Bendugu (province)

Bendugu or Bendougou was a province of the Mali Empire and later the Songhai Empire, in modern-day Mali. It lies south of the Bani River, west of Djenne. The name means 'country of grass' in Bamanan.^[1]

History

In 1542 Askia Ishaq I defeated the Mali Empire in Bendougou, but the province remained in Malian hands.^[2] In the 1570s Bendugu was raided by Askia Daoud, part of a wider campaign to restore central control over the periphery of the empire.^[3] In the early 18th century the region was devastated by an invasion by the Kong Empire.^[1]

In the 1830s Bendougou was reorganized as a province of the Massina Empire.^[4]

Government

Bendugu, like the neighboring Kala, was divided between 12 kings, mostly of the Traore lineage.^[5] It was administered by a centrally-appointed official known as the Yaw.^[5] In the 18th century, Bendugu lay on the periphery of the Segou Empire, and this loose control led to anarchic conditions and the proliferation of petty kingdoms during this period.^[6]