Askia Ishaq I was the ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1539 to 1549, elected Askia following the death of Askia Isma'il. He was the fifth ruler of the Askiya dynasty.
Askiya Ishaq I | |
---|---|
Emperor of the Songhai Empire | |
Reign | 1539 – 1549 |
Predecessor | Askia Isma'il (ruled 1537–1539) |
Successor | Askiya Dawud (ruled 1549–1582 or 1583) |
Died | 1549 (died a natural death) Kukiya |
Issue | Abd al-Malik |
Dynasty | Askiya dynasty |
Father | Ashiya al-hajj Muhammad |
When Askia Isma'il died, the leading men in the empire peacefully agreed that Ishaq, a son of Muhammad the Great would be the next ruler.[1]
Askia Ishaq was a ruthless and paranoid ruler, inspiring fear and anxiety among the Songhai people. Despite being a devout Muslim, he sent agents to Timbuktu on a regular basis to demand enormous sums of money from the merchants, which is against Islamic law.[1] This damaged the economy of the empire and made him unpopular, thus gaining him many enemies.[1] Askiya Ishaq I was completely ruthless as a ruler and executed any official whom he considered as a threat. The Tarikh al-Sudan gives this description: "If he imagined anyone was making the least move against the throne, he would, without exception, have him killed or banished. This was his consistent practice."[2]
Askia Ishaq briefly occupied the Mali Empire capital in 1545 and 1546.[3]
After a request from the Moroccan sultan Muhammad Al-Arak, to cede the salt mines of Taghaza, Ishaq I sent a group of 2000 mounted men to raid a market town in the Dara valley of southern Morocco with instructions to avoid killing anyone. This was intended as a show of strength.[4]
Askiya Ishaq I died in the town of Kukiya[5] and was buried there.[6] He was succeeded by his brother Askiya Dawud.[1]
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