Two other major political entities were formed and grew during the 13th and 14th century: the Mali Empire and the Jolof Empire which become the vassal of the first in its heyday.

The Jolof Empire was founded by a voluntary confederacy of States ; it was not an empire built on military conquest in spite of what the word " empire " implies.

* N ' Diklam Sare succeeds Sare N ' Dyaye as ruler of the Jolof Empire ( now part of Senegal ).

The mainland of Cape Vert, however, was under control of the Jolof Empire, as part of the western province of Cayor which seceded from Jolof in its own right in 1549.

Historian Donald R. Wright states that " In the last decade of the fifteenth century, a group of nyancho lineages from Kaabu moved north of the Gambia River and took over an area on the southern edge of the weakening Jolof Empire.

The Kingdom of Cayor ( 1549-1879 ) was the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Empire of Jolof ( Diolof ), in what is now Senegal.

* Jolof Empire

The Kingdom of Baol or Bawol in central Senegal was one of the kingdoms that arose from the split-up of the Empire of Jolof ( Diolof ) in 1555.

The lake has a complicated history involving the kingdoms of Tekrur and Waalo and the Empire of Jolof ( Diolof ).

The Portuguese arrived in the Jolof Empire between 1444 and 1510, leaving detailed accounts of a very advanced political system.

The Jolof Empire was organized as five coastal kingdoms from north to south which included Waalo, Kayor, Baol, Sine and Kingdom of Saloum.

After an initially hostile start, peaceful trade relations were established between the Jolof Empire and the kingdom of Portugal.

Koli was the son of an unsuccessful rebel against the Songhai Empire and may have decided to act against the Jolof as an alternative to fighting the Songhai or Mandinka.

The Mali Empire expanded during the 14th century, and in the 15th century, the Wolf established the Jolof Empire in Senegal.

# REDIRECT Jolof Empire

# REDIRECT Jolof Empire

Although they were conquered by the Kingdoms of Jolof ( Diolof ) and Cayor, and later the French in the 19th century, and were incorporated into modern Senegal, since 1815 they have had a special legal autonomy as a special kind of " theocratic republic ".

In Senegal's Wolof country, especially the northern regions of Kajoor and Jolof, the Tijānī Order was spread primarily by El-Hajj Malick Sy ( spelled " El-Hadji Malick Sy " in French, " Allaaji Maalig Si " in Wolof ), born in 1855 near Dagana.

After Màbba was defeated and killed at The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune fighting against Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, his state crumbled but the Tijāniyya remained the predominant Sufi order in the region, and Abdoulaye Niass ( 1840 – 1922 ) became the most important representative of the order in the Saalum, having immigrated southward from the Jolof and, after exile in Gambia due to tensions with the French, returned to establish a zāwiya in the city of Kaolack.

To the north were Moorish Emirates ; to the south was the Kingdom of Cayor ; to the east was Jolof ( Diolof ).

Djolof expanded its dominance of small chiefdoms south of the Senegal River ( Waalo, Cayor Baol, Sine – Saloum ), bringing together all the Senegambia to which he gave religious and social unity: the " Grand Djolof " Jean Boulègue, Le grand Jolof, XIII < sup > e </ sup >- XVI < sup > e </ sup > siècle, vol.

In 1549, the king, or " Damel ", Detie Fu Ndiogu, became independent from Jolof ( Djolof ).

Cayor was located in north and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom of Jolof and north of Baol and the Kingdom of Sine.

Takrur was later conquered by Mali, it was also conquered by Jolof in the 15th century.

The ruler of Jolof was known as the Bour ba, and ruled from the capital of Linguère.

It further states that, the Sine was never subjugated by Jolof, and that the probably mythical Ndiadiane himself received his name from the mouth of Maysa Wali ( king of Sine ).

At this time Jolof was at the height of its power and the Bur had extended his authority over the Malinke states on the northern bank of the Gambia including Nyumi, Badibu, Nyani and Wuli.

The breakaway state of Cayor used its direct access to European trade ( Jolof was landlocked and had no port ) to grow in wealth and power.

Serer oral tradition speaks of a Serer king of Jolof, involved in the occult ( just as Soumaoro ), who was later defeated by Tiramakhan Traore ( one of the generals of Sundiata ) after Sundiata sent his men to buy horses in Jolof.

It is believed that, it was probably this king of Jolof ( known as Mansa Jolofing or Jolofing Mansa ) who sided with Soumaoro at The Battle of Kirina and possibly belongs to the Ngom Dynasty of Jolof, the predecessors of the Diaw and Ndiaye Dynasties of Jolof.

* Coifman, Victoria Bomba, " History of the Wolof state of Jolof until 1860 including comparative data from the Wolof state of Walo ", p 276, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1969

All of these states were tributary to the land-locked state of Jolof.

The king of Jolof was defeated by Tiramakhan and his kingdom reduced to a vassal state.

In 1513, Dengella Koli led a strong force of Fulani and Mandinka into Fouta Toro seizing it from the Jolof and setting up his own dynasty.

Important past and present Senegalese xalam masters include Sàmba Jabare Sàmb, Ama Njaay Sàmb, Abdulaay Naar Sàmb ( all from the Jolof ), Abdulaay Soose ( from the Saalum ), and Bokunta Njaay ( from the Bawol ).

During a succession dispute in 1360 between two rival lineages within the Mali Empire's royal bloodline, the Jolof became permanently independent.

Historian Sylviane Diouf states that " Each vassal kingdom — Walo, Takrur, Kayor, Baol, Sine, Salum, Wuli, and Niani — recognized the hegemony of Jolof and paid tribute.

* Jean Boulègue, Le Grand Jolof: XIIIe-XVIe siècles, les Anciens royaumes Wolof, t. 1, Karthala, 1987, 207 pages

The mysterious figure went on to rule the kingdom of Jolof.

Under NDdiadian, Jolof made Waalo a vassal.

Griots were employed by every important family as chroniclers and advisors, without whom much of early Jolof history would be unknown.

Serer tradition says that the Kingdom of Sine never paid tribute to Ndiadiane Ndiaye nor any his descendants at Jolof.

Sylviane Diouf states that " Each vassal kingdom — Walo, Takrur, Kayor, Baol, Sine, Salum, Wuli, and Niani — recognized the hegemony of Jolof and paid tribute.