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Samori Ture
Building the Wassoulou Empire and resisting French colonial conquest in West Africa.
Wassoulou state · Kenieba Koura treaty
- Born
- c. 1830
- Birthplace
- Manyambaladugu, West Africa
- Died
- 2 June 1900
More people
Samori Ture
Samori Ture was a West African ruler and military leader. His resistance to France coexisted with coercive expansion, enslavement and forced movement within his own empire.
Early life
Trading background
Was born into a Dyula trading family.
Military apprenticeship
Entered military service after his mother was captured in a raid.
Career
- 1860s
Building power
Developed an independent armed following.
- 1882
French conflict
Began sustained resistance to French expansion.
- 1898
Capture
Was captured by French forces and exiled to Gabon.
Selected work
Wassoulou state
Consolidated authority across a large West African territory.
Kenieba Koura treaty
Negotiated a temporary settlement with France.
Mobile resistance
Shifted his forces and territorial base eastward.
Beyond work
Religion
Used the title Almamy and made Islam central to his rule.
Family legacy
Was a great-grandfather of Guinea’s first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Smithsonian bibliographic record ↗Photo: See source. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
