Part 10: 1020-1039, The first Golden Age.

The Aghalbids finish a civil war, and suddenly only Kabayo's retinue will not cut it.



The Mansa also begins to really enjoy life.



Meanwhile, his army fails to flee in time.







We reform a new army, and head north to get some revenge.



This battle is more to our favour.



This causes Sheikh Amin to surrender.



This leaves Ghana whole, but with the exception of the Canarias, the next war will need to be against the Umayyads. And Kabayo wants to prepare for this.







Kabayo's Paranoia grows, he accuses his seventeen year old daughter of trying to poison him.



She does not take this well.



Although he seems right to be paranoid as his third son is found dead.



Kabayo is now fifty, and has been ruling for forty-six years.



He is so well loved that he can push through crown tax privileges with no opposition. This increases his monthly income from ten gold a month to fifteen.



While Ghana is becoming more like a western country, she is still tribal in many ways, infighting amongst Kabayo's vassals is common.



With this move towards a more civilized nation however, there are certain forms that Kabayo must obey now.







The building of Ghana continues as Kabayo founds the second city of his reign.



Dongu's Keep is now as well upgraded as it can be, researchers are working on new techniques, but it will be some time.







The wise men of Ghana learn much about building better castles and majesty.



They are rewarded with a fine new study.



Kabayo gazes wistfully at Marrakesh. While he can match the Umayyads and their 21,000 troops, they are allied to the Aghlabids and Algerians. These two allies can bring another 25,000 men, if they were called in. The Mansa returns to building his country.







Kabayo is involved in a terrible accident while performing a traditional rite.



While still wounded, news comes that the Umayyads are at war with Aquitaine!



Kabayo ceases this opportunity to try and take the holy site of Marrakesh!



They have a huge army, but Kabayo can match this, if he can play for time.



Two great armies clash while a much larger Ghanan force marches north.



They win that battle, but after that superior Ghanan numbers take effect.







The Ummayads arrive with another army, and Kabayo's forces scramble to reform their army into something that can defeat their enemies.



We are defeated, but only narrowly. But the Muslims follow up and hit us again.



Kabayo spends money to hire thousands of mercenaries.







After a long and glorious reign, and at the age of 57, Kabayo dies. His prestige was a third of the dynasties to date, and it will be a long time until we see a man like him.



Sakoura I is a middle aged man with a fully grown heir of his own. A gruff diplomat, he is also known to be arbitrary and greedy. He is also a proud and diligent man. He loses a lot of the land via the inheritance laws, and can only call upon the capital as his own domain.



He also inherits a war that is not going well. He is nowhere near as well liked as his father, so his vassals are less willing to send in their men, and the huge mercenary army quickly drains his coffers.



After a few months he is forced to concede defeat, where his father had the money to win, he does not.
The reparations bankrupt the Mansa. His father was rich, Sakoura is in debt to most of the lenders in the country.



The use of titles stops his cousins from trying to replace him, but he need money, and at only eight gold a month, this is going to take time.





Ransoms help with some of the debt.



While waiting to pay off the money, Sakoura spends time with his wayward third son.



He also looks at what is happening in Europe – the rise of Wessex and Scotland, and the joining of Bavaria and Lombardy to create a true super power in central Europe.







Ghana is once more in the black, but it will be some time before the Mansa is loved enough to challenge the Umayyads once more. Just getting out of debt makes Sakoura's vassals willing to contribute 4,000 more men however.



The Mansa also works on improving his military skills, albeit in a unconventional way.



Time to teach some teenagers to fight!



They soon learn that the Mansa is not a man to be trifled with!







Unfortunately news of this spreads, and Sakoura the bad is ridiculed behind his back.



The rest of this period is spent rebuilding the shattered retinue, and nothing of interest happens.