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Mari Djata II of Mali

d. 1374

Mansa of Mali

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About Mari Djata II of Mali

Mari Djata II of Mali was a Malian monarch.

Mansa Jata, commonly referred to as Mari Jata II, possibly incorrectly, known in oral histories as Konkodugu Kamissa was mansa of Mali from 1360 to 1374. He was an ineffective ruler, and his reign, recorded by the contemporary North African historian Ibn Khaldun, marked the beginning of the decline of the Mali Empire.

Jata was the son of Mansa Maghan, and as such the grandson of Mansa Musa. Jata may be the same person as a figure named Jatil mentioned by Ibn Battuta. If so, he was living in exile in Kanburni during the reign of his great-uncle Mansa Suleyman, possibly because Suleyman had seized the throne from Jata's father Maghan by force. Jata then would have conspired with Suleyman's wife Qasa, who may have been his sister, to depose Suleyman. However, Qasa was found out and the coup attempt was prevented.

When Suleyman died, he was succeeded by his son Qanba, who would reign for only nine months. Civil war soon broke out, of which Jata was the victor. He had consolidated power by late 1360. A delegation bearing gifts for the Marinid sultan had been prepared by Suleyman, but he had died before the delegation could be sent, and the delegation spent the civil war in Walata. Jata added gifts to the delegation, including a giraffe, and sent the delegation to Fez. The delegation arrived in December 1360 or January 1361, (The delegation arrived in Safar 762 AH, which lasted from approximately 11 December 1360 to 8 January 1361 in the Julian calendar.)

Jata was regarded as a tyrannical and wasteful ruler. He was said to have sold one of the national treasures of Mali, a boulder of gold that weighed twenty qintars, for far less than it was worth.

Jata contracted a sleeping sickness which increasingly incapacitated him. which lasted from approximately 23 June 1373 to 11 June 1374 in the Julian calendar.

D. T. Niane identified Jata with Konkodugu Kamissa, a figure in oral tradition of Hamana, but Yves Person disputed Niane's interpretations of traditional genealogies and suggested that there is a gap in oral tradition between the middle of the 14th century and beginning of the 17th, with Sulayman being the last mansa remembered before this gap.

Footnotes

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Important facts

Died
1374
Occupation
Nationality
Positions held
Mansa

Family & relationships

Child
Maghan II
Child
Musa II (mansa)
Parent
Maghan I

Frequently asked questions

Who was Mari Djata II of Mali?

Mansa of Mali

When did Mari Djata II of Mali die?

Mari Djata II of Mali died in 1374.

What was Mari Djata II of Mali's occupation?

Mari Djata II of Mali was a monarch.

What nationality was Mari Djata II of Mali?

Mari Djata II of Mali was Malian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mari Djata II of Mali

· Wikidata: Q947664

· DBpedia: Mari Djata II of Mali

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mari Djata II of Mali. https://biography.guide/mari-djata-ii-of-mali/

MLA: "Mari Djata II of Mali." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mari-djata-ii-of-mali/.

Chicago: "Mari Djata II of Mali." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mari-djata-ii-of-mali/.

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