Muhammad IV of Bornu
Mai of the Kanem–Bornu Empire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muhammad IV[c] (Muḥammad bin Kade[3]) was mai (ruler) of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in the mid-15th century, ruling approximately 1451–1456.[a] Muhammad ruled during the "Era of Instability", a chaotic period of internal and external conflict in the empire.
c. 1451–1456[a]
"Meghjibád-Nerí-Kerbúri"
| Muhammad IV | |
|---|---|
| Mai of the Kanem–Bornu Empire | |
| Reign | 15th century (0–5 years) c. 1451–1456[a] |
| Predecessor | Amarma |
| Successor | Gaji |
| Died | c. 1456 "Meghjibád-Nerí-Kerbúri" |
| Dynasty | Sayfawa dynasty (Dawudid[b]) |
| Father | Kade III |
Life
Muhammad was a son of mai Kade III.[4][5] Muhammad did not directly succeed his father, who had been killed by the rival claimant Dunama V Ahmad.[6] Most reconstructions of this period place Muhammad as the successor of mai Amarma.[3][4][6]
Later chronicles of the Kanem–Bornu Empire remembered Muhammad as a "cruel and sanguinary prince"[6] and a tyrant.[7] He had a brief reign;[6] different sources give dates between as low as a few days and at most five years.[a] The site of Muhammad's death is recorded as Meghjibád-Nerí-Kerbúri,[6] or variations thereof (such as Magi Jibidam, Maki Zabatam).[7] Muhammad was succeeded as mai by Gaji, whose relation to previous rulers is unclear.[4][6]
Notes
- Different king lists (girgams) and chronicles translated in the 19th–20th centuries give Muhammad different regnal lengths: a few days (Barth), 3 years (Palmer), or 5 years (Urvoy, Nachtigal, Landeroin).[4] As a result of this, and due to different calculations for other mais, various dates have been given for his reign, including 1456 (Barth), 1452/1453–1455 (Palmer), 1453–1458 (Urvoy), 1364–1369 (Landeroin), and 1394–1399 (Nachtigal).[4] The placement of Muhammad IV in the sequence of rulers differs considerably from the others in Landeroin and Nachtigal's lists.[4] Cohen (1966) considered a reign of 5 years most likely.[4] Lange (1984) dated Muhammad's reign to 1445–1449,[5] Stewart (1989) dated it to 1456,[2] and Bosworth (2012) dated it to 1451–1456.[3]
- The 14th and 15th centuries saw protracted civil wars between the rival Idrisid (descendants of Idris I Nikalemi) and Dawudid (descendants of Dawud Nikalemi) branches of the Sayfawa dynasty.[1]
- Some chronologies of Kanem–Bornu rulers omit the 14th-century Muhammad II Manza, lowering the regnal numbers of later rulers of this name. This ruler is then considered Muhammad III.[2]