Reigned 1230-1255
Ruler Of Mali

Founder of an Empire. Also known as Mari-Diata, Sundiata is celebrated in West African oral tradition as the great warrior-king who established the territorial basis for the prosperous Empire of Mali. He is said to have been the twelfth and youngest son of the king of the small kingdom of Kangaba (in present-day Guinea on a tributary of the Niger River). According to legend, when the Susu king Sumanguru conquered Kangaba, he killed all the heirs to the throne except Sundiata, who was a crippled child and thought to have a doubtful future. Sundiata later made a miraculous recovery, regaining the use of his legs.

Empire Building. Sundiata became king in 1230, after staging a successful coup d'etat against his uncle, and set about building an empire. He defeated Sumanguru at the Battle of Kirina in 1235, and by 1240 he had captured Kumbi Saleh...