The Battle of Tondibi: How Songhai Fell to a Few Hundred Men

In 1591, the Songhai Empire—one of the largest empires in African history—was crushed at the Battle of Tondibi by a tiny Moroccan army armed with arquebuses and cannons. But the story is not a simple case of technology vs. tradition. This episode dives into the political intrigues that weakened Songhai before the invasion: the civil war between Askia Ishaq II and his brother Askia Muhammad al-Baqri, the devastating Saadian campaign that crossed the Sahara with just 4,000 men, and the fateful decision to use cattle as a shield—a tactic that backfired catastrophically. We also explore the aftermath: the Moroccan pashalik of Timbuktu, the rise of the Arma ruling class, and the long decline that left West Africa fractured for centuries. Lucas and Luna discuss the role of the failed trans-Saharan salt trade, the mysterious 'Jews of the Sahara' who fought on both sides, and the echoes of Tondibi in modern Mali. A story of ambition, powder, and the fragility of empire. #SonghaiEmpire #BattleOfTondibi #MoroccanInvasion #AskiaIshaqII #SaadianDynasty #Timbuktu #Arquebus #CattleShield #TransSaharanTrade #Mali #16thCentury #MilitaryHistory #JudarPasha #Arma #SaltTrade #AfricanEmpires #History #FexingoHistory #WestAfrica #SunniAli Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo