Baguirmi

Baguirmi arose among chiefdoms southeast of Lake Chad, with its capital at Massenya. In 1337 the later sultanate had not yet emerged.

Founded around 1522, it expanded under rulers called mbangs. Mbang Abdullah’s court adopted Islam, though much of the population retained traditional beliefs. Bornu conquered Baguirmi in the late 16th century, but Muhammad al-Amin regained independence in the 18th. In 1805 Wadai sacked Massenya and installed the dead mbang’s son as a tributary.