Mansong Diarra | |
---|---|
Faama | |
Reign | 1790-1808 |
Predecessor | Ngolo Diarra |
Successor | Da Diarra |
Died | 1808 |
House | Ngolosi |
Father | Ngolo Diarra |
Religion | traditional African religion |
Mansong Diarra ( c. 1790–1808), also rendered Monzon Jara, [1] was the faama of the Bambara Empire. [2] Son of king Ngolo Diarra, he the throne of Ségou following his father's death in battle. [3] He earned renown as a great warrior, with defeats against several other groups, including Kaarta, Massina, Dogon, and Mossi. [1]
Mungo Park, passing through the Bambara capital of Ségou in 1797 recorded a testament to the Empire's prosperity under Mansong:
The view of this extensive city, the numerous canoes on the river, the crowded population, and the cultivated state of the surrounding countryside, formed altogether a prospect of civilization and magnificence that I little expected to find in the bosom of Africa. [4] [5]
Mansong himself provided Park with a gift of 5000 cowries to help him on his travels. [6]
His son Da Diarra would succeed him after his death. [2] [7]
Encompasses present-day Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, and eastern Chad