Samori Toure

Samori Ture
Emperor of the Wassoulou Empire
Reign	1878 - 1898
Predecessor	position established
Successor	position abolished
Born	c. 1830 Manyambaladugu
Died	June 2, 1900 (aged 69/70) Gabon
House	Dyula
Religion	Sunni Islam

Samori Ture (also known as Samori Toure, Samory Touré, or Almamy Samore Lafiya Toure, c. 1830 – June 2, 1900) was a Guinean Muslim cleric, and the founder and leader of the Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic empire that was in present-day southeastern Guinea and was also part of north-eastern Sierra Leone, part of Mali and part of northern Côte d'Ivoire.

Ture resisted French colonial rule in West Africa from 1882 until his capture in 1898. Samori Ture was the great-grandfather of Guinea's first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré.

Samori Ture was born c. 1830 in Manyambaladugu (in the Konyan region of what is now southeastern Guinea), the son of Dyula traders. He grew up as West Africa was being transformed through growing contacts and trade with the Europeans in commodities, artisan goods and products. European trade made some African trading states rich. The trade in firearms changed traditional West African patterns of warfare and heightened the severity of conflicts, increasing the number of fatalities. Early in his life, Ture converted to Islam.

In 1848, Samori's mother was captured in the course of war by Séré-Burlay, of the Cissé clan. After arranging his mother's freedom, Samori entered into service to the Cissé, and learned to handle firearms. According to tradition, he remained "seven years, seven months, seven days" before fleeing with his mother.

He joined the Bérété army, the enemies of the Cissé, for two years before rejoining his people, the Kamara. Named Kélétigui (war commander) at Dyala in 1861, Ture took an oath to protect his people against both the Bérété and the Cissé. He created a professional army and placed close relations, notably his brothers and his childhood friends, in positions of command.

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