VIIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Central Sudan, Sahara, North Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The central Sudanese trans-Saharan slave trade was a long-term system moving enslaved people northward through Saharan entrepôts and caravan routes. Captives entered the trade through kidnapping, village and state raids, tribute, gifts, alms, and commercial exchange, and were employed in North African armies, households, harems, government offices, and other occupations.
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Le récit
The central Sudan was integrated into trans-Saharan commerce through the export of enslaved people as well as other goods. Zawila served as an early northern outlet, while Bornu became known for female slaves and eunuchs. The trade connected the central Sudan to North Africa and the Middle East, and the passage presents it as a crucial means by which the region participated in wider commercial systems.
Enslaved people entered the system through several channels. Kidnapping was widespread and could be carried out by individuals or townspeople; organized raids ranged from village attacks to state expeditions. Tribute, tax, gifts, alms, ransom, and ordinary market transactions also moved enslaved people between rulers, merchants, religious figures, and communities.
Demand in North Africa was diverse. Black captives served as soldiers, eunuchs, concubines, domestic workers, and attendants in government or elite households. The extract emphasizes that concubinage may have accounted for a considerable share of the traffic, while military recruitment and the specialized market for eunuchs created additional demand.
The trade was sustained by political and fiscal incentives. Rulers used raids to obtain captives and meet obligations to foreign merchants, while states drew customs revenue from the commerce. The passage cautions against assuming that Atlantic trade had already significantly displaced Saharan commerce by the end of the period, and proposes instead that Ottoman intervention in North Africa may have strengthened trans-Saharan exchange.
VIIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Central Sudan, Sahara, North Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The central Sudanese trans-Saharan slave trade was a long-term system moving enslaved people northward through Saharan entrepôts and caravan routes. Captives entered the trade through kidnapping, village and state raids, tribute, gifts, alms, and commercial exchange, and were employed in North African armies, households, harems, government offices, and other occupations.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The central Sudan was integrated into trans-Saharan commerce through the export of enslaved people as well as other goods. Zawila served as an early northern outlet, while Bornu became known for female slaves and eunuchs. The trade connected the central Sudan to North Africa and the Middle East, and the passage presents it as a crucial means by which the region participated in wider commercial systems.
Enslaved people entered the system through several channels. Kidnapping was widespread and could be carried out by individuals or townspeople; organized raids ranged from village attacks to state expeditions. Tribute, tax, gifts, alms, ransom, and ordinary market transactions also moved enslaved people between rulers, merchants, religious figures, and communities.
Demand in North Africa was diverse. Black captives served as soldiers, eunuchs, concubines, domestic workers, and attendants in government or elite households. The extract emphasizes that concubinage may have accounted for a considerable share of the traffic, while military recruitment and the specialized market for eunuchs created additional demand.
The trade was sustained by political and fiscal incentives. Rulers used raids to obtain captives and meet obligations to foreign merchants, while states drew customs revenue from the commerce. The passage cautions against assuming that Atlantic trade had already significantly displaced Saharan commerce by the end of the period, and proposes instead that Ottoman intervention in North Africa may have strengthened trans-Saharan exchange.
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