Religion or Wealth? A Historical Look at Spanish and Mali’s Success
It is no secret that religion has played a big role in the development of modern civilizations. Furthermore, spreading religion is at the foundation of both Christianity and Islam. This being said, does religion or wealth play a more important role in the rise of empires? To answer this question, we will look at two historical texts about two different groups of peoples. At their prime, both the Spanish and Mali empires were wealthy and powerful. I will be using Bernal Diaz’ accounts of the conquest of the Americas and the epic of Sundiata as evidence to answer the abovementioned question.
The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in June of 1494, divided newly discovered lands between …show more content…
First, it is important to understand the differences between the Spanish and Mali empires. Mali’s most successful era took place during the mid-1200 whereas the Spanish empire became prosperous hundreds of years later. Also, it is claimed that in Mali the traditional beliefs and Islam exist peaceful. This is a striking difference from the Christian Spanish Empire. What I find interesting is that the history of Mali, specifically in relation to religion, is greatly different from Europe. Throughout the epic God is mentioned only a few times and Allah even less. However, destiny is a major theme in the life of Sundiata. This leads me to believe that destiny is a part of this polytheistic endogenous religion. Then, it is destiny that leads to the rise of the Mali Empire (Niane …show more content…
This is similar to the Christian idea of, “will of God.” If God wills our leader to be great and prosperous then so too will the empire. This is why I am trying to connect religion and destiny. If Sundiata was not destined to be a great leader then the empire of Mali would not have risen. The success of a leader brings about success to the empire. And if this success is foretold then so is the success of the empire. As the griot tells us, “But what can one do against destiny? Nothing” (Niane 22). It is simple logic, Sundiata is destined to be a great leader, he is going to be leading the people of Mali, and the people of Mali are destined to be a great empire. Furthermore, it is foretold and nothing can stop it from happening, not even slow childhood development (Niane
It is no secret that religion has played a big role in the development of modern civilizations. Furthermore, spreading religion is at the foundation of both Christianity and Islam. This being said, does religion or wealth play a more important role in the rise of empires? To answer this question, we will look at two historical texts about two different groups of peoples. At their prime, both the Spanish and Mali empires were wealthy and powerful. I will be using Bernal Diaz’ accounts of the conquest of the Americas and the epic of Sundiata as evidence to answer the abovementioned question.
The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in June of 1494, divided newly discovered lands between …show more content…
First, it is important to understand the differences between the Spanish and Mali empires. Mali’s most successful era took place during the mid-1200 whereas the Spanish empire became prosperous hundreds of years later. Also, it is claimed that in Mali the traditional beliefs and Islam exist peaceful. This is a striking difference from the Christian Spanish Empire. What I find interesting is that the history of Mali, specifically in relation to religion, is greatly different from Europe. Throughout the epic God is mentioned only a few times and Allah even less. However, destiny is a major theme in the life of Sundiata. This leads me to believe that destiny is a part of this polytheistic endogenous religion. Then, it is destiny that leads to the rise of the Mali Empire (Niane …show more content…
This is similar to the Christian idea of, “will of God.” If God wills our leader to be great and prosperous then so too will the empire. This is why I am trying to connect religion and destiny. If Sundiata was not destined to be a great leader then the empire of Mali would not have risen. The success of a leader brings about success to the empire. And if this success is foretold then so is the success of the empire. As the griot tells us, “But what can one do against destiny? Nothing” (Niane 22). It is simple logic, Sundiata is destined to be a great leader, he is going to be leading the people of Mali, and the people of Mali are destined to be a great empire. Furthermore, it is foretold and nothing can stop it from happening, not even slow childhood development (Niane