Empire · 1804–1903 · Northern Africa
Sokoto Caliphate
Also known as Fulani Empire
In 1804 Usman dan Fodio, a Fulani Islamic scholar who preached against the corruption of the Hausa kings, declared a jihad in what is now northern Nigeria. His followers overthrew most Hausa states within a few years, creating a vast caliphate of emirates such as Kano, Zaria and Adamawa.
His son Muhammad Bello founded Sokoto as the capital in 1809 and ruled as caliph, while Usman's daughter Nana Asma'u, a poet and teacher, spread education among women. Each emirate was governed by an emir loyal to the caliph, sending tribute and troops. The caliphate fostered Islamic learning but also relied heavily on slave raiding and slave plantations. In 1903 British forces under Frederick Lugard captured Kano and Sokoto, and Britain then ruled the emirates indirectly through their emirs within the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.
- Years
- 1804–1903
- Capital
- Sokoto (from 1809)
- Greatest extent
- 1850, about 470,000 km²
- Region
- Northern Africa
About; a federation of some 30 emirates. Estimates range from c. 400,000 km² (Wesseling) to c. 488,500 km² (Wikipedia, 1900)
Legacy
The Sultan of Sokoto remains the spiritual leader of Nigeria's Muslims, and the emirate system still shapes northern Nigerian society.
Rulers
- Usman dan Fodio 1804–1817
Scholar who led the jihad and founded the caliphate
- Muhammad Bello 1817–1837
First sultan of Sokoto; founded the capital
- Abu Bakr Atiku 1837–1842
Usman's son, second successor
- Abdurrahman Atiku 1891–1902
Defied the British
- Muhammadu Attahiru I 1902–1903
Killed resisting the British conquest
Realms on the map
- Sokoto Caliphate 1805–1904