Y209: African Kingdoms C.1400-c.1800: Four Case Studies | OCR A-Level History A (H505)
Y209: African Kingdoms C.1400-c.1800: Four Case Studies
- 80 questions
- 7 subtopics
- Non-British period study, one of twenty-four
- Y201 to Y224
African Kingdoms C.1400–c.1800: Four Case Studies is unit Y209 of OCR History A, one of the twenty-four options in unit group 2, the non-British period study; a student sits one of them.
Its four key topics are the Songhay Empire c.1450–1591, the Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709, the Kingdom of Benin c.1500–c.1750, the Kingdoms and Empires of Oyo and Dahomey 1608–c.1800. 80 recall questions across 7 subtopics.
Sample questions from Y209: African Kingdoms C.1400-c.1800: Four Case Studies
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: the Sahel c.1450, Sonni Ali and Askia Muhammad
Why was cavalry so important to Songhay's military success?
Show the answer
Horsemen could cross the open savannah quickly to raid, pursue and overawe rival states, and a costly armoured cavalry arm gave the ruler a permanent striking force that towns and villages could not resist. -
The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: the Sahel c.1450, Sonni Ali and Askia Muhammad
Why did Askia Muhammad's pilgrimage to Mecca matter politically?
Show the answer
His lavish pilgrimage of 1496 to 1498 advertised Songhay's wealth abroad and won him recognition as caliph of the Sudan, which gave a usurper unassailable religious prestige at home. -
The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: importance of Timbuktu and reasons for decline
How did Islam and traditional religion coexist in the empire?
Show the answer
Islam was the religion of the court, the merchants and the towns and gave the state its law and prestige, while most rural subjects kept traditional beliefs, and rulers drew on both to hold a diverse empire together. -
The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: importance of Timbuktu and reasons for decline
What role did succession disputes play in weakening Songhay?
Show the answer
Songhay had no fixed rule of succession, so almost every reign after Askia Muhammad's deposition in 1528 opened with a struggle among royal kinsmen, and the civil war of 1588 split the army and the provinces just before the Moroccan attack. -
The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709: the kingdom c.1400, conversion and royal power
Why was Mbanza Kongo so important to the kingdom?
Show the answer
It was the royal capital and by far the largest town, the seat of the court, the cathedral and the treasury, and the point from which provincial governors were appointed and tribute collected; the Portuguese renamed it São Salvador. -
The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709: the kingdom c.1400, conversion and royal power
Describe the ecclesiastical structures the kings of Kongo built.
Show the answer
Churches and schools were founded in the capital and the provincial centres, staffed by Kongolese teachers and European priests, and church appointments and church income were controlled by the king, which made the clergy an arm of royal government. -
The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709: clientage, wars with Portugal and the Antonian movement
Give the outcome of the First Portuguese War of 1622.
Show the answer
An invasion launched from Angola by governor João Correia de Sousa beat a Kongolese force at Mbumbi but was then defeated at Mbanda Kasi, and the Portuguese were forced to withdraw and return their captives. -
The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709: clientage, wars with Portugal and the Antonian movement
Describe the condition of the kingdom during the civil war after 1665.
Show the answer
Rival claimants from competing houses fought over an abandoned capital, provinces such as Soyo acted as independent states, populations fled to fortified refuges and thousands of Kongolese were sold into the Atlantic slave trade as war captives.
The 7 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: the Sahel c.1450, Sonni Ali and Askia Muhammad | Recall questions on the Sahel around 1450, Sonni Ali and the capture of Timbuktu, cavalry and river power, the scholars’ hostility, Askia Muhammad’s rise and pilgrimage, al-Maghili, Shari’a and centralised government. | 11 |
| The Songhay Empire c.1450–1591: importance of Timbuktu and reasons for decline | Recall questions on importance of Timbuktu, the economy, including gold, salt, agriculture, trade, slavery, taxation, Islam and traditional religion, jihad, reasons for decline of Songhay Empire particularly succession crises. | 9 |
| The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709: the kingdom c.1400, conversion and royal power | Recall questions on Kongo around 1400, Diogo Cão, the Kilukeni kanda and Mbanza Kongo, the conversion of 1491, Afonso I and Henrique, the kingdom’s church structures, centralisation, currency and trade. | 11 |
| The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400–c.1709: clientage, wars with Portugal and the Antonian movement | Recall questions on clientage, the slave trade, Luanda and the Portuguese wars, the Dutch, Mbwila in 1665, the civil war that followed, and Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian movement. | 9 |
| The Kingdom of Benin c.1500–c.1750: the obas, government, culture, trade and decline | Recall questions on Benin around 1500, Ewuare and Ozolua, the Portuguese, the Oba’s power and succession, ritual and tribute, the army and defences, art and ivory, the Olokun cult, trade and decline after 1700. | 20 |
| The Kingdoms and Empires of Oyo and Dahomey 1608–c.1800: the rise of Oyo and Dahomey, their armies and their kings | Recall questions on West Africa around 1600, the re-establishment of Oyo and its cavalry, the rise and coastal conquests of Dahomey, the two armies, and the powers of the Alafin and the king of Dahomey. | 8 |
| The Kingdoms and Empires of Oyo and Dahomey 1608–c.1800: institutions, religion, the slave trade and decline | Recall questions on the Oyo Mesi and Ogboni, choosing an Alafin, religion and politics, the Annual Customs, imperial control and the Egbado corridor, the slave trade, Oyo’s domination of Dahomey, Bashorun Gaha and decline. | 12 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby units
OCR A-Level History A Active Recall Guide
Every unit, not just this one. 6,240 questions with their answers.