The Sokoto Caliphate was an independent Islamic Sunni Caliphate, in West Africa. Founded during the jihad of the Fulani War in 1804 by Usman dan Fodio, it was abolished when the British defeated the caliphate in 1903 and put the area under the Northern Nigeria Protectorate.
Developed in the context of multiple, independent Hausa kingdoms, at its height the Caliphate linked over 30 different emirates and over 10 million people in the most powerful state in its region and one of the most significant empires in Africa in the nineteenth century. The caliphate was a loose confederation of emirates that recognized the suzerainty of the "commander of the faithful", the sultan or caliph.
The caliphate brought decades of economic growth throughout the region. An estimated one to 2.5 million non-Muslim slaves were captured during the Fulani War. Slaves provided labor for plantations and were provided an opportunity to become Muslims.
Although the British abolished the political authority of the Caliphate the title of Sultan was retained, and remains an important religious position for Muslims in the region to the current day.
Usman dan Fodio's jihad provided the inspiration for a series of related jihads in other parts of the savanna and Sahel far beyond Nigeria's borders that led to the foundation of Islamic states in Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, and Sudan.
History
Uthman dan Fodio invaded the Gobir lands (one of the traditional seven kingdoms of the Hausas) which was previously ruled by one of his students in the person of Yunfa. This invasion started in 1804 with his "Warrior-Scholars" and lasted till 1806. This victory was really more successful because many indigenes of Gobir at that time diliked some of the forceful rule by their government.
The forces of dan Fodio were able to capture the states of Katsina and Daura, the important kingdom of Kano in 1807, and finally conquered Gobir in 1809. In the same year, Muhammed Bello, the son of dan Fodio, founded the city of Sokoto, which became the capital of the Sokoto Caliphate.
A at the peak of their powers, the Sokoto Caliphate had a population of about 10 million people. They developed a new model of slaving as well, by the way, they had about 2 million slaves (this was the second largest number of slaves by any empire in the world).
Growth
The caliphate gradually grew large, expanding down south even to some parts of Yorubaland into the likes of Kwara state around the mid-1830s. They also expanded to places like present day Burkina-Faso, Niger Republic, Cameroon, and the likes. The Sokoto caliphate had about 30 different emirates under its rule and each emir was appointed as a flag bearer and granted independent rule and autonomy.
The caliphate built schools, mosques, markets, walled fortresses and many other building as they expanded.
Administration and Economy
The Early rule of the Hausa lands were based on hereditary successions but dan Fodio and Bello abolished this rule and ensure that the leaders were appointed based on religeous scholarship and knowledge as well as moral upstanding. The emirs were appointed by the sultan though and the sultan was chosen by the emirs.
In recent times the sultans have always had a claim to descent from Usman dan Fodio. Emirs always paid homage to the caliphate through trade exchange and payments in cowries, slaves, gold, cotton, indigo, kola and shea nuts, grain, rice, tobacco, and onion. Its commercial prosperity was also based on Islamist traditions, market integration, internal peace and an extensive export-trade network.
Decline and Fall
following the Berlin Conference, the British had expanded into Southern Nigeria, and by 1902 had begun plans to move into the Sokoto Caliphate. British General Frederick Lugard used rivalries between many of the emirs in the south and the central Sokoto administration to prevent any defense as he worked toward the capital.
As the British approached the city of Sokoto, the new Sultan Muhammadu Attahiru I organized a quick defense of the city and fought the advancing British-led forces. The British force quickly won, sending Attahiru I and thousands of followers on a Mahdist hijra. In March 1903, the last vizier of the Sokoto Caliphate surrendered to Lugard and in June 1903, the whole empire had fallen to the British.
The British cancelled the Caliphate but maintained the title of sultan. The sultan is seen nowadays as the spiritual head of the muslims.
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