The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) is a state that dominates the western Sahel in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

At its peak the empire is one of the largest in African history.

The empire bears the same name as its leading ethnic group, the Songhai people, the ruling elite in the empire.

Sonni Ali establishes Gao as the capital of the empire, although a Songhai state has existed in and around Gao since the eleventh century.

Other important cities in the empire are Timbuktu and Djenné, conquered in 1468 and 1475 respectively, where urban-centered trade flourishes.

Initially, the empire is ruled by the Sonni dynasty (c. 1464–1493), but it is later replaced by the Askiya dynasty (1493–1591).During the second half of the thirteenth century, Gao and the surrounding region had grown into an important trading center and attracted the interest of the expanding Mali Empire.

Mali conquers Gao towards the end of the thirteenth century and it remains under Malian hegemony until the late fourteenth century, but as the Mali Empire starts to disintegrate, the Songhai reassert control of Gao.

Songhai rulers subsequently take advantage of the weakened Mali Empire to expand Songhai rule.

Under the rule of Sonni Ali, the Songhai surpasses the Malian Empire in area, wealth, and power, absorbing vast areas of the Mali Empire and reaching its greatest extent.

His son and successor, Sonni Bāru (1492–1493), is a less successful ruler, and as such is overthrown by Muhammad Toure, one of his father's generals.

He is later called Askia (1493–1528) and institutes political and economic reforms throughout the empire during his reign.A series of plots and coups by Askia's successors forces the empire into a period of decline and instability.

Askia's relatives attempt to govern the empire, but political chaos and several civil wars within the empire ensure the empire's continued decline, particularly during the ruthless rule of Askia Ishaq I (1539–1549).

However, the empire experiences a period of stability and a string of military successes during the reign of Askia Daoud (1549–1582/1583).

Ahmad al-Mansur, the Moroccan sultan at the time, demands tax revenues from the empire's salt mines.

Askia Daoud responds by sending a large quantity of gold as gift in an attempt to appease the sultan.

Askia Ishaq II (1588–1591) ascends to power in a long dynastic struggle following the death of Askia Daoud.

He is the last ruler of the empire.

In 1590, al-Mansur takes advantage of the recent civil strife in the empire and sends an army under the command of Judar Pasha to conquer the Songhai and to gain control of the Trans-Saharan trade routes.

After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tondibi (1591), the Songhai Empire collapses.

The Dendi Kingdom succeeds the empire as the continuation of Songhai culture and society.