Askia Muhammad I

Askia Muhammad I, born Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi and also known as Muhammad Ture, was the first ruler of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire, reigning from 1493 to 1528. A prominent general under Sunni Ali, he challenged the succession of Sunni Ali's son Sunni Baru in 1492 on the grounds that the new ruler was not a faithful Muslim, defeated him, and took the throne in 1493. Askia Muhammad strengthened the empire into the largest in West African history, extending it from Taghaza in the north to Yatenga in the south. He instituted a system of bureaucratic government, standardized trade measures and an organized tax system, and expanded trade with Europe and Asia. He was overthrown by his own son, Askia Musa, in 1528.