kingdom · West Africa
Kingdom of Khasso
Origins
Khasso arose in the late 17th century when Fulbe herders who had settled among Malinke farmers on the upper Senegal created a kingdom. Its rulers came from the Diallo clan, and the population, known as the Khassonke, mixed Fulbe and Mande culture and language. It lay between more powerful neighbours: Bundu to the west and the Kingdom of Kaarta to the east.
Rule and society
Khasso was a loose kingdom of related chiefdoms, often weakened by succession disputes. Its position on the river, by the Felou falls just above Medine at the head of navigation, made it a stage on the trade route between the coast and the upper Niger, and its rulers dealt with French traders from Saint-Louis. Most of the population kept traditional religion alongside a Muslim minority.
Decline and legacy
In 1855 the French built a fort at Medine with the support of King Juka Sambala. Umar Tall besieged it in 1857, but Paul Holl and Sambala held out until Faidherbe arrived. Khasso became a French protectorate around 1880 and was absorbed into French Sudan.
On the connections map
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- Kingdom of Khasso was a protectorate of French Empire1855 CE – 1880 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Khasso. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-khasso
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Khasso.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-khasso. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Khasso.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-khasso.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Khasso’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-khasso (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻