page_title: Military history of the Mali Empire
section_title: The fragmenting empire (1340–1440)
hierarchical_section_title: Military history of the Mali Empire / The fragmenting empire (1340–1440)
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of West Africa, AD 1350. (Partially based on Atlas of World History (2007) - Islam and new states in Africa, map.)
context_page_description: The military history of the Mali Empire is that of the armed forces of the Mali Empire, which dominated Western Africa from the mid 13th to the late 15th century. The military culture of the empire's driving force, the Mandinka people, influenced many later states in West Africa including break-away powers such as the Songhay and Jolof empires. Institutions from the Mali Empire also survived in the 19th century army of Samory Ture who saw himself as the heir to Old Mali's legacy.
context_section_description: The Mali Empire has enjoyed virtually no military reverses in its first century of existence and had grown at a terrific rate in both size and wealth by the time Ibn Battuta arrived there. However this wealth and power may have been the reason behind more aggressive attacks by its neighbors as well as the complacency of some of the mansas in dealing with them. Subject peoples on the fringes of the empire slowly began to shake off the yoke of Mandinka hegemony. This happened slowly at first, but after 1450 the empire would begin to crumble very rapidly.
caption: Mali and surrounding states circa 1350.
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