Introduction:

From the 6th to the 13th century, while Europe was experiencing its Dark Ages, the African continent was experiencing a renaissance.

 

Renaissance is a period of great development, intellectual, economic, cultural, social, and philosophical advancement. 

 

Dark ages refer to a period of intellectual, social, cultural, and economic under-development and regression.

 

 

 

Let’s explore the great kingdoms of West Africa between the 9th and 16th centuries CE when africa was experiencing her Great renaissance.

 We cannot cover all the ancient African kingdoms in this course as I do not want to overwhelm you.

 

But I want to encourage you to go on a journey of discovery to research and uncover all the other ancient African empires. 

When you do, be sure to return and tell us all about it in the comments below. You can also jot your findings in a note book for future reference.

 

We are going to cover the following empires

 

But first, have you wondered what the difference between a Kingdom and an Empire is?