Sokoto Caliphate · 1804-1903

The Sokoto Caliphate and Nana Asma'u

In 1804 the scholar Usman dan Fodio led a jihad that overthrew the Hausa kings and created one of the largest states in Africa. Students meet him and his daughter Nana Asma'u, poet and teacher of women.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1815 to AD 1914
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1804 the scholar Usman dan Fodio led a jihad that overthrew the Hausa kings and created one of the largest states in Africa. Students meet him and his daughter Nana Asma'u, poet and teacher of women.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Locate Sokoto, Gwandu and the main emirates of the caliphate.
  • Explain the causes of the jihad of 1804 and how the caliphate was governed.
  • Describe the work of Nana Asma'u and her network of women teachers.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1815

A new state

Open the map in 1800 and find the label Hausa States. Then drag the slider to 1815. What new label has replaced it?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1880

At its height

Move to 1880 and find the Sokoto Caliphate. How far does it stretch from west to east? Which neighbors does it have?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1914

The end of independence

Move to 1914. What has replaced the caliphate on the map? The British conquered Sokoto in 1903.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Usman dan Fodio was a teacher and writer before he led a war. Why did so many people follow him?
  2. The jihad was a religious reform movement and also a revolt against the Hausa kings and their taxes. Which explanation do you find more convincing?
  3. Nana Asma'u trained women teachers who travelled to teach other women at home. Why was this a clever way to spread education?
  4. The caliphate was run as a federation of emirates. How did that help it control a huge area?
  5. The Sultan of Sokoto is still an important religious leader in Nigeria today. Why do old institutions survive conquest?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Saladin, another ruler who led a war in the name of Islam and then had to govern. Compare him with Usman dan Fodio and Muhammad Bello: how did each turn a movement into a lasting state?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.