List of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa

This is a list of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa, which existed before the Scramble for Africa (c. 1880–1914) when most of the continent came under the control of European powers.

Pre-colonial states in Africa

Some kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Ardra in Benin, Buganda in Uganda, or the Kingdom of Bailundo in Angola, still exist today as non-sovereign monarchies, with varying legal and constitutional statuses within their respective countries.

Comparison

Historian Jan Vansina (1962) discusses the classification of Sub-Saharan African Kingdoms, mostly of Central, South and East Africa, with some additional data on West African (Sahelian) Kingdoms distinguishing five types, by decreasing centralization of power:

  1. Despotic Kingdoms: Kingdoms where the king controls the internal and external affairs directly. Examples are Rwanda, Ankole, Busoga and the Kingdom of Kongo in the 16th century.
  2. Regal Kingdoms: Kingdoms where the king controls the external affairs directly, and the internal affairs via a system of overseers. The king and his chiefs belong to the same religion or group.
  3. Incorporative Kingdoms: Kingdoms where the king only controls the external affairs with no permanent administrative links between him and the chiefs of the provinces. The hereditary chiefdoms of the provinces were left undisturbed after conquest. Examples are the Bamileke, Lunda, Luba and Lozi
  4. Aristocratic Kingdoms: the only link between central authority and the provinces is payment of tribute. These kingdoms are morphologically intermediate between regal kingdoms and federations. This type is rather common in Africa, examples including the Kongo of the 17th century, the Cazembe, Luapula, Kuba, Ngonde, Mlanje, Ha, Zinza and Chagga States of the 18th century.
  5. Federations such as the Ashanti Union. Kingdoms where the external affairs are regulated by a council of elders headed by the king, who is simply primus inter pares.

The Islamic empires of North and Northeast Africa do not fall into this categorization and should be discussed as part of the Muslim world.

History periods

Ancient history (3600 BC – AD 500)

Main article: Ancient history

Ancient history refers to the time period beginning with the first records in writing, approximately 3600 BC. It ends with the fall of several significant empires, such as the Western Roman Empire in the Mediterranean, the Han Dynasty in China, and the Gupta Empire in India, collectively around 500 AD.

Postclassical Era (AD 500–1500)

Main article: Postclassical Era

The Postclassical Era, also referred to as the Medieval period or, for Europe, the Middle Ages, begins around 500 AD after the fall of major civilizations, covering the advent of Islam. The period ends around 1450–1500, with events like the rise of moveable-type printing in Europe, the voyages of Christopher Columbus, and the Ottoman Empire's conquest of Constantinople.

Modern history (1500–present)

Main article: Modern history

The Modern Period covers human history from the creation of a more global network (i.e. contact between the Americas and Europeans) to present day.

List of African kingdoms

Non-exhaustive list of known pre-colonial kingdoms and empires on the African continent.

North Africa
Further information: History of North Africa

Ancient
Ancient Carthage and its dependencies in 264 BC.

Post-classical

Modern

East Africa
Domains of the Aksumite Empire and the Adal Sultanate.
Further information: History of East Africa

Ancient

Post-classical

Modern

West Africa
Further information: History of West Africa

Ancient

Post-classical
13th-century Africa – Map of the main trade routes and states, kingdoms and empires.

Modern
West Africa circa 1875

Central Africa
Further information: History of Central Africa
UN Macroregion of Central Africa

Ancient

Post-classical

Modern

Southern Africa
Further information: History of Southern Africa

Post-classical

Modern

See also

References

    Bibliography
    • Hunwick, John O. (2003). Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa'di's Ta'rikh Al-sudan Down to 1613 and other Contemporary Documents. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 488 Pages. ISBN 90-04-12822-0.
    • J. Vansina, A Comparison of African Kingdoms, Africa: Journal of the International African Institute (1962), pp. 324–335.
    • Turchin, Peter and Jonathan M. Adams and Thomas D. Hall: "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires and Modern States", Journal of World-Systems Research, Vol. XII, No. II, 2006
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