Songhai Empire Rises as Mali Weakens

Under Sunni Ali, the Songhai Empire expanded to become the largest empire in African history, controlling the Niger River trade corridor and the intellectual centers of Timbuktu and Gao. Its strength and political sophistication coexisted with increasing Portuguese slave-raiding along the Atlantic coast, affecting coastal West African societies even as inland kingdoms flourished. Songhai's eventual collapse in 1591 would accelerate regional instability exploited by slavers.