Sundiata Keita Defeats Sosso at Kirina, Founding the Mali Empire

Around 1235, Mandinka prince Sundiata Keita led a coalition of West African kingdoms to defeat Sumanguru Kanté, king of the Sosso, at the Battle of Kirina near modern Koulikoro, Mali. The victory ended Sosso dominance over the upper Niger region and established the Mali Empire — the largest West African state of its era. Following his coronation as mansa, Sundiata proclaimed the Kouroukan Fouga, an oral constitution organizing clan governance, social rights, and resource stewardship, later inscribed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. His great-nephew Mansa Musa would bring the empire to its global peak ninety years later.