Mali Empire, 1235–1300 CE
Autocracy · Empire · Africa · Mongol Century era
The West African empire founded by Sundiata Keita, an imperial power over the gold and salt trade of the upper Niger and the Sahel.
Founded when Sundiata Keita defeated the Sosso, the Mali empire drew its power from control of the upper Niger, the gold fields of the south and the trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt. A sacral mansa presided over a hierarchy of provincial governors and tributary chiefs, with Islam prominent at court alongside older traditions. Its wealth became legendary in the fourteenth century under rulers such as Mansa Musa.
Dominant patterns
- Militarization
- Great-Power Rivalry
- Succession Crisis
- External Expansion
- Imperial Decline
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 58 |
| Media Control | 45 |
| Repression | 42 |
| Nationalism | 52 |
| Militarization | 62 |
| Economic Stress | 35 |
| External Conflict | 55 |
| Cult of Personality | 65 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 55 |
| Institutions | 58 |
| Social Polarization | 45 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 45 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 55 |
| External Sovereignty | 92 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $650 (intl-$) |
| Population | 5.0M people |
| Share of world population | 1.4% |
| Territory | ~1.1M km² |
| Capital population | ~30k |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Mali Empire 1235–1300 CE, by similarity score (0–100).
- Ghana Empire, 950–1050 CE – similarity 98/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
- Gupta Empire, 320–380 CE – similarity 97/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
- Songhai Empire, 1464–1528 CE – similarity 95/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
- France, 1461–1483 CE – similarity 91/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
- Chola Empire, 985–1070 CE – similarity 88/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
- Kingdom of Aksum, 330–370 CE – similarity 87/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, External Expansion
- France, 1226–1270 CE – similarity 86/100 · shared: Militarization, Great-Power Rivalry, External Expansion
- Kievan Rus, 980–1054 CE – similarity 86/100 · shared: Militarization, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
What followed
- The wealth and reach of the Mansa Musa era.
- Control of the trans-Saharan trade.