meant hungering lion?

Sundiata Keita