Muhammad V of Bornu
Mai of the Kanem–Bornu Empire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muhammad V[c] (Muḥammad bin Muḥammad[3]) was mai (ruler) of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in the mid-to-late 15th century, ruling approximately 1467–1470.[a] Muhammad ruled during the "Era of Instability", a chaotic period of internal and external conflict in the empire.
| Muhammad V | |
|---|---|
| Mai of the Kanem–Bornu Empire | |
| Reign | 15th century (3–5 years) c. 1467–1470[a] |
| Predecessor | Umar II |
| Successor | Ali I Gaji |
| Died | c. 1470 Sahara |
| Dynasty | Sayfawa dynasty (Idrisid[b]) |
| Father | Muhammad |
Life
Muhammad's father was also named Muhammad but it is not clear which Muhammad is meant in the sources. Cohen (1966) identified Muhammad's father as mai Muhammad IV.[4] Muhammad IV was a Dawudid (descendant of mai Dawud Nikalemi)[5] but the Dawudid branch of the imperial family had been defeated and driven from the empire by the Idrisid (descendant of mai Idris I Nikalemi) prince Ali Gaji some years prior.[1] Lange (1984) instead believed Muhammad V to have been a son of mai Muhammad III, who Lange interpreted as an Idrisid.[5]
Muhammad became mai in the mid-15th century,[3] during a time when Ali Gaji acted as a kingmaker in the empire.[1] Before becoming mai, Muhammad had been engaged in civil conflict against his predecessor, Umar II, and gradually gained the upper hand over the course of about a year.[6] Muhammad probably killed Umar.[6] Muhammad was remembered as a powerful and courageous ruler,[6] and a "warlike monarch",[7] though few details of his reign are recorded.[6]
Muhammad ruled for three or five years[a] and was succeeded as mai by Ali Gaji.[3][4] The site of Muhammad's death is variously recorded as "Breda", "Bérbéra",[6] or the "country of the Berbers",[7] terms that refer to the Sahara.[7]
Notes
- Different king lists (girgams) and chronicles translated in the 19th–20th centuries variously give Muhammad a reign of zero years (Urvoy), three years (Nachtigal, Landeroin), or five years (Barth, Palmer).[4] As a result of this, and due to different calculations for other mais, various dates have been given for his reign, including 1467–1471 (Barth), 1467–1472 (Palmer), 1369–1372 (Landeroin), and 1399–1402 (Nachtigal).[4] The placement of Muhammad V in the sequence of rulers differs considerably from the others in Landeroin and Nachtigal's lists.[4] Cohen (1966) considered a reign of five years to be most likely.[4] Lange (1984) dated Muhammad's reign to 1460–1465,[5] Stewart (1989) dated it to 1467–1472,[2] and Bosworth (2012) dated it to 1467–1472.[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 IV.[2]