{{Infobox monarch| | name = Dunama IX Lefiami | succession = ''Mai'' of the Kanem–Bornu Empire | death_date = 1817{{efn|name=DunamaDeath}} | death_place = Ngala, Bornu | reign-type1 = 1st reign | reign1 = 1808–1811 | predecessor1 = Ahmad Alimi | successor1 = Muhammad IX Ngileruma | reign-type2 = 2nd reign | reign2 = 1814–1817{{efn|name=DunamaDeath|Heinrich Barth (1857) dated Dunama's death to 1817.<ref name=":122">{{Cite book |last=Barth |first=Heinrich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=la_zIUj0oiwC |title=Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa: Being a Journal of an Expedition Undertaken under the Auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the Years 1849–1855 |date=1857 |publisher=Longmans |pages=664 |language=en}}</ref> Louis Brenner (1973) suggested an alternate date of 1820 or 1821, citing better synchronisms with letters by Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi.<ref name=":222" /> Virtually every scholar has supported Barth's original date, including pre-Brenner scholars such as Nachtigal (1881), Landeroin (1911), Palmer (1936), and Urvoy (1941),<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Ronald |url=https://archive.org/details/bostonuniversity02bost |title=Boston University Papers on Africa: Volume II: African History |date=1966 |publisher=Boston University Press |pages=65 |chapter=The Bornu King Lists}}</ref> as well as later authors such as Stewart (1989)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stewart |first=John |title=African States and Rulers: An Encyclopedia of Native, Colonial and Independent States and Rulers Past and Present |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=1989 |isbn= |pages=35 |chapter=}}</ref> and Bosworth (2012).<ref name=":0" />}} | predecessor2 = Muhammad IX Ngileruma | successor2 = Ibrahim IV Lefiami | house = Sayfawa dynasty | house-type = Dynasty | father = Ahmad Alimi | mother = Lefiya }} '''Dunama IX'''{{efn|Some chronologies of Kanem–Bornu rulers omit the 14th-century Dunama III, lowering the regnal numbers of later rulers of this name. This ruler is then considered '''Dunama VIII'''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stewart |first=John |title=African States and Rulers: An Encyclopedia of Native, Colonial and Independent States and Rulers Past and Present |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=1989 |pp=35, 146}}</ref>}} (Dunama bin Aḥmad<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Bosworth |first=Clifford Edmund |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Islamic_Dynasties/maQxEAAAQBAJ |title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual |date=2012 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year= |isbn=0-7486-2137-7 |pages=127 |orig-year=1996}}</ref>), called '''Dunama Lefiami''',<ref name=":0" /> was the ''mai'' (ruler) of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in 1808–1811 and 1814–1817.<ref name=":0" />{{efn|name=DunamaDeath}} Dunama came to power after his elderly father, Ahmad Alimi, decided to abdicate in the aftermath of the Fulani capture and destruction of Ngazargamu, the empire's capital. Dunama led resistance against the invaders and turned the tide with the recruitment of religious scholar and military leader Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi. With al-Kanemi's aid, the Fulani were largely repelled from imperial territory and Dunama restored to power.
Dunama came to increasingly rely on al-Kanemi for the defense of the empire against further Fulani attacks, leading to al-Kanemi amassing unprecedented power and influence. Al-Kanemi's increasing influence and Dunama's failure to settle on a new capital raised questions about his leadership. In 1811, Dunama was deposed by his own courtiers in a palace revolt, replaced as ''mai'' with his uncle Muhammad IX Ngileruma. Dunama was restored as ''mai'' in 1814 with al-Kanemi's aid. Al-Kanemi began to act independently more overtly, adopting the title ''shehu'', establishing his own seat of power at Kukawa, and sometimes avoided properly consulting with the ''mai'' on political matters. In 1817, Dunama attempted to remove al-Kanemi by orchestrating an invasion of the empire by the Sultanate of Bagirmi but was himself killed in the fighting.
==First reign==
=== Wars with the Fulani === Dunama was a son of ''mai'' Ahmad Alimi.<ref name=":0" /> As indicated by the name ''Lefiami'', his mother was named Lefiya.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal |last=Palmer |first=H. R. |date=1912 |title=The Bornu Girgam |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/716085 |journal=Journal of the Royal African Society |volume=12 |issue=45 |pages=83 |issn=0368-4016}}</ref> In 1807 at the latest, the Kanem–Bornu Empire became threatened by the Fula jihads.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Lavers |first=John E. |date=1993 |title=The al-Kanimiyyin Shehus: a working chronology |url=https://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/year/2006/docId/1826 |journal=Berichte des Sonderforschungsbereichs |volume=268 |issue=2 |pages=179–186 |jstor=}}</ref> Under Dunama's father Ahmad Alimi,<ref name=":22">{{Cite book |last=Brenner |first=Louis |url=https://archive.org/details/shehusofkukawahi0000bren/mode/2up?q=ngala |title=The Shehus of Kukawa: a history of the Al-Kanemi dynasty of Bornu |date=1973 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-821681-0 |pages=30–36}}</ref> the Fulani captured and destroyed the capital of Ngazargamu in 1808<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Hogben |first=Sidney John |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/An_Introduction_to_the_History_of_the_Is/LHeQAAAAIAAJ |title=An Introduction to the History of the Islamic States of Northern Nigeria |date=1967 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=169 |language=en}}</ref> and occupied and devastated much of the southern and western parts of the empire.<ref name=":22" /> Ahmad, accompanied by some of his family and several courtiers, fled east to near Lake Chad. With the empire on the brink of collapse and at an advanced age, Ahmad decided to abdicate in favor of Dunama. This was a controversial decision, since the ''mai'' was expected to rule for life.<ref name=":22" />
Dunama immediately resolved to regroup his forces and counter-attack the Fulani.<ref name=":22" /> His attention was drawn to Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, a newcomer in the Ngala region who was teaching and performing religious duties. Through his teaching, al-Kanemi had attracted many followers.<ref name=":22" /> When the Fulani reached Ngala under the leader Muhammad Wabi, al-Kanemi led a force of his students, bolstered by Kanembu and Baggara Arab mercenaries, and defeated the Fulani contingent. Although the victory was of relatively little importance in the context of the greater conflict, it had symbolic value since it proved the Fulani were not undefeatable.<ref name=":22" /> Dunama summoned al-Kameni to help defend the empire<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Brenner |first=Louis |title=Dictionary of African Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-19-538207-5 |location= |pages=289 |chapter=Kanemi, Muhammad al-}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Lipschutz |first=Mark R. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dictionary_of_African_Historical_Biograp/QYoPkk04Yp4C |title=Dictionary of African Historical Biography |last2=Rasmussen |first2=R. Kent |date=1986 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-06611-3 |pages=87 |language=en}}</ref> and reconquer Ngzargamu.<ref name=":22" />
Dunama had enacted several measures on his own to restore the strength of the empire, such as reorganising the army. The Fulani forces had weakened in the meantime due to desertion of troops. The recruitment of al-Kanemi tipped the balance, inspiring imperial forces through his fanaticism and bolstering the army with his followers and mercenaries.<ref name=":22" /> Dunama and al-Kanemi managed to repel the Fulani, restoring Dunama to power over the country.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Stapleton |first=Timothy J. |title=A Military History of Africa: The Precolonial Period: From Ancient Egypt to the Zulu Kingdom (Earliest Times to ca. 1870) |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-0313395697 |location= |pages=82 |chapter=}}</ref> The people recognised al-Kanemi's role in the campaign and praise of his deeds spread throughout the empire. In return for his efforts, al-Kanemi was rewarded with money, slaves, and cattle, and he then returned to his former religious pursuits at Ngala. Dunama re-established himself at what remained of Ngazargamu and began campaigns to pacify the countryside.<ref name=":22" />
In the latter half of 1809, the Fulani leader Ibrahim Zaki marched from Katagum, heading for Ngazargamu. Dunama fled the capital and sought the assistance of al-Kanemi again. Once their army returned to Ngazargamu, they found the site abandoned, Zaki having returned to Katagum. The Fulani leader Muhammad Manga (son of Goni Mukhtar, who had captured Ngazargamu in 1808) then attacked the empire. Manga's invasion was faced by al-Kanemi, who kept him away from Ngazargamu but failed to meet him in a decisive battle.<ref name=":22" />
=== Deposition === Due to the repeated threats to Ngazargamu, Dunama decided not to return to the former capital, moving closer to Lake Chad in the east. Dunama was unable to decide upon a new permanent site, instead shifting his residence every few months. The ''mai''<nowiki/>'s itinerant life inspired the ire of the populace, who gave him the derisive nickname "the ''mai'' of the calabash".<ref name=":22" /> Dunama's movements also meant that he was unable to consolidate his authority among the nobility and courtiers. Another factor of discontent among the elite was Dunama's friendship with, and reliance on, al-Kanemi.<ref name=":22" /> Al-Kanemi had made himself known as the most effective military leader in the empire and had used this to his advantage. In 1809, he requested land around Ngurno, and was swiftly granted a large personal fiefdom there.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":2" /> The great power and wealth bestowed on al-Kanemi was a threat to the established positions of many courtiers<ref name=":22" /> and raised further questions among the court about Dunama's leadership.<ref name=":3" />
In 1811,<ref name=":0" /> Dunama was deposed by his courtiers in a palace revolt and replaced as ''mai'' with his uncle Muhammad IX Ngileruma. The leaders of the conspiracy justified their revolt by arguing that Dunama had been an illegitimate ruler since he became ''mai'' while his father was still alive.<ref name=":22" /> Muhammad Ngileruma solved some of the grievances with Dunama's rule, for instance establishing a new permanent capital at Kafela,<ref name=":22" /> close to al-Kanemi's seat at Ngurno.<ref name=":4" /> He did not lessen al-Kanemi's influence, however, instead formally incorporating al-Kanemi and his forces into the empire's defense forces.<ref name=":22" />
== Second reign == For much of his reign, Muhammad Ngileruma was caught in power struggles between the ruling classes at Kafela and Ngurno. Muhammad Ngileruma eventually lost support, partly due to the legal strictures he had imposed at court due to his strong religious convictions and due to the lack of decisive action against the Fulani.<ref name=":22" /> A conspiracy soon formed and al-Kanemi joined the anti-Ngileruma faction after being promjised a greatly enlarged fief, stretching from Ngurno to Ngala.<ref name=":22" /> In 1814,<ref name=":0" /> with the pretext of preparing another campaign against the Fulani, al-Kanemi summoned leading courtiers to Ngurno. The courtiers who did not support Dunama were outnumbered and forced to comply. Upon hearing of the conspiracy, Muhammad Ngileruma left Kafela quietly without a fight. Al-Kanemi, the courtiers, and Dunama made their way to Kafela, where Dunama was invested as ''mai'' for the second time.<ref name=":22" />
With Dunama's restoration, al-Kanemi had become the most powerful person in the empire<ref name=":22" /> and its ''de facto'' ruler.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" /> Dunama was indebted to him for the throne, he was the leading courtier, and his fief encompassed roughly half the territory of the empire.<ref name=":22" /> In 1814, al-Kanemi assumed the new style of ''shehu'' (sheikh)<ref name=":4" /> and established a new seat for himself at Kukawa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gronenborn |first=Detlef |title=West Africa During the Atlantic Slave Trade: Archaeological Perspectives |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-4742-9104-0 |location= |pages=119 |chapter=Kanem-Borno: A Brief Summary of the History and Archaeology of an Empire of the Central ''bilad al-sudan''}}</ref> Al-Kanemi's move to Kukawa coincided with him beginning to adopt a significantly more independent attitude to the ''mai''. Al-Kanemi began to make important political and military decisions without properly consulting with Dunama and the court, undermining Dunama's confidence in him.<ref name=":222">{{Cite book |last=Brenner |first=Louis |url=https://archive.org/details/shehusofkukawahi0000bren/mode/2up?q=ngala |title=The Shehus of Kukawa: a history of the Al-Kanemi dynasty of Bornu |date=1973 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-821681-0 |pages=48–53}}</ref>
Several courtiers of Dunama began to encourage the ''mai'' to eliminate al-Kanemi. Dunama felt indebted to al-Kanemi had been friendly with him for long. Before the move to Kukawa, the ''shehu'' had also not done anything to directly challenge Dunama's authority. The ''mai'' thus hesitated, but became increasingly convinced that al-Kanemi had to be removed in order to ensure the security of his own throne<ref name=":222" /> and regain sole power.<ref name=":3" /> The imperial court entered into an alliance with ‘Uthman Burkomanda III al-Kabir, ruler of the Sultanate of Bagirmi, who feared that al-Kanemi was plotting to invade his country.<ref name=":222" /> In 1817,<ref name=":0" />{{efn|name=DunamaDeath}} the Bagirmi army invaded the empire, secretly invited to do so by Dunama. Dunama and al-Kanemi marched to meet the invasion together. Burkomanda wrote a letter to Dunama, telling him to keep his forces south of al-Kanemi's so that the ''shehu'' could be distinguished in the battle. Al-Kanemi intercepted this letter and, without indicating knowledge of the conspiracy, instead placed his army south of Dunama's.<ref name=":222" /> In the ensuing battle, fought at Ngala,<ref>Palmer, H. R. (1926). History Of The First Twelve Years Of The Reign Of Mai Idris Alooma Of Bornu (1571–1583) (Fartua, Ahmed Ibn). p. 117.</ref> Burkomanda thus accidentally attacked Dunama's forces and the ''mai'' was killed in battle.<ref name=":222" />
Dunama's death confirmed the transfer of power to al-Kanemi, whose immense power was now unopposed. The ''shehu'' returned to Kukawa, but had no intention to proclaim himself as the new ''mai''.<ref name=":222" /> Instead, al-Kanemi presided at the installation of a new puppet ''mai'', Dunama's younger brother Ibrahim IV Lefiami.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":222" />
== Notes == {{Notelist}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Kanem–Bornu rulers}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunama 09 Lefiami}} Category:Rulers of the Bornu Empire Category:19th-century monarchs in Africa Category:Kanuri people Category:Muslim monarchs Category:African warriors