Editing Askia Muhammad I (section)

==Reign==

In 1496 he made the [[hajj]] to [[Mecca]], accompanied by 500 horsemen and 1000 infantry. Although he made many charitable donations during his pilgrimage, including setting up a place for West Africa pilgrims to stay in Medina, he returned to Gao having accumulated 50,000 ducats in debt.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=Toby |title=A Fistful of Shells |date=2020 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=UK |page=62}}</ref> Despite being away for nearly two years, his return buttressed his position with the prestige of the titles of ''al-hajj'' and ''[[Caliph|khalifa]]'', and Islam became a pillar of his rule.{{sfn|Levtzion|1977|p=428}}

Upon his return, he embarked on a series of campaigns against the [[Mossi people|Mossi]], the [[Sultanate of Agadez]], and the [[Kanem-Borno empire]].<ref name="Britannica" /> In 1501 he defeated the son of the [[mansa (title)|Mansa]] [[Mahmud III]], Qama-fiti-Kalli, and sacked and captured Diafunu.<ref>Turchin, Peter and Jonathan M. Adams and Thomas D. Hall: "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires and Modern States", page 222. Journal of World-Systems Research, Vol. XII, No. II, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kane |first1=Oumar |editor1-last=Fall |editor1-first=Mamadou |editor2-last=Fall |editor2-first=Rokhaya |editor3-last=Mane |editor3-first=Mamadou |title=Bipolarisation du Senegal du XVIe - XVIIe siecle |date=2021 |publisher=HGS Editions |location=Dakar |page=54 |language=French |chapter=La Formation du Royaume Jaalalo du Kingi par Tenghella}}</ref> In 1504 an invasion of [[Borgu]] ended in disaster. An expedition to [[Walata]] captured the town, but was unable to hold it against [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] pressure, and Askia Muhammad accepted tribute in exchange for his abandoning the town. This alliance with the Tuareg was a key pillar of Songhai power, particularly in their control over the salt mines of [[Taghaza]].{{sfn|Levtzion|1977|p=432}} 

In 1512, his brother Omar Komajago led an army that destroyed Futa Kingi, killed [[Tenguella]], and brought the [[Kingdom of Diarra]] under the empire's sway.<ref name=Niane>{{cite book |last1=Niane |first1=Djibril Tamsir |author1-link=Djibril Tamsir Niane |editor1-last=Shillington |editor1-first=Kevin |title=Encyclopedia of African History |date=2005 |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |location=New York |pages=921–922 |chapter=Mali Empire: Decline, Fifteenth Century}}</ref> 1515 saw another campaign against [[Agadez]], reinforcing the Songhai position there. This was the peak of his power. Askia Muhammad had earlier conquered [[Katsina (city)|Katsina]], [[Zaria]] and [[Gobir]], devastating the cities with slave-taking and heavy taxation. The expedition against Agadez caused dissession when the [[Kebbi Emirate|Emir of Kebbi]] felt he had been cheated of his share of the spoils and rebelled, ending Songhai hegemony in Hausaland.{{sfn|Levtzion|1977|p=433}}

===Reforms===
Askia Muhammad profoundly reorganized the Songhai empire. Where Sonni Ali had been a diffident Muslim, Askia was devout. He based the legal system on [[sharia law]], invited Islamic scholars from North Africa, and established Islam as the official religion of the noble class. He also divided the empire into provinces with centrally appointed governors and created a series of ministries (including finance, justice, interior, protocol, agriculture, waters and forests, and matters pertaining to “tribes of the white race” e.g. [[Tuaregs]] and [[Berbers]]), with all important positions filled by relatives.<ref name="Britannica" /> Although [[Gao]] remained the capital, [[Timbuktu]] became a kind of second capital.{{sfn|Levtzion|1977|p=428}}

Askia Muhammad created a professionalized army, rather than the general levy that his predecessors had commanded. These soldiers, legally slaves of the Askia, could be sent on long expeditions away from the [[Niger river]].{{sfn|Levtzion|1977|p=430}}