Mossi Kingdoms
Moogho | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11th century–1896 | |||||||
Area occupied by Mossi Kingdoms, c. 1530 | |||||||
| Capital | Multiple capitals | ||||||
| Common languages | Mooré | ||||||
| Demonym(s) | Moaaga | ||||||
| Government | Monarchies | ||||||
| Historical era | Pre-Colonial Africa | ||||||
• Departure of Princess Yennenga from the Naa Gbewaa kingdom | 11th century | ||||||
• Conquest by the French colonial empire | 1896 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Person | Moaaga |
|---|---|
| People | Mosse |
| Language | Mòoré |
| Country | Moogho |
| History of Burkina Faso | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
The Mossi Kingdoms, were a group of kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso that dominated the region of the upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The largest Mossi kingdom was that of Ouagadougou. The king of Ouagadougou, known as the Mogho Naaba, or King of All the World, served as the Emperor of all the Mossi. The first kingdom was founded when warriors from the ancient Great Naa Gbewaa kingdom in present-day Ghana region and Mandé warriors moved into the area and intermarried with local people. The different kingdom's consolidation of political and military power began in the 13th century, leading to conflicts between the Mossi kingdoms and other nearby powerful states. In 1896, the French took over the kingdoms and created the French Upper Volta colony, which for many decades largely governed using the Mossi administrative structure.
Some Mossi Kingdoms still exist today as constituent monarchies within Burkina Faso. Most notably, Naba Baongo II currently reigns as Mogho Naba of Wogodogo (Ouagadougou). The kingdoms of Boussouma, Fada N'gourma, Tenkodogo, and Yatenga currently co-exist in a similar fashion, each with their own monarchs. While they no longer hold sovereignty, they still retain some cultural and political influence.