Battle of Kirina
Categories: 1240 | Battles of the Mali Empire | Battle stubs | Africa-related stubs
The Battle of Kirina (c. 1240) is a semi-historical confrontation between the Sosso king Soumaoro Kanté and the Mandinka prince Sundiata Keita. Sundiata Keita's forces roundly defeated those of Soumaoro Kanté, guaranteeing the pre-eminence of Keita's new Mali Empire over West Africa.
In the late twelfth century, the then-dominant Ghana Empire was collapsing from repeated invasions by the Almoravids. A number of smaller states rushed to fill the void, including the Sosso people of the Takrur region and the Mandinka people of the Upper Niger. Under the leadership of Soumaoro Kanté, the Sosso seized Koumbi Saleh, former capital of the Ghana Empire, and expanded outward, conquering the Mandinka among others.
However, exiled Mandinka prince Sundiata Keita organized a coalition of smaller kingdoms to oppose the growing power of the Sosso. The opposing armies met in the Koulikoro Region of what is now Mali in about 1240. Sundiata Keita's forces were victorious, and marched on to raze Sosso. The date is often cited as the beginning of the Mali Empire, which would control most of West Africa for the next two centuries.
The story of the battle is retold in the Epic of Sundiata, widely considered Mali's national epic. In it, Soumaoro Kanté is an evil sorceror-king who oppresses the Mandinka people; however, when Sundiata discovers that his sacred animal is the rooster, he is able to wound Soumaoro Kanté with an arrow tipped by a cock's spur. The king then flees the field, disappearing into the Koulikoro mountains.
Reference
- Davidson, Basil. Africa in History. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.