e, he divided it into provinces and appointed governors, who ruled failry and efficiently
~in 1352, one of Mansa Musa's successors prepared to receive a traveler and historian
~a native of Tangier in North Africa, had traveled for 27 years visiting most of the countries in the Islamic world
~after leaving the royal palace, he visited Timbuktu and other cities in Mali
~he found he could travel without fear of crime
~he left Mali in 1353
~as Mali declined in the 1400s, people who had been under its control began to break away
~they were one of these people, people to the east
~they built up an army and extended their territory to the large bend in the Niger river near Gao
~they gained control of the all-important trade routs
~they had 2 extraordinary rulers, both of whom were Muslims
~were a group of people named after the language they spoke
~the city-states of the Hausa people first emerged between the years 1000 and 1200 in the savanna area east of Mali and Songhai in what today is northern Nigeria
~Songhai briefly ruled the Hausa city-states, but they soon regained their independence
~all the Hausa city-states had similar forms of government; rulers held great power over their subjects, but ministers and other officials acted to check this power
~the constant fighting among city-states prevented any one of them from building a Hausa empire
~all of the people spoke a common language
~Yoruba kings served as the most important religious and political leaders in their kingdoms
~all Yoruba chiefs traced their descent from the first ruler of Ife
~Ife and Oyo were the two largest Yoruba kingdoms.
~Ife, developed by 1100, was the most powerful Yoruba kingdom until the late 1600s, when Oyo became the most prosperous
~to the south and west of Ife, near the delta of the Niger River is this kingdom
~the people of Benin made their homes in the forest
~the first kings of Benin date form the 1200s
~the oba, or ruler, of Benin based his right to rule on claims of descent from the fist king of Ife
~in the 1400s, the oba named Ewuare made Benin into a major West African state by building a powerful army
Why couldn't pack animals travel very far in West Africa?
because of harsh desert conditions, and because of no rest and water
Describe how the Ghanaian king ruled his kingdom in 800.
he controlled trade and commanded a large army, he could demand taxes and gifts from the chiefs of surrounding lands
What three titles did the Ghanaian ruler possess?
religious leader, chief judge, and military commander
How was Sundiata a great leader in "peace as he had been in war?"
because he took over the kingdom of Ghana and the trading cities of Kumbi and Walata
In terms of military technology, explain the advancements of 9th century, 1304 and 1591.
a gun was built that shot arrows; gunpowder and cannons; swords and spears
~in different parts of Japan, people honored thousands of local gods
~their varied customs and beliefs eventually combinded to form Japan's earliest religion
~Shinto was based on respect for the forces of nature and on the worship of ancestors
~the worshipers believed in kami, divine spirits that dwelled in nature
~any unusual or especially beautiful tree, rock, waterfall, or mountain was considered the home of a kami
~by the A.D. 400s, the Yamato clan had established itself as the leading clan
~they claimed to be descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu
~by the 7th century, the Yamato chiefs called themselves the emperors of Japan
~the early emperors did not control the entire country, or even much of it, but the Japanese gradually accepted the idea of an emperor
~Japan had both an emperor who served as a figurehead and a ruling power who reigned behind the throne; this dual structure became an enduring characteristic of Japanese government
~since wars between rival lords were commonplace, each lord surrounded himself with a bodyguard of loyal warriors called samurai
~samurai means "one who serves"
~they lived according to a demanding code of behavior called Bushido or "the way of the warrior"
~they were expected to show reckless 