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Bornu

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Collaboration with HopelessPandora 


NORTHERN NIGERIA

 Yauri                  Zamfara             Kebbi and Gwari                    Gobir, Katsina and Zaria          Fulani-Kontagora

Daura               Fulani-Wodaabe               Fulani-Fula          Hausa-Kano    Kanuri

MIDDLE BELT NIGERIA

Nupe          Jukun      Ngas

SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

Ekumeku-Igbo          Anaang           Ibibio          Akpa-Ibom Isi               Ijaw           Nri-Igbo               Aro-Igbo                Itsekiri


SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Oyo-Yoruba     Egba-Yoruba   Edo-Benin      Fulani-Ilorin 

CURRENTLY IN OTHER COUNTRIES

Fon           Hausa-Zinder      Futa-Jallon    Fulani-Toucouleur      Fulani-Massina    Futa-Toro    Kanem

 Miscellaneous and History

Tribes side by side 

Blood of the Kingdoms story featuring all the characters


Government history

Sokoto Caliphate

Ijaw-Itsekiri Conflicts

End of the Aro Confederacy

Famous Individuals and Groups

Queen Amina 

Queen Nzinga

Religious Matters

Ekwensu

Anyanwu and Agbala

Ahia and Menri

Chukwu and the Alusi

Nimu Kwome



Disclaimer: The story of Bornu is heavily intertwined with that of Kanem and thus if you want the full story, Kanem's story is required reading for this. This is about the Bornu Era of the Kanem-Bornu era and it begins in 1380, with the fall of the Kanem Empire.


Bornu had managed to take Kanem, Kanuri and Sayfawa to safety within his own territory. Bornu would use this time to coordinate with Kanembu in order to make sure that from now on Kanembu would have an equal partnership with him. Kanembu agreed with him and they kept the arrangement with Sayfawa in order to organize things. Bornu then had to deal with a civil war but truimphed and made sure to consolidate the power in order to strengthen the Bornu Empire. Kanembu was able to see that Bornu's lands were more rich in resources than her land had been and stated that even if they retook her lands, the political capital will forever stay in Bornu territory. 

The fateful moment came in 1455, Sayfawa suggested that they had regained enough power to retake Kanembu's lands. Landing on the borders of the Sultanate of Yao, Kanembu and Bornu waged a successful campaign until 1487 and ousted Bilalal from Kanembu's territory and Bilalal retreated to the south of the border. Gaining her kingdom back Kanembu decreed that from now on it would be named the Kanem-Bornu empire, and the two would work in unison. While their enemies were retreating Kanem-Bornu decided to take care of their longest running enemy, Sao. Catching Sao on the backfoot Kanem-Bornu conquered his entire territory and made his son Kotoko a vassal state that would pay tribute in cavalry troops every 6 months which allowed Kanem-Bornu to have a massive calvary unit. 

Kanem-Bornu used their renewed military to take complete control of the eastern Saharan trade route, building towns on various oasis that the route commonly came across. Through this expansion they came into conflict with Hausa-Kano, Gobir, Katsina and Zaria. To the north Kanem-Bornu's enemies were Tuareg and Tobou while the eastern border had to deal with Bilalal's constant invasions. Bilalal was also interferring in trade with Egypt and the Arab Kingdoms so with enemies in all four directions Kanem-Bornu needed to make a series of reforms in order to strengthen their growing power. Every city was rebuilt to have a nearby castle stronghold and each fixed camp would also have spiked walls. Kanem-Bornu also borrowed the siege tactics that were common in this time period of 1571. This would come soon as they encountered a surprise along the Bilalal border.

Bilalal at this time had been so focused on retaking the Kanembu territory from Kanem-Bornu that he failed to notice an encroaching Kingdom on his border, Birgami. Bigarmi swept through Bilalal territories and in a short amount of time replaced Bilalal as Kanem-Bornu's opponent. Kanem-Bornu then engaged Birgami in a grand campaign that showed off their military reforms. Scorched earth tactics, early artillery, Beber camelry and Kotoko and Daura calvarly riders in addition to interspersing early firearms with traditional spears. Through these reforms Kanem-Bornu was able to conquer Birgami and expand their territory to nearly grow bigger in size than the Kanem Empire had ever been. 

Looking westward Kanem-Bornu then took land from Hausa-Kano, Gobir, Katsina and Zaria and now the empire was now part of future Nigeria. Needing an administrator they appointed Kanuri to rule the western territories. On the eastern front Tuareg and Tobou ceased to be enemies as they were absorbed into the emerging Wadai Empire. The Wadai Empire was interferring with access to the powerful Ottoman Empire which they needed for trade and thus the two empires gained a centuries long rivalry. Continously having border skirmishes will into the late 17th century. 

These continous skirmishes began to drain the economy of the empire and Wadai funded Birgami to seceede from Kanem-Bornu and Kanem-Bornu fought a war on two fronts and expended considerable resources to bring Birgami and Bilalal back into the fold. The hold on Birgami would not last long as Birgami and Bilala would escape their grasp in the 18th century. This would leave the empire's extension only into Hausa lands. However everything turned south in the 1800s with a new face in Northern Nigeria named Fulani-Fula. Fulani-Fula's jihad broke their hold over many parts of Northern Nigeria and even destroyed the Empire's capital and forced the Empire to make tributary payments to her. A ceasefire was called when Wadai attacked Kanem-Bornu from the other front. Desperate Kanem-Bornu engineered a conflict between the Darfur Kingdom, Birgami, Bialal and Wadai in order to keep them occupied.Wadai would prove victorious over all of them in in 1893 all of the territory of the Kanem-Bornu empire was lost between the squeeze by Wadai and Fulani-Fula, allowing the to flee to the lands Kanuri held. 

When England began his conquests Kanembu refused to yield and was slain for it, with Bornu and Kanuri being absorbed into Nigeria and thus becoming the Borno Emirate which still exists to this day.
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