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Chapter 65: Decline of Donatism North of The Dunes of the Desert
We are now moving into the regions of Central and western Africa, beginning with the Basin of Lake of Chad. This area (1) is being dominated by the Kanem Empire. As mentioned in the previous update, Donatist Christianity was making inroads into the region, although the local Chrisitian community was small in number. By the late 11th century, until then ruling Zaghawa dynasty was replaced by the Sayfawa dynasty, who embraced Christianity. This resulted in a faster spreading of Christianity, although many areas within the kingdom continued to remain pagan.
The Hausa city-states of the north of the Lower Niger-Benue Rivers continue to flourish in emerging city-states. Further southwards, in the forest zone, the Yorubas were developing their kingdom around Ife, west of the Niger Delta, while to its east was the Igbo kingdom of Nri. Not much is to say here, only than there was development of state-organized societies as far south as this. As you have probably deduced, all these realms are of course animists, with some general exposure to Christianity, caused by the occasional visit of a Songhic merchant or two among the Hausa.
The middle reaches of the Niger River, downstream from the bend were controlled by the Songhai kingdom, which was now effectively Christianized. The Songhai people played a crucial role in transmitting Christianity southwards into the further reaches of Sub-Saharan West Africa. As mentioned previously, the Songhai adopted an alphabet based upon the Tifinagh script (2). Being the language of both priests, officials and merchants, the Songhai language spread rapidly throughout the realm of Songhai, displacing any other local languages
The Mossi realm of Wagadugu (3) lay to the south of the Niger Bend, and had only scarce contact with its northern neighbour. Different was the situation of the southwestern neighbour of Songhai, called Wagadou (4). This kingdom came into increased contact with Songhai, but also Berber merchants coming from the north, mainly Sijilmassa. Evidence suggests that the realm of Wagadou at this time was a rather decentralized feudal kingdom, with the presence of local nobility.
View attachment 484231
Forms of societal organization in West Africa
Sometime in the second half of the eleventh century, it appears that the nobility of the Wagadou realm converted to Donatist Christianity. The date of this conversion is traditionally established to be somewhere at 1064 (5). The conversion account is written in the chronicle of the Archdiocese of Gao
“And then the Ghana of Wagadou sent us a delegation of nobles, along with his nephew and arrived at Gao. They arrived in the late afternoon. When Kinkin, the king of Gao and Songhai learnt of these guests, he invited them to the feast he was having with his nobles. Thus the travellers were refreshed, and in the early morning Kinkin accepted them in front of his throne. They spoke of how their wise and elderly are astonished, when the Wagadouan merchants return home from our country, of the great changes they hear. And that they believe it is because we are in the favour of the Most Powerful God. So they came humbly to ask as for a priest or shaman of this faith, who would teach them the ways of this creed. Kinkin then went to the Archbishop, who after hearing this felt great joy, for he could continue in the great feat of the Apostles, and fulfil the task to teach all nations. Thus he called for two priests from the west of the country, known to be great preachers and fluent in the tongue of the Wagadou, their names being Butru and Yaqu.” It is then said about their arrival to Djenne and the baptism of the Ghana and his nobles, and the building of churches.
As could have been anticipated, the nobles of Wagadou begin grumbling a few decades later, that they understand nothing at mass. Coincidenally, a few merchants and another handful of traders begun experimenting with writing down the Mande language of the Wagadou realm with the Songhai script. A new letter here, a new letter here, an omission of this sign over there…. And you have it. The Songhai script was modified to appease the phonology of the Mande language, and soon at Djenne you had the bishop gathering over sixty scribes and five interpreters.
First, a sentence was read out in Songhaic. Then, the five interpreters discussed, how to translate best. Once they agreed, the scribes noted it down. Twice or thrice. The whole process took quite a while, but at the end you had around 150 copies. A half was quickly distributed to the churches. The rest was kept, to be copied again and again (6).
Anyhow, by the year 1100 you have the majority of the urban centers of Wagadou going Christian, while native African traditional religions and practices dominating the rural areas.
The realm of Takrur, based along the Senegal River was also to adopt Christianity. They were a couple of centuries earlier than the Wagadou, and converted directly from the Berbers. The Takrur cultivated cotton and cloth, and had established also maritime links with not only Maurtain, but also the Iberian Peninsula as well.
View attachment 484237
A political map of the region
As for the realms to the north of the Great Desert, we can start again from the east and continue westwards. The Tafircans, based in Carthage, were prepared to build an empire worthy of their ancestors. Once more however, climate decided otherwise, and it came to be the Tuareg of Fazan who took over much of Tibwitana, and not the Tafircans subjugating Fazan. The Punic speakers of Sirte took advantage of the opportunity and established an independent merchant republic, ready to make some profit. After all, they the descendants of the Carthaginians, so they should have the merchant gene in their blood.
The Tafircans are already ruling over southern Sardinia and the Balearic islands; their attention has shifted towards Sicily, which they rapidly conquered, seizing the opportunity of the weak Doukas emperors and the chaotic aftermath of the Battle at Hierapolis for the Rhomaic Empire.
The seizure of Sicily has given the Tafircans an even larger share over the trade in the Mediterranean. Undisputedly, Tafirca in the 11th century is Romance-speaking monarchy, fully part of the west Mediterranean cultural region.
The Berber clans invading Tibwitana care out their own little chiefdom, independent from those further inland (7). The whole change is also accompanied by a retreat of Latin language and Chalcedonian Christianity in the Tibwitana region.
The Sahara has become so arid and so hot, that the Tafircans are now fully focusing northwards, looking at the Mediterranean, perhaps caring also about the highland plateaus of the Atlas, but have no more interest in expanding into the Sahara.
The western end of the Tamazgha is dominated by two realms. In the south, is the city state of Sijilmassa, ruling over a network of oases spanning the western Sahara trade routes. Sijilamassa is a plutocratic monarchy; however it is about to get into serious trouble, as its environment is subject to desertification and is becoming more and more uninhabitable.
The expansion of the Sijilmassa mercantile empire, as well as climate change saw important demographic changes in the western Sahara. Any remaining Niger-Congo peoples in the area would have retreated southwards, and the Berber tongue comes to dominate the region. The native religion of the Imraguen is also supplanted by Donatist Christianity.
View attachment 484236
Languages in West Africa
To the north of the Atlas Mountains, Maourtanya grows to become the regional hegemon, conquering also the realm of Warsenis, thus establishing a common border with Tafirca. Berber independence in the Atlas Mountains remains preserved only in the regions to the south of the main ridge, in Mzab and Touggourt.
View attachment 484234
The religions of West Africa.
The kings of Maourtanya continue a policy of converting their subjects, be they Barghawata or Doantist, to Chalcedonian faith. This has resulted ultimately in the conversion of the entire shoreline from Carthage to Tangier and beyond, to Chalcedonian Christianity. By this time, religious head of the Donatist Church is forced once more to relocate; the choice being Sijilmassa this time (8).
(1) Corresponing to Tchad, southeastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northernmost Cameroon
(2) I am speculating here a lot. But I believe than the Songhaic language and alphabet could play a similar role as did Greek for Europe or Syriac for the Silk Road cultures. I mean, without Arabic, you will need a lingua franca, and a liturgical language for the area. Nevertheless, we must keep in mind, that Songhaic is essentially different from the surrounding languages of the area, as it belongs to the Nilo-Saharan languages, while all the remaining languages of West Africa belong to the Niger-Congo language family. Therefore, I doubt that it could play the same role as Latin does in Western Europe…
(3) Based in Burkina Faso
(4) Or Ghana. This realm was based in southwestern Mali and adjacent parts of Mauritania.
(5) Historically, the date of conversion to islam was at 1076.
(6) Now let us consider the fact that this Mandé version of the Bible was a translation of the Songhai version. Which itself was a translation of a Berber Bible. That being a translation of the Vulgata. With so many translations, you risk of some things getting distorted, making a handful of passages quite different from the original. You know where we are heading… *smells of heretic concepts*
(7) After all, the Middle Ages are a period of fragmentation in Europe as well, so why should North Africa be any different?
(8) Although Gao appears to have become the new center of the Donatist Church, I believe a total shift to the south would hasten the collapse of Donatism in the north.
The Hausa city-states of the north of the Lower Niger-Benue Rivers continue to flourish in emerging city-states. Further southwards, in the forest zone, the Yorubas were developing their kingdom around Ife, west of the Niger Delta, while to its east was the Igbo kingdom of Nri. Not much is to say here, only than there was development of state-organized societies as far south as this. As you have probably deduced, all these realms are of course animists, with some general exposure to Christianity, caused by the occasional visit of a Songhic merchant or two among the Hausa.
The middle reaches of the Niger River, downstream from the bend were controlled by the Songhai kingdom, which was now effectively Christianized. The Songhai people played a crucial role in transmitting Christianity southwards into the further reaches of Sub-Saharan West Africa. As mentioned previously, the Songhai adopted an alphabet based upon the Tifinagh script (2). Being the language of both priests, officials and merchants, the Songhai language spread rapidly throughout the realm of Songhai, displacing any other local languages
The Mossi realm of Wagadugu (3) lay to the south of the Niger Bend, and had only scarce contact with its northern neighbour. Different was the situation of the southwestern neighbour of Songhai, called Wagadou (4). This kingdom came into increased contact with Songhai, but also Berber merchants coming from the north, mainly Sijilmassa. Evidence suggests that the realm of Wagadou at this time was a rather decentralized feudal kingdom, with the presence of local nobility.
View attachment 484231
Forms of societal organization in West Africa
Sometime in the second half of the eleventh century, it appears that the nobility of the Wagadou realm converted to Donatist Christianity. The date of this conversion is traditionally established to be somewhere at 1064 (5). The conversion account is written in the chronicle of the Archdiocese of Gao
“And then the Ghana of Wagadou sent us a delegation of nobles, along with his nephew and arrived at Gao. They arrived in the late afternoon. When Kinkin, the king of Gao and Songhai learnt of these guests, he invited them to the feast he was having with his nobles. Thus the travellers were refreshed, and in the early morning Kinkin accepted them in front of his throne. They spoke of how their wise and elderly are astonished, when the Wagadouan merchants return home from our country, of the great changes they hear. And that they believe it is because we are in the favour of the Most Powerful God. So they came humbly to ask as for a priest or shaman of this faith, who would teach them the ways of this creed. Kinkin then went to the Archbishop, who after hearing this felt great joy, for he could continue in the great feat of the Apostles, and fulfil the task to teach all nations. Thus he called for two priests from the west of the country, known to be great preachers and fluent in the tongue of the Wagadou, their names being Butru and Yaqu.” It is then said about their arrival to Djenne and the baptism of the Ghana and his nobles, and the building of churches.
As could have been anticipated, the nobles of Wagadou begin grumbling a few decades later, that they understand nothing at mass. Coincidenally, a few merchants and another handful of traders begun experimenting with writing down the Mande language of the Wagadou realm with the Songhai script. A new letter here, a new letter here, an omission of this sign over there…. And you have it. The Songhai script was modified to appease the phonology of the Mande language, and soon at Djenne you had the bishop gathering over sixty scribes and five interpreters.
First, a sentence was read out in Songhaic. Then, the five interpreters discussed, how to translate best. Once they agreed, the scribes noted it down. Twice or thrice. The whole process took quite a while, but at the end you had around 150 copies. A half was quickly distributed to the churches. The rest was kept, to be copied again and again (6).
Anyhow, by the year 1100 you have the majority of the urban centers of Wagadou going Christian, while native African traditional religions and practices dominating the rural areas.
The realm of Takrur, based along the Senegal River was also to adopt Christianity. They were a couple of centuries earlier than the Wagadou, and converted directly from the Berbers. The Takrur cultivated cotton and cloth, and had established also maritime links with not only Maurtain, but also the Iberian Peninsula as well.
View attachment 484237
A political map of the region
As for the realms to the north of the Great Desert, we can start again from the east and continue westwards. The Tafircans, based in Carthage, were prepared to build an empire worthy of their ancestors. Once more however, climate decided otherwise, and it came to be the Tuareg of Fazan who took over much of Tibwitana, and not the Tafircans subjugating Fazan. The Punic speakers of Sirte took advantage of the opportunity and established an independent merchant republic, ready to make some profit. After all, they the descendants of the Carthaginians, so they should have the merchant gene in their blood.
The Tafircans are already ruling over southern Sardinia and the Balearic islands; their attention has shifted towards Sicily, which they rapidly conquered, seizing the opportunity of the weak Doukas emperors and the chaotic aftermath of the Battle at Hierapolis for the Rhomaic Empire.
The seizure of Sicily has given the Tafircans an even larger share over the trade in the Mediterranean. Undisputedly, Tafirca in the 11th century is Romance-speaking monarchy, fully part of the west Mediterranean cultural region.
The Berber clans invading Tibwitana care out their own little chiefdom, independent from those further inland (7). The whole change is also accompanied by a retreat of Latin language and Chalcedonian Christianity in the Tibwitana region.
The Sahara has become so arid and so hot, that the Tafircans are now fully focusing northwards, looking at the Mediterranean, perhaps caring also about the highland plateaus of the Atlas, but have no more interest in expanding into the Sahara.
The western end of the Tamazgha is dominated by two realms. In the south, is the city state of Sijilmassa, ruling over a network of oases spanning the western Sahara trade routes. Sijilamassa is a plutocratic monarchy; however it is about to get into serious trouble, as its environment is subject to desertification and is becoming more and more uninhabitable.
The expansion of the Sijilmassa mercantile empire, as well as climate change saw important demographic changes in the western Sahara. Any remaining Niger-Congo peoples in the area would have retreated southwards, and the Berber tongue comes to dominate the region. The native religion of the Imraguen is also supplanted by Donatist Christianity.
View attachment 484236
Languages in West Africa
To the north of the Atlas Mountains, Maourtanya grows to become the regional hegemon, conquering also the realm of Warsenis, thus establishing a common border with Tafirca. Berber independence in the Atlas Mountains remains preserved only in the regions to the south of the main ridge, in Mzab and Touggourt.
View attachment 484234
The religions of West Africa.
The kings of Maourtanya continue a policy of converting their subjects, be they Barghawata or Doantist, to Chalcedonian faith. This has resulted ultimately in the conversion of the entire shoreline from Carthage to Tangier and beyond, to Chalcedonian Christianity. By this time, religious head of the Donatist Church is forced once more to relocate; the choice being Sijilmassa this time (8).
(1) Corresponing to Tchad, southeastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northernmost Cameroon
(2) I am speculating here a lot. But I believe than the Songhaic language and alphabet could play a similar role as did Greek for Europe or Syriac for the Silk Road cultures. I mean, without Arabic, you will need a lingua franca, and a liturgical language for the area. Nevertheless, we must keep in mind, that Songhaic is essentially different from the surrounding languages of the area, as it belongs to the Nilo-Saharan languages, while all the remaining languages of West Africa belong to the Niger-Congo language family. Therefore, I doubt that it could play the same role as Latin does in Western Europe…
(3) Based in Burkina Faso
(4) Or Ghana. This realm was based in southwestern Mali and adjacent parts of Mauritania.
(5) Historically, the date of conversion to islam was at 1076.
(6) Now let us consider the fact that this Mandé version of the Bible was a translation of the Songhai version. Which itself was a translation of a Berber Bible. That being a translation of the Vulgata. With so many translations, you risk of some things getting distorted, making a handful of passages quite different from the original. You know where we are heading… *smells of heretic concepts*
(7) After all, the Middle Ages are a period of fragmentation in Europe as well, so why should North Africa be any different?
(8) Although Gao appears to have become the new center of the Donatist Church, I believe a total shift to the south would hasten the collapse of Donatism in the north.
- Tomislav Addai
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