Askia Muhammad seizes power in Songhai
A general makes Songhai one of Africa's largest empires
In 1493 the general Muhammad Ture overthrew the son of Sonni Ali and founded the Askia dynasty. He divided the realm into provinces under appointed governors, created a standing army and standard weights. After his hajj he was named caliph of the Western Sudan in Cairo. Under him Songhai stretched from the Atlantic to the Niger and became the largest empire in African history.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 15th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 1492 Fall of Granada — 1 year earlier
- 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas — 1 year later
- 1508–1512 Sistine Chapel ceiling — 15 years later
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Eastern Europe & Russia
- 1478 Annexation of Novgorod by Moscow — 15 years earlier
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Middle East
- 1501 Founding of Safavid Iran — 8 years later
Asia
- 1498 Vasco da Gama reaches India — 5 years later
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Americas
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Alive at the time
- Christopher Columbus (aged 42)
- Leonardo da Vinci (aged 41)
- Nicolaus Copernicus (aged 20)
- Michelangelo (aged 18)
- Martin Luther (aged 10)
- Ivan III (aged 53)
- Isabella I of Castile (aged 42)
- Henry VII (aged 36)
- Maximilian I (aged 34)
- Moctezuma II (aged 27)