Mali Empire Timeline: 13th–17th Century

13th Century – Foundation

• c. 1235: Battle of Kirina – Sundiata Keita defeats Sosso Empire.
• Sundiata crowned first mansa; Mali Empire established.
• Expansion and consolidation across West Africa.

14th Century – Golden Age

• 1312–1337: Mansa Musa I reigns.
• Empire peaks in wealth, territory, influence.
• Musa's hajj (1324–25) displays Mali's gold to Mediterranean world.
• Timbuktu becomes scholarly/commercial hub.

15th Century – Decline Begins

• Internal succession disputes.
• Songhai Empire rises, encroaches on Mali's eastern provinces.

16th Century – Collapse

• 1546: Songhai conquers Mali's capital Niani.
• Mali fragments into petty kingdoms.

17th Century – Aftermath

• 1591: Moroccan invasion topples Songhai.
• Region fractures into smaller states; Mali's legacy lives in trade routes, Islamic scholarship, and oral tradition.