Borno History
Borno History: Mai Idris Alooma was the greatest and most famous Kanuri ruler of Borno. It was during his rule that the empire hit its peak of glory. He took power after about 25 years of weak and incompetent rulers had been in charge.
He took the throne after the queen’s mother, Magira Aisha, who was a strong and powerful woman, ran the government for a short time. She saved young Idris from people who wanted to kill him and, while she was queen, taught her son the princely traits of bravery and energy in battle, along with fairness, that would help him become a good leader later on.
Idris Alooma was busy at home as a soldier, leader, and supporter of Islam. He was also a skilled diplomat and negotiator in international affairs, communicating with the major Islamic powers of his time. An important part of Borno’s success under Idris came from his army, which was made much more effective by many new ideas in transportation, supply, weapons, and command.
It was Idris himself who led and planned Kanuri wins, even though he had good commanders in his corner. Soon after becoming king, he made peace with the rulers of North Africa, especially Tripoli. They gave him muskets and a group of skilled Turkish musketeers who helped him train his troops and decide the outcome of some of his most important fights.
Because there were so many caravans coming from North Africa with Arab horses and camels for sale, he was able to put together a big and well-equipped horse army. Because he was a capable commander and soldier, he provided his troops with weapons and made sure the Turks trained them well.
Idris Alooma led many battles to conquer and expand his empire in and around Lake Chad. He was very good at putting his troops to work. He put down the So (or Sao), a warlike people who had been a threat to Borno since the time of Mai Ali Ghaji, one of his predecessors, and took their capital of Damasak.
In the same way, he focused his troops on the troublesome Tetala and Kotoko and lessened their power and threat. After that, he went west to attack northern Hausaland, especially the province of Kano. His army tried to take Kano City but failed. In the northwest, he pushed back the Taureg and took down their region of Ahir.
Through these and other military campaigns, he was able to wipe out all Kanuri opposition in the Lake Chad area, start the process of unifying Borno, and strengthen his control over the area. In terms of religion, Idris Alooma thought that spreading Islam was both his job and the need of the government. He made Islam the official religion of Borno for everyone who was important to him and everyone who lived there.
His good behavior set an example for his people and urged them to follow the rules of Islam very strictly. In the ninth year of his reign, Idris Alooma made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and there he built a hostel in the holy city for the use of Borno pilgrims. His many contacts with people in the Islamic world, including Turkey, earned him a lot of respect in that area and helped his empire become more well-known.
The Shari’a, or Islamic code of law, was used to run the courts in Borno when Mai Idris Alooma was in charge. The court became widely known around the world because it drew many Muslim scholars from North Africa. Idris made changes to his empire that were meant to make it more like other Islamic countries. The sights and experiences he had on his journey played a role in these changes.
A lot of things were changed so that Shari’a law replaced customary law. Cases were also taken over from the traditional rulers and given to Muslim judges, called qadis, who also acted as lawyers for the local leaders. Idris Alooma was a great leader for learning because he always supported the learned class, or ulama.
Mosques made of brick were better than those made of reeds, especially in Idris Alooma’s home city of Ngazagarmu. Also, the growth of cities was sped up because Gambaru, a town about three miles east of Ngazagarmu, is thought to have been built during his rule. Overall, Idris Alooma made Borno and its people richer.
The Kanuri kingdom kept a tight grip on trade across the Sahara, which helped trade. Kanem Borno was able to keep control of the important trade route to Tripoli because he had beaten the Tuareg. He raised the second Borno kingdom to its peak of power and glory, giving it the most land and the most respect in central and western Sudan.
His accomplishment was even more impressive because it happened at the same time as the defeat of Songhai, which was Borno’s western rivalry. At the Battle of Tondibi in 1591, the Moroccans defeated Songhai. Askia Ishaq fled and went to Borno after the Moroccan forces defeated the Songhai forces, which is a crucial fact.
After 32 years of mostly successful rule, Idris Alooma was killed while on an expedition in a marsh called Aloo, near Maiduguri, in the northwest of what is now Nigeria. This was one of his many military operations. Many of the things we know about him now come from Ahmad ibn Fartuwa’s thorough records of him.
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