Battle of Tondibi facts for kids

The Battle of Tondibi was a very important fight that happened on March 13, 1591. It was part of an invasion of the Songhai Empire by the army of the Saadi dynasty from Morocco. The Moroccan forces were led by Judar Pasha. They defeated the Songhai army, which was led by Askia Ishaq II. This battle led to the end of the powerful Songhai Empire.

Why the Battle of Tondibi Happened

The Powerful Songhai Empire

For over 100 years, the Songhai Empire was the strongest power in Western Africa. They controlled a huge area, from the Senegal River to what is now Niger. But after their leader, Askia Al-Hajj, died in 1586, there were many fights over who would rule next. This made the empire weaker.

Morocco's Need for Gold

Meanwhile, in the north, the Saadi Dynasty of Morocco was very strong. In 1578, Morocco successfully stopped an invasion by Portugal. This big victory was called the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. However, defending their land cost Morocco a lot of money. The kingdom was almost out of funds.

The Moroccan ruler, Sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur Saadi, needed new resources. He heard that the Songhai Empire had many gold mines. He believed this was where their wealth came from. Many of his advisors warned him that it was wrong to fight another Muslim nation. But the Sultan ignored them.

The Moroccan Invasion Begins

In October 1590, Sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur sent an army to invade the Songhai Empire. The army was led by Judar Pasha. He was a Spanish eunuch who had been captured as a child.

The Long Journey Across the Desert

Judar Pasha's army traveled with many supplies. They had 8,000 camels and 1,000 horses to carry everything. There were also 1,000 stablemen and 600 workers. The army brought eight cannons with them.

After traveling for four months, Judar's forces reached the Niger river. This happened on February 28, 1591. They captured the salt mines at Taghaza, took their wealth, and destroyed them. Then, the Moroccans marched towards Gao, the capital city of the Songhai Empire.

The Armies at Tondibi

Moroccan Army Strengths

Judar Pasha commanded ten other leaders and two lieutenants. Most of these leaders were, like him, people who had changed from Christianity. The Moroccan army had 1,500 light cavalry (soldiers on horseback). They also had 2,500 infantry (soldiers on foot). Many of the infantry had arquebuses, which were early types of guns. Half of the foot soldiers were also converts. The other half were people who had moved from the former Emirate of Granada.

Songhai Army Strengths

Historians have different ideas about how many soldiers the Songhai army had. Some say they had 18,000 cavalry and 9,700 foot soldiers. Others estimate 12,500 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. Some even say they had up to 80,000 soldiers in total. No matter the exact number, the Songhai army was much bigger than the Moroccan army.

The Songhai had a very strong cavalry. However, they did not have gunpowder weapons like the Moroccans. This difference in weapons would be very important in the battle.

The Battle of Tondibi

On March 13, 1591, the two armies met. The battle took place at a spot called Tankondibogho, near Tondibi. This was just north of Gao.

Songhai's Plan and Morocco's Firepower

The Songhai army had a clever plan. They wanted to send 1,000 cattle charging towards the Moroccan lines. This would break up the Moroccan soldiers and hide the Songhai infantry, who did not have guns.

But the plan did not work. The loud noise of the Moroccan guns and cannons scared the cattle. The cattle turned around and stampeded back towards the Songhai lines instead. The Songhai infantry still tried to attack the Moroccan army. However, the Moroccan arquebuses pushed them back.

Cavalry Charge and Moroccan Victory

Next, the Songhai cavalry charged at the Moroccan lines. After a short fight between the horsemen, Judar Pasha moved his arquebusiers into position. They began firing their arquebuses and cannons. The remaining Songhai cavalry either ran away or were killed by the Moroccan gunfire.

Finally, only the Songhai rearguard (the soldiers protecting the back of the army) remained. They fought hand-to-hand against the Moroccans until they were all killed. The entire battle lasted only about two hours. Old records say that some Songhai soldiers sat on their shields instead of running away. They were killed by the victorious Moroccans.

What Happened After the Battle

Judar Pasha continued to Gao and took everything of value from the city. Most of the people had already left. But he found little wealth there. So, he moved on to the richer trading cities of Timbuktu and Djenné.

The looting of these three cities marked the end of the Songhai Empire as a strong power. However, Morocco also found it hard to control the huge area. It was difficult to communicate and send supplies across the vast Sahara Desert. This led to ten years of occasional fighting. Eventually, the area broke up into many smaller kingdoms. The Songhai people moved east to the only part of their empire that remained, called Dendi. They continued their traditions there for the next 250 years.