Post by anansi on Apr 2, 2018 4:02:08 GMT -5
Whatever is happening to modern Somalia with it's seemingly endless strife today, note that their medieval empire was powerful and influential, their contacts far and wide , like other African states , before what I called the African dark age set in.
Established 13th - 17th century.
While not as powerful as the Axumites , they were able to put both the Omanis and Portuguese in check, they sent ambassadors and trades men to India ,China , Vietnam and what is now Indonesia, one of their great men was an Ibn Battuta like figure , whom Ibn Battuta actually met and may have traveled with at times.
The man in question was sa'ied of Mogadishu, he is said to be the first African diplomat to China that we have on record, he was present in India where he met fellow traveller Ibn Battuta.
They were skillful hydroelectric engineers,through this action they were able to engaged in, industrial farming, think about for second let the implications of that sink in.
An essentially Nomadic folk.
The Portuguese, after rampaging the Swahili city states to the south of them, met their match with a well prepared well organized defense.
( The European Age of discovery brought Europe's then superpower the Portuguese empire to the coast of East Africa, which at the time enjoyed a flourishing trade with foreign nations. The wealthy southeastern city-states of Kilwa, Mombasa, Malindi, Pate and Lamu were all systematically sacked and plundered by the Portuguese. Tristão da Cunha then set his eyes on Ajuran Empire territory, where the Battle of Barawa was fought. After a long period of engagement, the Portuguese soldiers burned the city and looted it. However, fierce resistance by the local population and soldiers resulted in the failure of the Portuguese to permanently
occupy the city and eventually the Portuguese would be decisively defeated by the powerful Somalis from Ajuran Empire, and the inhabitants who had fled to the interior would eventually return and rebuild the city.
Tristão da Cunha was later severely wounded and sought refuge in Socotra islands after losing his men and ships. After losing the war with the Ajuran Empire over the fail attempt to capture Barawa. He decided to re-group his men in Socotra islands and Tristão would set sail for Mogadishu, which was the richest city in Africa. But word had spread of what had happened in Barawa, and a large troop mobilization had taken place. Many horsemen, soldiers and battleships in defense positions were now guarding the city.
Nevertheless, Tristão still opted to storm and attempt to conquer the city, although every officer and soldier in his army opposed this, fearing certain defeat if they were to engage their opponents in battle. He decided to leave the Somalis in peace after he realized that they were extremely difficult to conquer and it was Portuguese best interest not to mess with them leaving Ajuran Empire independent. )
( Over the next several decades Somali-Portuguese tensions would remain high and the increased contact between Somali sailors and Ottoman corsairs worried the Portuguese who sent a punitive expedition against Mogadishu under João de Sepúvelda but was soundly defeated by the Ajuran naval forces before they even had a chance to reach the Ajuran capital city and João de Sepúvelda was eventually killed in the Battle of Benadir and all his ships were blown up into smithereens.
Ottoman-Somali cooperation against the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean reached a high point in the 1580s when Ajuran clients of the Somali coastal cities began to sympathize with the Arabs and Swahilis under Portuguese rule and sent an envoy to the Turkish corsair Mir Ali Bey for a joint expedition against the Portuguese. He agreed and was joined by a large Somali fleet, which began attacking Portuguese colonies in Southeast Africa.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajuran_Sultanate#Ajuran-Portuguese_wars
)
BTW while individual Portuguese and other European ships were attacked and boarded by west African navies, these were mainly a few exploratory vessels and not entire fleets geared to full scale war, The Ajurans met them fleet to fleet and wiped them out both times, hundreds killed and enslaved.
Military upgread they did ,as they used Canon both on land and sea.
Established 13th - 17th century.
While not as powerful as the Axumites , they were able to put both the Omanis and Portuguese in check, they sent ambassadors and trades men to India ,China , Vietnam and what is now Indonesia, one of their great men was an Ibn Battuta like figure , whom Ibn Battuta actually met and may have traveled with at times.
The man in question was sa'ied of Mogadishu, he is said to be the first African diplomat to China that we have on record, he was present in India where he met fellow traveller Ibn Battuta.
They were skillful hydroelectric engineers,through this action they were able to engaged in, industrial farming, think about for second let the implications of that sink in.
An essentially Nomadic folk.
The Portuguese, after rampaging the Swahili city states to the south of them, met their match with a well prepared well organized defense.
( The European Age of discovery brought Europe's then superpower the Portuguese empire to the coast of East Africa, which at the time enjoyed a flourishing trade with foreign nations. The wealthy southeastern city-states of Kilwa, Mombasa, Malindi, Pate and Lamu were all systematically sacked and plundered by the Portuguese. Tristão da Cunha then set his eyes on Ajuran Empire territory, where the Battle of Barawa was fought. After a long period of engagement, the Portuguese soldiers burned the city and looted it. However, fierce resistance by the local population and soldiers resulted in the failure of the Portuguese to permanently
occupy the city and eventually the Portuguese would be decisively defeated by the powerful Somalis from Ajuran Empire, and the inhabitants who had fled to the interior would eventually return and rebuild the city.
Tristão da Cunha was later severely wounded and sought refuge in Socotra islands after losing his men and ships. After losing the war with the Ajuran Empire over the fail attempt to capture Barawa. He decided to re-group his men in Socotra islands and Tristão would set sail for Mogadishu, which was the richest city in Africa. But word had spread of what had happened in Barawa, and a large troop mobilization had taken place. Many horsemen, soldiers and battleships in defense positions were now guarding the city.
Nevertheless, Tristão still opted to storm and attempt to conquer the city, although every officer and soldier in his army opposed this, fearing certain defeat if they were to engage their opponents in battle. He decided to leave the Somalis in peace after he realized that they were extremely difficult to conquer and it was Portuguese best interest not to mess with them leaving Ajuran Empire independent. )
( Over the next several decades Somali-Portuguese tensions would remain high and the increased contact between Somali sailors and Ottoman corsairs worried the Portuguese who sent a punitive expedition against Mogadishu under João de Sepúvelda but was soundly defeated by the Ajuran naval forces before they even had a chance to reach the Ajuran capital city and João de Sepúvelda was eventually killed in the Battle of Benadir and all his ships were blown up into smithereens.
Ottoman-Somali cooperation against the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean reached a high point in the 1580s when Ajuran clients of the Somali coastal cities began to sympathize with the Arabs and Swahilis under Portuguese rule and sent an envoy to the Turkish corsair Mir Ali Bey for a joint expedition against the Portuguese. He agreed and was joined by a large Somali fleet, which began attacking Portuguese colonies in Southeast Africa.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajuran_Sultanate#Ajuran-Portuguese_wars
)
BTW while individual Portuguese and other European ships were attacked and boarded by west African navies, these were mainly a few exploratory vessels and not entire fleets geared to full scale war, The Ajurans met them fleet to fleet and wiped them out both times, hundreds killed and enslaved.
Military upgread they did ,as they used Canon both on land and sea.
