OCR A-Level History A H505
Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016Unit group 1
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107Unit group 1
Y103: England 1199–1272Unit group 1
Y104: England 1377–1455Unit group 1
Y105: England 1445–1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VIIUnit group 1
Y106: England 1485–1558: The Early TudorsUnit group 1
Y107: England 1547–1603: The Later TudorsUnit group 1
Y108: The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603–1660Unit group 1
Y109: The Making of Georgian Britain 1678–c.1760Unit group 1
Y110: From Pitt to Peel 1783–1853Unit group 1
Y111: Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846–1918Unit group 1
Y112: Britain 1900–1951Unit group 1
Y113: Britain 1930–1997Unit group 1
Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750Unit group 2
Y202: Charlemagne 768–814Unit group 2
Y203: The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095–1192Unit group 2
Y204: Genghis Khan and the Explosion From the Steppes c.1167–1405Unit group 2
Y205: Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445–1570Unit group 2
Y206: Spain 1469–1556Unit group 2
Y207: The German Reformation and the Rule of Charles v 1500–1559Unit group 2
Y208: Philip II 1556–1598Unit group 2
Y209: African Kingdoms c.1400–c.1800: Four Case StudiesUnit group 2
Y210: Russia 1645–1741Unit group 2
Y211: The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526–1739Unit group 2
Y212: The American Revolution 1740–1796Unit group 2
Y213: The French Revolution and the Rule of Napoleon 1774–1815Unit group 2
Y214: France 1814–1870Unit group 2
Y215: Italy and Unification 1789–1896Unit group 2
Y216: The USA in the 19th Century: Westward Expansion and Civil War 1803–c.1890Unit group 2
Y217: Japan 1853–1937Unit group 2
Y218: International Relations 1890–1941Unit group 2
Y219: Russia 1894–1941Unit group 2
Y220: Italy 1896–1943Unit group 2
Y221: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919–1963Unit group 2
Y222: The Cold War in Asia 1945–1993Unit group 2
Y223: The Cold War in Europe 1941–1995Unit group 2
Y224: Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948–1999Unit group 2
Y301: The Early Anglo-Saxons c.400–800Unit group 3
Y302: The Viking Age c.790–1066Unit group 3
Y303: English Government and the Church 1066–1216Unit group 3
Y304: The Church and Medieval Heresy c.1100–1437Unit group 3
Y305: The Renaissance c.1400–c.1600Unit group 3
Y306: Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors 1485–1603Unit group 3
Y307: Tudor Foreign Policy 1485–1603Unit group 3
Y308: The Catholic Reformation 1492–1610Unit group 3
Y309: The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453–1606Unit group 3
Y310: The Development of the Nation State: France 1498–1610Unit group 3
Y311: The Origins and Growth of the British Empire 1558–1783Unit group 3
Y312: Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th CenturiesUnit group 3
Y313: The Ascendancy of France 1610–1715Unit group 3
Y314: The Challenge of German Nationalism 1789–1919Unit group 3
Y315: The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792–1945Unit group 3
Y316: Britain and Ireland 1791–1921Unit group 3
Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839–1989Unit group 3
Y318: Russia and Its Rulers 1855–1964Unit group 3
Y319: Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992Unit group 3
Y320: From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857–1965Unit group 3
Y321: The Middle East 1908–2011: Ottomans to Arab SpringUnit group 3
Y209: African Kingdoms c.1400–c.1800: Four Case Studies
The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: importance of Timbuktu and reasons for decline
- 3 things to know
- Unit group 2
Overview
Recall questions on importance of Timbuktu, the economy, including gold, salt, agriculture, trade, slavery, taxation, Islam and traditional religion, jihad, reasons for decline of Songhay Empire particularly succession crises.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What role did succession disputes play in weakening Songhay?
Name the two commodities that formed the backbone of Songhay's long-distance trade.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why was Timbuktu famous as a centre of learning?
Model answer
Its mosques, above all Sankore, supported hundreds of teachers and thousands of students in Islamic law, theology and grammar, and its trade in manuscripts made books one of the city's most valuable commodities.
- 2
Name the two commodities that formed the backbone of Songhay's long-distance trade.
Model answer
Gold, brought north from the forest goldfields, and salt, mined in the Sahara at Taghaza and carried south, were the two staples of Songhay's trans-Saharan commerce.
- 3
Apart from long-distance trade, what were the main sources of Songhay's wealth?
Model answer
Taxes and tolls on caravans and markets, grain farming on the Niger flood plain, and the labour of enslaved people settled in royal villages that fed the court and the army.
- 4
How did Islam and traditional religion coexist in the empire?
Model answer
Islam was the religion of the court, the merchants and the towns and gave the state its law and prestige, while most rural subjects kept traditional beliefs, and rulers drew on both to hold a diverse empire together.
- 5
Against whom did Askia Muhammad declare jihad, and why does it matter?
Model answer
He declared jihad on the Mossi kingdoms to the south around 1498; the campaign showed him using religious authority to justify expansion and to bind the clerical class to his dynasty.
- 6
How far did Songhay expand, and how secure were its outer provinces?
Model answer
At its height it stretched from the Atlantic borderlands across the Niger bend to the Hausa states and the Saharan oases, but distant client states such as Kebbi paid tribute only while the army was near and broke away when it was not.
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