Editing Dyula people (section)

===Kingdom of Wasulu===
[[Image:Wassoulou map.png|thumb|200px|The [[Wassoulou]] Region of West Africa]]
The Mande conquerors of the nineteenth century frequently utilized trade routes established by the ''Dyula''. Indeed, it was his exploitation of their commercial network that allowed military leader [[Samory Touré]] (1830–1900) to rise to a dominant position in the [[Upper Niger]] region. A member of a ''dyula'' family from Sanankoro in [[Guinea]], Samori conquered and united ''Dyula'' states during the 1860s. He gained control over the Milo River Valley in 1871, seized the village of [[Kankan]] in 1881, and became the principal power holder on the Upper Niger. By 1883, Samori had successfully brought the local chieftains under his control and officially founded the kingdom of [[Wasulu]].

Having established an empire, he adopted the religious title of ''[[Almami]]'' in 1884 and recreated the Malian realm. This new state was governed by Samori and a council of kinsmen and clients who took on the management of the chancery and the [[treasury]], and administered justice, religious affairs, and [[Foreign policy|foreign relations]]. Unlike some of his contemporary state-builders, Samori was not a religious preacher, and Wasulu was not a reformist state as such. Nevertheless, he used Islam to unify the nation, promoting Islamic education and basing his rule on ''[[shari’a]]'' (Islamic law). However, Samori's professional army was the essential institution and the real strength behind his empire. He imported horses and weapons and modernized the army along European lines.<ref>Ira M. Lapidus. [https://books.google.com/books?id=I3mVUEzm8xMC&dq=dyula+islam&pg=PA426 ''A History of Islamic Societies''] (2nd Edition), [[University of California, Berkeley]]</ref>

''Dyula'' traders had never enjoyed as much prosperity as they did under the ''almamy''. Even though they did not play a central part in the creation of the state, the ''dyula'' supported Samori because he actively encouraged commerce and protected trade routes, thus promoting a free circulation of people and goods. Samori put up the strongest resistance to European colonial penetration in West Africa, fighting both the French and British for seventeen years. Samori's would-be Muslim empire was undone by the French, who took [[Sikasso]] in 1898, and sent Samori into exile, where he died in 1900.<ref>{{cite web|title=Encarta Encyclopedia – Africa |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572628_30/africa.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030035600/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572628_30/Africa.html |archivedate=2009-10-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>