sultanate · West Africa
Kingdom of Baguirmi
Origins
Baguirmi was founded in the early 16th century, traditionally in 1522, by a dynasty that established its capital at Massenya, south-east of Lake Chad. Its rulers took the title mbang. Islam was adopted at court under Mbang Abdullah, who reigned in the late 16th century.
Rule and society
The mbang ruled with a court of officials, many of them eunuchs, and a cavalry force that raided the peoples to the south for slaves, who were traded north and used on Baguirmi farms. The kingdom paid tribute at times to the Kanem-Bornu Empire and later to the Wadai Empire.
Decline and legacy
In 1871 Wadai sacked Massenya, and in the 1890s Rabih az-Zubayr devastated the country. Mbang Gaourang II accepted a French protectorate in 1897, and Baguirmi became part of French colonial Chad. The sultanate survives as a traditional office.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Kingdom of Baguirmi paid tribute to Kanem-Bornu Empire1600 CE – 1800 CE
- Kingdom of Baguirmi paid tribute to Wadai Empire1805 CE – 1897 CE
- Kingdom of Baguirmi was conquered by Rabih az-Zubayr's state1893 CE
- Kingdom of Baguirmi was a protectorate of French Empire1897 CE – 1918 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Baguirmi. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-baguirmi
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Baguirmi.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-baguirmi. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Baguirmi.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-baguirmi.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Baguirmi’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-baguirmi (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻