Emirate of Brakna
Emirate of Brakna | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17th century–1902 | |||||||
| Official languages | Arabic | ||||||
| Common languages | Hassaniya, Zenaga, Fula | ||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| Emir | |||||||
| Historical era | Early Modern Period | ||||||
• Confederation founded | 17th century | ||||||
| 1673-77 | |||||||
• Declared a French protectorate | 1902 | ||||||
| |||||||
The Emirate of Brakna was a pre-colonial state in what is today southern Mauritania. Its name is shared with the modern Region of Brakna.
History
As the Maqil Arabs began moving into the Sahara Desert in the 14th century, they split into various clans. Brakna and Trarza are both subgroups of the Banu Hassan.[1]
The Brakna and Trarza allied to face the forces of Nasr ad-Din (Lamtuna) in the Char Bouba war of 1673-77.[2] Their victory gave both tribes control over the Gum arabic trade and strengthened them enough to establish the emirates.[3][4]
Brakna and Trarza fought a war from 1720-22 competing to obtain influence in the kingdoms of Waalo and Futa Toro, with a shifting set of alliances.[5] Brakna, under Emir Hamet Mokhtar, also allied with Abdul Kader during his revolution that established the Imamate of Futa Toro.[6]
References and notes
Citations
- ↑ Curtin, Philip (1971). "Jihad in West Africa: Early Phases and Inter-Relations in Mauritania and Senegal". Journal of African History. 12 (1): 12. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ Levtzion, Nehemia (1975). "North-West Africa: from the Maghrib to the fringes of the forest". In Gray, Richard (ed.). The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. p. 201. ISBN 0-521-20413-5.
- ↑ Boulegue 2013, p. 420.
- ↑ Barry, Boubacar (1992). "Senegambia from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century: evolution of the Wolof, Sereer and 'Tukuloor'". In Ogot, B. A. (ed.). General History of Africa vol. V: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. UNESCO. p. 277. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ↑ Boulegue 2013, p. 421-2.
- ↑ Boulegue 2013, p. 448.
Bibliography
- Boulegue, Jean (2013). Les royaumes wolof dans l'espace sénégambien (XIIIe-XVIIIe siècle) (in French). Paris: Karthala Editions.