Sennar Sultanate
Sudan, 1505–1821. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Funj Sultanate was an Islamic kingdom in what is now Sudan, northwestern Eritrea and western Ethiopia. Succeeding the medieval Nubian kingdoms of Makuria and Alodia, it was established in 1504 by Sultan Amara Dunqas, a convert to Islam who founded its capital Sennar on the Blue Nile. It reached its peak in the late 17th century, when it extended from the Third Cataract southwards to the western fringes of the Ethiopian Highlands and the Sobat River, east to the Red Sea, and west to Kordofan and the Nuba Mountains. In 1821 the last sultan, greatly reduced in power, was forced to surrender to the Turco-Egyptian conquest.
Seat of power: Sengs
Rulers
Amara Dunqas
Sultan of Sennar, 1505–1535
He was the first ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar, which he ruled from 1504 to 1533/4. Following the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517, Amara Dunqas skillfully used diplomacy to keep the Ottoman armies from advancing further up the Nile.
Dakin of Sennar
Sultan of Sennar, 1568–1585
Dakin was a ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar. He was the son of the previous ruler Nayil.
Abd al-Qadir II
Sultan of Sennar, 1603–1606
While he was ruler of Sennar, Emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia sent him a richly decorated kettle-drum, and in return he sent Susenyos a trained hunting falcon. Shortly after this diplomatic exchange, he was deposed by his brother Adlan.
Adlan I
Sultan of Sennar, 1606–1611
During his reign, Sennar was at peace with its neighbor, Ethiopia. Adlan was, in turn, deposed by his nephew Badi.
Badi I
Sultan of Sennar, 1611–1616
During his reign, Sennar was at peace with its neighbor, Ethiopia.
Rabat I
Sultan of Sennar, 1616–1644
He intrigued in Ethiopian politics a number of times. Early in his reign he detained the Coptic bishop Abba Yeshaq, who had passed through Sennar on his way to Ethiopia.
Badi II
Sultan of Sennar, 1644–1681
During the reign of Badi II, the Kingdom of Taqali to the west was defeated and made a vassal state. He captured northern and western parts of Kordofan and extended Funj territory across the White Nile, occupying the northern half of the Shilluk Kingdom in 1650 and defeating the Abdallabi tribes who were supported by the Ottoman Empire.
Badi III
Sultan of Sennar, 1692–1716
In the late 17th century, Badi III attempted to modernize the army by importing firearms and even cannons. He was confronted with a pretender, Awkal, whom he defeated.
Badi IV
Sultan of Sennar, 1724–1762
When Emperor Iyasu II of Ethiopia invaded his realm in 1738, the army of Sennar under the leadership of Hamis, a prince of Darfur, inflicted a significant defeat to the invaders at the Battle of the Dindar River. He was deposed by his son, Nasir, with the help of his vizier Sheikh Adelan and his brother Abu Kalec the governor of Kordofan.
Nasir of Sennar
Sultan of Sennar, 1762–1769
Nasir was a Hamaj regent under the Funj Sultanate of Sennar. Nasir was ritually executed in 1769 and succeeded by his brother Isma'il.
Portrait of Nasir of Sennar: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Public domain, file
Isma'il of Sennar
Sultan of Sennar, 1768–1776
He was the ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar from 1768 to 1776. The Scottish traveller James Bruce was his unwilling guest from 1 May to 5 September 1772, and acted as a physician to Isma'il's three wives.
Adlan II
Sultan of Sennar, 1776–1789
He was the ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar from 1776 to 1789. He defeated the Vizier Rajab of Sennar and Fiki Haji Mohammed Majdub in the Battle of Taras in 1787.
Badi VII
Sultan of Sennar, 1805–1821
He was the last ruler of the Funj Sultanate. He offered no resistance to Ismail Pasha, who had led the khedive army of his father up the Nile to his capital at Sennar.
Culture
- It encouraged the spread of Islam by inviting Sufi holymen, which in turn also accelerated Arabization and the formation of the modern Sudanese Arab tribes.
- It was dominated by the Funj people, an arabized people of unclear ethnic origin who ruled over an ethnically diverse population including Nubians, Beja, Bedouin and Hamaj.
- In the 18th century the power of the Funj declined, especially after the Hamaj seized power in a coup in 1762.
Picture
Sennar is a city on the Blue Nile in Sudan, and for several centuries it was the capital of the Funj Kingdom of Sennar.
Image: Ahmadnet20, Public domain, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.