1241: Rise of the Hausa

[Minescratcher]

Bayajidda, the forefather of the Hausa, was a man from Baghdad who fled the city with an entourage of loyal soldiers after it fell to invaders. Arriving in Kanem, he married one of the daughters of the Mai of Bornu, a powerful ruler whose realm was west and south of Lake Chad. According to some accounts, Bayajidda plotted to overthrow the Mai, while in others he was welcomed into the realm and became so popular that the Mai plotted against him. To weaken him, the Mai conquered several towns and convinced him to leave his own soldiers there to garrison them. As night fell, Bayajidda had no one left to guard him except his wife and one slave, and, realizing his vulnerability, he and his wife fled Bornu.

The exiles traveled to the Hausa city of Daura, where a snake named Sarki (interestingly, the Hausa word for "ruler" or "king") terrorized the locals by only allowing them to draw water from its well on one day of the week. After Bayajidda's hostess, an old woman, told him about Sarki, he killed the snake and beheaded it. The queen of Daura, Magajiya, married him as a reward.

Bayajidda had three sons: Biram by his first wife, Bawo by Queen Magajiya, and Karbagari by a concubine Bagwariya. Bawo went on to have six sons, who along with Biram were said to have founded the seven Hausa kingdoms of Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zazzau, Gobir, Rano, and Biram. Karbagari also had seven sons, who supposedly founded the seven kingdoms of Zamfara, Kebbi, Yauri, Gwari, Kwararafa, Nupe, and Ilorin, which surrounded the first seven to the west and south.

The Hausa Bakwai or "true Hausa" cities: a relatively small region of Africa, especially compared to the famous empires surrounding them.​

The Hausa kingdoms formed a loose alliance, allowing each to specialize: Kano and Rano in the making and dyeing of cloth, Zazzau in raiding for slaves, Katsina and Daura in trade with the Saharan caravans, Gobir in the arts of war, and Biram in governing. Even so, the kingdoms were fractured and divided for three centuries after Bayajidda's day, until the legendary Naguji Habe, founder of a dynasty that would rule for almost six centuries, rose to become Sarki of Kano, Rano, and Katsina. He ruled for almost fifty years of peace and prosperity, but as he neared the end of his life, he was filled with one last ambition....

Africa in 1241. No one at the time would have expected a powerful state to rise from the most disunited region of Africa, especially one bordering both mighty Mali and powerful Kanem.​

This is my first foray into AAR writing! I wanted to work with a shorter time period than the usual 1066 or 769 start date (though I may convert into EU4 if I still want to continue in 1453), and thought the similarity between the name of the 1241 date "Rise of the Hansa" and the Kingdom of Hausaland in West Africa was as interesting a starting point as any. My overall goal will be to build a strong Kingdom or even Empire of Hausaland, thriving on control of the trans-Saharan trade, though I'll mostly focus on individual characters. Finally, I'll try to keep an update schedule of two or three short chapters each week. Sit back and enjoy the Rise of the Hausa!

 

[stnylan]

Welcome to AAR writing

 

[Minescratcher]

Chapter 1: The Dying King
1 May 1241
Kano

Naguji Habe felt the weight of his seventy-one years pressing down upon him. He had been barely an adult when he succeeded his father Yusa, but the half-century since his ascension laid heavily upon him. What little hair he had left was so gray it shone in the sun, his face was drawn and wrinkled, and he hunched over as he walked, but light still shone in his eyes, and he still had an air that commanded respect.


Naguji Habe was a simple and straightforward man. He had ruled Kano, Rano, and Katsina (the High Chiefdom of Hausaland in-game) since 1194 - forty-seven years.

He stood in the Great Hall of Kano, seat of the Sarki, a long, high-roofed wooden building whose walls were lined with dozens of windows. A long wooden table and ten stools lay in the center of its packed-dirt floor. The dim evening light cast an orange shadow across the table and strange shadows danced across the walls.

The double doors at the far end swung open with a creak, and the Five Elders entered the Great Hall. Naguji chuckled to himself: they might be the Elders, but he was twenty years older than any of them. His son Gugwa slipped through the doors just before they closed, rushing up alongside the Elders. He had been leading the preparations for the spring festival, and the paint on his youthful face was barely dry.

“Father and Sarki, what have you called us here for?” asked Gugwa.


Gugwa Habe, son of Naguji and the heir apparent to Kano, Rano, and Katsina, was a kind and popular man, but he had a gluttonous streak, a love of lies, and a lack of particular talent that worried many.

“My son, I am an old man, and I will die soon, but I cannot die as things are. I am not content," said Naguji.

"What do you mean, father? You are Sarkin Katsina, Rano da Kano, Lords of Trade and Indigo. You control all the wealth in the Hausa kingdoms!"

"But there are four kingdoms left to their own devices, not to mention Karbagari’s cities. I do not wish to die without seeing the Hausa under one ruler.”


Hausaland in 1241. Naguji controls the southern kingdoms of Kano, Rano, and Katsina, while Daura and Biram pay him an annual tribute. Gobir and Kebbi also control relatively large territories. Zazzau lies off the southern edge of the map. To the west is Songhai, to the east Kanem, and to the north the Awellimid Berbers on the southern edge of the Sahara - all powerful Sunni realms, though they haven’t taken much interest in Hausaland as of yet.

Gugwa fell silent, his eyes cast down in thought. For several minutes, the only sounds in the room were the wind outside and the whispering of the Elders. Finally, one Elder stepped forward and spoke.

“My Sarki, you are undoubtedly the most powerful of the Hausa, and your enemies are as dust in the wind before you. We will make the proper sacrifices and raise the armies; it is up to you to choose where they march.”

Naguji thought for a minute before responding.

“The lord of Kebbi will fall first,” he said. “Determine the appropriate sacrifices and rally the warriors; his kingdom shall be our subject!”

"The Ancestors will surely bless your cause," answered the Elder.

1 September 1241
Outside Zamfara

Naguji lay in the dirt, three men tending to him. Blood was smeared across his face, red slowly pooling on the ground, drawing all eyes from outside the circle of men surrounding him. His bandages were turning a deep red.

“The Ancestors have surely withdrawn their favor,” said Elder Umaru. “They have left my Sarki vulnerable to the dark spirits, and now he is weakened before battle with his enemies.”


Elder Umaru Korau was well-known for his apocalyptic interpretations of omens, as well as his dislike of actually doing anything about the impending doom he predicted.

“They have not,” argued Gugwa. “If they had truly abandoned my father’s vision, that spear would have pierced his head completely. He still lives, so we must trust in their blessing.”

“Gugwa, may the Ancestors and your father the Sarki forgive me, but those are worthless words,” Umaru replied. “His wound is bad, and the blood spilling out of him may well claim his life as easily as any spear.”

“I’ve seen his wound, and while it is bad, it won’t be fatal,” Gugwa responded. “Look, the bleeding is already slowing. He may have some difficulty seeing for a while, but he will live.”

“The blood is only slowing because there is so little left in the Sarki’s body,” Umaru said.

“If I did not respect your age and wisdom, Elder, I would say that a curse from the dark spirits would be preferable to listening to you," Gugwa answered.

 

[Minescratcher]

Welcome to AAR writing

Thank you!

 

[Werson]

Such an injury can't bode well for the old chief.

 

[stnylan]

Nowt wrong with losing an eye

 

[Idhrendur]

Welcome to AAR writing! You've done well so far.

 

[Minescratcher]

Chapter 2: Nightfall

The war with Kebbi went quickly. Zamfara was captured in December, and while the enemy Sarki Yerima counterattacked by pillaging Katsina, he had already lost the war.



Naguji left a small force to occupy Kebbi, driving Yerima out of Katsina with most of his forces. He briefly returned to Kano to see Gugwa and his wife Hamidah, then rejoined the siege in March. Kebbi fell in April, and Yerima surrendered.

24 April 1242
Kebbi

Yerima lay face-down on the floor of his great hall before Sarki Naguji and Gugwa, surrounded by Hausa soldiers.

“I, Yerima, Sarki of Kebbi and Zamfara, acknowledge Naguji, Sarki of Kano, Rano, and Katsina, as my lord, and I swear to obey him as his subject in every way. He shall be my overlord, and I his loyal servant,” recited Yerima.

"I have no doubt of your loyalty, Yerima Karbo," said Naguji. "You will have no less power over your realm than you did before, and I name you my Chancellor."

"Thank you, my Sarki. You shall have no cause to question my loyalty: I shall deliver my tribute at the appointed times and march my soldiers alongside yours in each and every one of your wars."


Sarki Yerima Karbo ruled Kebbi and Zamfara, two of the “illegitimate states” founded by the sons of Karbagari. He was a deeply distrustful man, but seemed to accept his defeat with grace.

"Speaking of which," interrupted Gugwa, "what is our next goal, father?"

"My men need rest," replied Naguji. "We will give them some months to return home, and then as the summer draws to a close, we subjugate Gobir."

Running footsteps suddenly resounded outside the hall, and the door flew open to reveal a panting messenger. He bowed to Naguji, catching his breath, then spoke.

“My Sarki… your wife sends word…. She is pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Naguji asked. “Are you certain? She is almost fifty!”

“My Sarki, she told me herself,” replied the messenger.

“The Ancestors smile upon your victory, my Sarki,” Yerima said.


Hamidah’s pregnancy came as a surprise given her age. It was at first seen as a blessing from the Ancestors upon Naguji’s conquest, but that would soon change….

28 August 1242
Kano

Naguji lay on his bed, staring at the thatched ceiling. His ruined eye burned like fire, but his mind was on an even greater pain: Hamidah.

Both Naguji and Hamidah had been overjoyed at her unexpected pregnancy, but soon only she was able to enjoy it. A few days after his return to Kano, Naguji’s eye socket was no longer empty, but filled with an evil smell and plentiful yellow pus. The doctors and priests had worked night and day to stop the infection, but had so far only failed. They had finally settled on a number of plants that grew far from Kano, and most of the doctors set out together to gather them after making sure Naguji was stable.



That left only a handful of medicine men when the second crisis came.

When Hamidah began to complain of weakness and exhaustion, her maids assured her it was normal. When she began to vomit constantly, her maids still assured her she was fine. When her face turned yellow and began to swell, her breathing grew ragged, and she didn't recognize who they were, her maids started to be concerned. She wasted away in her chambers while Naguji suffered in his, their attendants refusing to bring either of them information on the other for fear it would upset their health further.

Within a week, Hamidah and the unborn baby were dead.



"Father?"

Gugwa's whispering voice startled Naguji, who shot straight up in his bed.

"I feel as much pain as you, father. We will give mother a great funeral and mourn her departure from this world. But we’ll also celebrate her joining the Ancestors, and we cannot allow ourselves to mourn for too long. We have an ambition!"

Naguji only sighed, laid back down and closed his eye. Gugwa stood, looking at him, until his legs would not support him any longer and he collapsed, asleep, on the floor.


Kano’s influence has grown, but at what cost?

 

[Minescratcher]

Such an injury can't bode well for the old chief.

Perhaps, perhaps not.

Nowt wrong with losing an eye

We'll see....

Welcome to AAR writing! You've done well so far.

Thank you!

 

[stnylan]

That pregancy could have gone better, as they say.

 

[Werson]

Yikes, poor baby. At least you still have an heir to carry on your legacy.

 

[volksmarschall]

A glorious Hausa AAR! Count me in. Africa is always neglected in every P'dox game, so it's always fun to see an AAR set in the forgotten continent. Best of luck going forward. Will be riding along for the ride.

Cheers!

 

[Minescratcher]

Chapter 3: The Servant of God

25 February 1244
Gobir

Sarki Abdullahi looked out over the field from the back of his horse, watching the dust swirling around his enemy’s army. Drum beats and yells echoed across the plains, answered by his own army with piercing horn blasts and shouts of their own. The coming battle would be difficult, but Abdullahi had taken Naguji’s conquest of Kebbi as a warning. He prepared and trained his warriors, repaired old weapons, and fortified and stockpiled the city of Gobir, readying his people for the war that had now come.

His soldiers were at least equally fierce and skilled to Kano’s warriors, but he knew he had a disadvantage: Naguji had brought an army twice the size of his own, and had caught up to Abdullahi in open, even terrain where his numerical superiority could be brought out in full force. Still, he was confident in his men, though the battle would be difficult; an initial skirmish had already gone poorly. He was considering the value of attempting to retreat to Gobir, two days away but strongly fortified, when a horn sang out from the far end of the field and the enemy charged.

An hour later, only Naguji's men remained on the field, clearing away the dead.



13 September 1244
Gobir

The courier dismounted from his horse, bowed to the guards, and followed them towards the largest tent in the camp. He felt the eyes of dozens of soldiers on him as he walked along the path of pressed grass. From behind him he heard whispering, and someone asked, "Isn't that a Gobirawa sword?"

The men in front of him opened the tent flap and pushed him in before he could speak, leaving him standing with his mouth open before a very, very old man with a yellowed bandage over his head. He recognized the enemy Sarki when he saw him and prostrated himself on the floor.

"Great Sarki, I come bearing a message from Sarki Abdullahi. He acknowledges your superiority in the arts of war, and wishes to swear his fealty to you."

"Excellent," answered Naguji in a soft voice. "When will he arrive here?"

"Great Sarki, my Sarki wished for my message to serve as his oath," said the messenger.

"That will not do," said Naguji. "Tell your master that I will continue to plunder until he comes in person. I will take fifty slaves every day he is not here. Now go!"

No slaves were taken before Abdullahi swore fealty to Naguji - in person.


Uncharacteristically for the time period, Sarki Abdullahi of Gobir worshipped Allah as a powerful spirit and even took a Muslim name. Historians have alternately suggested he was a true convert to Islam, making him the first Hausa Sarki to convert, or that he only incorporated Allah to attract Muslim merchants. However, once he became Naguji's vassal, his unique faith painted a target on his back, leading to his disgraceful death within a few years.


Kano controls almost all of Hausaland, save for Zazzau in the south....

 

[Minescratcher]

A somewhat shorter update today.

That pregancy could have gone better, as they say.

It certainly could have. It remains to be seen just how deeply it struck at Naguji....

Yikes, poor baby. At least you still have an heir to carry on your legacy.

I certainly do, although he isn't the greatest of heirs. We'll have to wait and see how he turns out

A glorious Hausa AAR! Count me in. Africa is always neglected in every P'dox game, so it's always fun to see an AAR set in the forgotten continent. Best of luck going forward. Will be riding along for the ride.

Cheers!

Thank you! Glad to have you along

 

[Werson]

I wonder what this means for the future of Hausa, surely their Muslims neighbors to the North exert their influence in the region? Will the people of Kano remain faithful to their ancestors, or embrace the organized faith of the Arabs? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[volksmarschall]

A glorious victory. Now, the sand is paved for your designs! Well, until that big green monster to the west takes a closer look at you.

 

[Minescratcher]

Chapter 4: The Doctor and the Kings

4 October 1244
Kano

The doctor stood over Naguji's bed, replacing the bandages over his eye. He was clearly intelligent, with an inquisitive light shining in his eyes, and his hands were constantly in motion, as if they couldn’t stop working at something.

“There is no need for further worry, my Sarki,” he said. “I expect your wounded eye will have cleared up within two weeks. I devised this cure myself, and I’ve never known it to fail.”

“If you can heal me, I shall make you my chief Diviner,” said Naguji. “Anyone who can defeat a spirit’s curse so effectively surely deserves the recognition. What is your name?”

“Balarabe, my Sarki.”

The next day, the smell had subsided completely, and a few days later, Naguji’s eye had begun healing again.

Balarabe's success with Naguji's infected eye gave him great political power in Kano, which he was not slow to use....

30 January 1245
Kano

The door behind Naguji slammed open, bouncing off of the wall with a bang. He turned to see Balarabe and two warriors, holding Sarki Abdullahi in chains.

“What is the meaning of this? Explain yourselves!” said Naguji.

“My Sarki,” began Balarabe, “there are a great number of concerned peasants claiming that their children are plagued by nightmares of Sarki Abdullahi! Gobir is in a state of complete disarray! He has obviously struck a bargain with the dark spirits, and now torments his subjects in dreams! What shall be done with him?”

“This servant of yours lies,” spat Abdullahi. “I have done no such thing. Surely you cannot believe such an absurd charge?”

“I am more inclined to believe Balarabe, my renowned doctor and priest, than you, Abdullahi, the coward who tried to swear an oath through a substitute,” replied Naguji. “Balarabe, if you are certain he has done this evil deed, you are free to send him to the dark spirits he adores.”

“This is insanity!” yelled Abdullahi. “The Ancestors will look upon your deceit and destroy you! May Obaluaye lay a pox upon your children and drag you into the dust! May Allah rain fire from the skies upon your villages! ”

“Take him away,” said Naguji.

 

[Minescratcher]

I wonder what this means for the future of Hausa, surely their Muslims neighbors to the North exert their influence in the region? Will the people of Kano remain faithful to their ancestors, or embrace the organized faith of the Arabs? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

There'll be rather a lot of waiting and seeing for that one

A glorious victory. Now, the sand is paved for your designs! Well, until that big green monster to the west takes a closer look at you.

As they say, there's always a bigger fish.

 

[Avner]

I feel the doctor isn't yet done in his purges and unlimited power

 

[stnylan]

Purging is part of the doctor's trade, one should remember