U.S. Congress abolishes the African slave trade
The U.S. Congress passed an act to “prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States…from any foreign kingdom, place, or country.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Ashanti Empire emerges in modern-day Ghana
Starting in the late 17th century, the Ashanti king Osei Tutu and his adviser Okomfo Anokye established the Ashanti Kingdom, with the Golden Stool of Asante as a sole unifying symbol.
The Kingdom of Dahomey flourishes in modern-day Benin
The Kingdom of Dahomey was an African kingdom that existed from about 1600 until 1894. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Platea in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century.
The Betsileo kingdoms emerge in Madagascar
The different Betsileo kingdoms (Fandriana, Fisakana, Manandriana, Isandra, etc.) existed independently of each other with oral traditions dating back to the 17th century.
Paulo Dias de Novais founds Luanda in modern-day Angola
Luanda is now the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola’s primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban center.
Four kingdoms emerge throughout modern-day Zambia
The period between the 16th and the 19th centuries saw the emergence of organized Iron Age kingdoms in Zambia. Four kingdoms were established in this period – the Kazembe-Lunda, the Bemba, the Chewa, and the Lozi.
Vasco da Gama becomes first European to discover Seychelles
On 15 March 1503, Vasco da Gama, crossing from India to East Africa, sighted what was almost certainly Silhouette Island and the next day, Desroches Island. The granitic islands began to appear on Portuguese charts as the Seven Sisters.
Migrating Bantu peoples establish the Maravi Confederacy in modern-day Malawi
Maravi was a kingdom which straddled the current borders of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, in the 16th century. The present-day name ” is said to derive from the Chichewa word “malaŵÔ, which means “flames”.
The Awori people found Lagos in modern-day Nigeria
Lagos was originally inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people in the 15th century. Under the leadership of the Oloye Olofin, the Awori moved to an island now called Iddo and then to the larger Lagos Island.
The Songhai Empire rises to power in the western Sahel
At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its leading ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai.