Notice: This is the official website of the All Empires History Community (Reg. 10 Feb 2002)

  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

African Cavalry

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: African Cavalry
    Posted: 17-May-2006 at 14:30
i've waited for Tobodais return to open this, I hope he can contribute... ;)
 
Mossi cavalry:

a force of cavalryman under emperor Moronaba subdued what is modern day Burkina Faso with a force of light Horse lancers and created an empire. the Mossi cavalry was also able to withstand the Fulani cavalry who was aggressively spreading Islam in West-Central Africa from horseback. on a less glorious note, due to the superiority of their cavalry the Mossi raided surrounding tribes that had no protection against their mounted force and ended up being sold to european slave traders....and now some pics to enjoy! Tongue
 
 
 


Edited by Temujin - 14-Apr-2008 at 20:03
Back to Top
Tobodai View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 03-Aug-2004
Location: Antarctica
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4310
  Quote Tobodai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-May-2006 at 17:03
Thats hot.  I TOLD YOU ALL there were African steppe(ish) empires.  I wasnt aware the Mossi could actually beat the Fulani forces though.  Quite impressive, though Ill have to do more research to see how they compare with my current favorite African cavalry forces, that of Kanem-Bornu.
"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton
Back to Top
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-May-2006 at 15:07

i was trying hard to find more information on the Fulani army but wasn't really successfull, all i found was a scan from an osprey book but could you give me more information about them and how far they've expanded? and i've never heard about Kanem-Bornu, please tell me more.

Back to Top
Tobodai View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 03-Aug-2004
Location: Antarctica
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4310
  Quote Tobodai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-May-2006 at 17:12
Kanem-Bornu was based around lake Chad.  They adopted Islam as an excuse to subjigate their neighbors.  They had a mostly cavalry army and were very adaptive to flintlock firearms in the late 18th century.  But they were around starting in 1300 or something (with an oddly phallic shaped empire) and expanded and contracted until they collapsed in the early 19th century.  Their offshoot was the Sokoto raiders in northern Nigeria.
"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton
Back to Top
Soul Blader View Drop Down
Immortal Guard
Immortal Guard
Avatar

Joined: 23-May-2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 0
  Quote Soul Blader Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23-May-2006 at 15:53
More images!Smile
 
Begharmi
Hausa
 
Back to Top
Jalisco Lancer View Drop Down
Sultan
Sultan

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Mexico
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2112
  Quote Jalisco Lancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-May-2006 at 12:11
great pics and info.
Tobodei, Glad to see you around.
Back to Top
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-May-2006 at 14:45

awesome pictures & excellent contribution Soul Blader, welcome to the Forum! :)

Back to Top
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-Jun-2007 at 15:54
for anyone other than me and Tobodai who is interested, there is now a book about western African cavalry (not Mossi though) available:

http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/books/cairns1.asp

about the cavalries of Sokoto, Kanem-Bornu and Bagirmi.

btw, why is this still in the Americas Forum?
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-Jun-2007 at 22:41
Originally posted by Temujin

...btw, why is this still in the Americas Forum?
 
Yes, wrong forum.
The only cavalry of pre-contact Americas were these llama caravans LOLLOL:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Back to Top
tommy View Drop Down
Colonel
Colonel


Joined: 13-Sep-2005
Location: Hong Kong
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 545
  Quote tommy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Jun-2007 at 10:46
But not joking, I read a book about the ancient contact of China and america , the writer talked about an academic research, it stated that atomb of about 500 ad was found in America, the skeleton of house was found, but I forgot the name of the researchers, but the writer stated that this research was from a famous Us university, anyone knows anything
leung
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Jun-2007 at 10:57
Originally posted by tommy

But not joking, I read a book about the ancient contact of China and america , the writer talked about an academic research, it stated that atomb of about 500 ad was found in America, the skeleton of house was found, but I forgot the name of the researchers, but the writer stated that this research was from a famous Us university, anyone knows anything
 
Horses in the America? Hardly. Horses went extinguished in the americas by the time man can in (20.000) years ago. All chronicles of the time of the conquist show clearly the impact the horse produced on Natives, because they didn't know that animal.
 
Cute llama carivans where also replaced by mules less that two decades after the Spaniards arrived.
 
Pinguin
 
Back to Top
tommy View Drop Down
Colonel
Colonel


Joined: 13-Sep-2005
Location: Hong Kong
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 545
  Quote tommy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Jun-2007 at 13:42

may you think , was it possible Vikings took horse to America?

leung
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Jun-2007 at 15:25
Originally posted by tommy

may you think , was it possible Vikings took horse to America?
 
Nope. Horses came with the Spaniards.
 
Pinguin
Back to Top
Decebal View Drop Down
Arch Duke
Arch Duke
Avatar
Digital Prometheus

Joined: 20-May-2005
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1791
  Quote Decebal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-Jun-2007 at 10:28

I have moved this very interesting topic to its rightful place. The steppe empires of Africa are certainly an overlooked subject.

While we're on the topic, I have a suspicion that the Sahel may have played a somewhat similar role as a trade and travel conduit for Africa as the Eurasian steppes had in Asia and Europe. I think that it is very possible that trade routes ran along its length, from the Nile to the civilizations on the banks of the upper Niger, and from the Sahara to the forest kingdoms of Benin, Dahomey, Igbo and others. It is well known that the Hausa were great traders, who travelled as far the Senegal in the West, and Darfur in the East; moreover, the very existence and location of the trading Husa city states in northern Nigeria suggests the existence of trade routes along the Sahel.

Seen in this respect, kingdoms such as Kanem-Bornu, Mossi, Ouaddai, Fulani kingdoms such as Sokoto, and even an empire such as Songhay could be seen as the equivalent of the Turkish and Mongol kingdoms in Central Asia, who used their military might to control trade routes and extort tribute from their settled neighbors.

What is history but a fable agreed upon?
Napoleon Bonaparte

Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.- Mohandas Gandhi

Back to Top
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-Jun-2007 at 14:56
yes i agree pretty much, but the Sahara desert played a more crucial role, the trade routes through the Sahara were made only possible after the Arabs introduced the Camel to Northern Africa which only made the travel through the Sahara possible. Deserts like the Taklamakan were mostly bypassed if possible.
Back to Top
Malik View Drop Down
Janissary
Janissary
Avatar

Joined: 14-Sep-2006
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 28
  Quote Malik Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jun-2007 at 19:44
very interesting ! Smile
Back to Top
Sikander View Drop Down
Pretorian
Pretorian
Avatar

Joined: 12-Aug-2004
Location: Portugal
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 198
  Quote Sikander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Aug-2007 at 08:32
Hi all!
 
I found this thread just amazing! I know there were heavy cavalry in Africa, but I thought I was in Sudan only.
The "cataphract" pictures remind me of a documentary from the 30's, I think it was a African travel made with special Citroen vehicles' caravan, but perhaps I'm wrong about it.
 
Do you have any info regarding when did these African peoples adopted this style of cavalry warfare and their heavy equipment?
Back to Top
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Aug-2007 at 16:16
the ruler Kanijeji of Kano, a Hausa city state brought in first quilts, mail and iron helmets around 1400 and was the first to use it. by 1800 armoured horsemen were the distinctive feature of east Savannah warfare.
Back to Top
Sikander View Drop Down
Pretorian
Pretorian
Avatar

Joined: 12-Aug-2004
Location: Portugal
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 198
  Quote Sikander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-Aug-2007 at 08:42

Huuummm, where did you read that? I would like to learn a little bit more.

Nevertheless, I think I'll just buy the book refered above. It looks like a nice, very nice adition to my library on military history subjects.

Back to Top
Temujin View Drop Down
King
King
Avatar
Sirdar Bahadur

Joined: 02-Aug-2004
Location: Eurasia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5221
  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-Aug-2007 at 13:02
i read it in the book i posted above ;)
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.56a [Free Express Edition]
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz

This page was generated in 0.113 seconds.