Jolof Empire

The Jolof Empire was a Wolof state in what is now Senegal. By tradition it was founded in the 14th century by Ndiadiane Ndiaye, a figure who appears in Wolof oral history as a wise and mysterious founder.

At its height Jolof's ruler, the Buurba, was overlord of the coastal and inland states of Waalo, Kayor, Baol, Sine and Saloum, which paid tribute and recognised his authority.

Jolof controlled important trade routes, and the arrival of Portuguese traders on the coast in the 15th century gave its coastal vassals new wealth and new independence.

In 1549 the ruler of Kayor broke away and defeated Jolof at the Battle of Danki. The other states followed, and Jolof continued as a smaller inland kingdom until French colonial conquest in the late 19th century.