kingdom · West Africa

Kingdom of Wuli

1500 CE – 1890 CE (approx.) · capital Medina

Mandinka kingdom of the upper Gambia river, visited by Mungo Park on his journey into the interior in 1795.

Origins

Wuli was one of the Mandinka kingdoms founded along the Gambia river as the influence of the Mali Empire spread westward. It occupied the north bank of the upper river and is traditionally dated to around the 16th century.

Rule and society

The mansa of Wuli ruled from Medina with a council of lineage heads and Muslim clerics. Wuli controlled caravan routes between the Gambia and the upper Senegal and Niger, through which slaves, gold and cloth passed. Mungo Park stopped there in 1795, and the king gave him permission to continue east.

Decline and legacy

In the 19th century Wuli was disrupted by wars between Muslim reformers and traditional rulers. The Anglo-French boundary agreement of 1889 divided the area, and Wuli became a district of the Gambia Colony and Protectorate.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Kingdom of WuliGambia Colony and Protectorate 1821 CE – 1965 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Wuli. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-wuli
MLA
“Kingdom of Wuli.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-wuli. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Wuli.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-wuli.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Wuli’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-wuli (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻