They tried, especially with the Portuguese, who initially had limited success, but in a very hostile environment, involved multinational conflicts involving the Turks, the Ajuran Empire and other East African powers and the Omanis.
There were many multi-party conflicts between the coastal Swahilis, the Portuguese, the Turks and a very powerful landlocked country called the Malawi Empire, which controlled another ethnic group called "Zimba" as a shock force. More shocking than most commandos, as they are reportedly cannibals.
I learned about Zimba a few years ago after reading one of Dr. Clark's books. I know they ransacked coastal cities and ate some of their inhabitants, but I don't know why.
Now, that's why they are not a bunch of uncontrollable barbarians. They are actually part of a powerful landlocked country's military machine that can manipulate them at will.
Malawi Empire
The name Malawi is considered a derivative of the word "Maravi". The people of the Malawi Empire were steelworkers. "A dynasty known as the Malawi Empire was founded by the Amarawians in the late 15th century. Eventually known as "Chewa" (a term that may have been derived from a term meaning "foreigner"), the Amarawi migrated from the area of the modern Republic of Congo to Malawi to escape unrest and disease. The Cheva attacked the Akafula, who settled in small family clans without a unified protection system. The Chewa hunted down and slaughtered the Akafula using a destructive system that they later used to hunt predators.
The Malawi Empire eventually included most of modern Malawi, as well as parts of modern-day Mozambique and Zambia, starting on the southwestern shore of Lake Malawi. The head of state during the expansion of the empire was Karonga (also spelled Karonga). Karonga ruled at his headquarters in Mancamba. Under Kalonga's leadership, deputy chiefs were appointed to occupy and conquer new areas. The empire began to decline in the early 18th century, when fighting among subordinate chiefs and a flourishing slave trade weakened the authority of the Malawi Empire.
Trade and invasion
Portuguese
Initially, the economy of the Malawi Empire was largely based on agriculture, mainly the production of millet and sorghum. During the Malawi Empire, sometime in the 16th century, Europeans first came into contact with the people of Malawi. Under the Malawi Empire, the Chewa had access to the shores of modern-day Mozambique. Through this coastal area, the Chewa traded ivory, iron and slaves with the Portuguese and Arabs. The Chewa language, spoken throughout the Malawi Empire, facilitated trade.
The Portuguese arrived in the area in the 16th century via Portette in Mozambique and provided the first written report on the people of Malawi. The Portuguese were also responsible for introducing corn to the region. Maize will eventually replace sorghum as a staple food for the people of Malawi. Malawi tribes traded slaves with the Portuguese. These slaves were mainly sent to work on Portuguese plantations in Mozambique or in Brazil.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama arrived in Mozambique and Mombasa, and the following year he bombed Mogadishu. Kilva had long prospered by Sofala's gold trade, and Pedro Alvares Cabral arrived in Kilva in 1500; Two years later, da Gama began collecting tribute. In 1505, the Portuguese, led by Francisco de Almeida, built a fortress in Sofala, near the mouth of the Zambezi River, before sacking and garrisoning Kilva; Mombasa, Khoja and Bulava were simply plundered. Hospitals, churches, factories, warehouses and forts were built in Mozambique in 1507. Only Mogadishu is strong enough to remain independent from these attacks.
By 1512, the Portuguese garrison and the Franciscans had left Kilva, and Sofala suffered from a lack of gold. Nuno da Cunha again plundered Mombasa in 1528. The Turks attacked Malindi on the east coast in 1540. By that time, posts had been set up in Seine and Tete to mine gold along the river. The Portuguese destroyed shipping in Mogadishu in 1541. Led by Francisco Barreiro, they invaded the Zambezi lowlands in 1571 and massacred Muslim traders. Three years later, another Portuguese invasion forced the rulers of Utef to pay tribute to Sofala. However, Mutapa State managed to maintain its independence on the Eastern Plateau.
Angola, the capital of Portugal, was founded in Luanda in 1576. Paulo Díaz had tried to establish a colony on the coast of Ndongo in order to mine silver in the Kunza Valley; But this time it failed, and Luanda instead became the center of the slave trade. In 1585, the Turks, led by Amir 'Ali Bey, launched an uprising of Portuguese landowners from Mogadishu to Mombasa; Only Malindi remained loyal to Portugal. The Zimba cannibals conquered the towns of Seine and Tete on the Zambezi River and captured Kilwa in 1587, killing 3,000 people.
In Mombasa, Zimbabwe massacred Muslim residents; But they were stopped in Malindi by the Bantu-speaking Segju and driven back home. This prompted the Portuguese to take over Mombasa for the third time in 1589 and build Fort Jesus four years later to administer the area. Between Lake Malawi and the mouth of the Zambezi River, Karonga Mzula allied with the Portuguese in 1608 and sent 4,000 warriors to help defeat rival Zimbabwe, led by Chief Lundi. In 1614, Sultan Hassan of Mombasa traveled to Goa, India, to complain to the Portuguese governor. When Sheikh returned to Mombasa the following year, he had to flee and was eventually killed by the Portuguese. His son Yusuf was sent to Goa for education.
Remember that the Zimbabweans worked for the Malawi Empire, this is planned aggression.
Malawi
Due to the change in the depth of the river, the Malawians built a bridge called Uralo. These bridges were built with bamboo. Bamboo is placed parallel to each other and tied together with bark (maruze). One end of the bridge will be tied to an existing tree. When entering, the bridge will bend down 80 spans. The bamboo at the top will be used as a railing.
The Ajuran Empire fought back.
Although not as powerful as the Axumians, they were able to control both the Omanis and the Portuguese, they sent ambassadors and merchants to India, China, Vietnam and now Indonesia, and one of their greats was a figure like Ibn Battuta, who actually met him and may sometimes travel with him.
The man, Said of Mogadishu, is said to be the first recorded African diplomat in China, who was in India, where he met fellow traveler, Ibn Battuta.
After sweeping through their southern Swahili city-states, the Portuguese met their opponents with well-prepared and well-organized defenses.
(The Age of Discovery brought Europe's then-superpower, the Portuguese Empire, to the shores of East Africa, when trade with foreign countries flourished.) The wealthy southeastern city-states of Kilwa, Mombasa, Malindi, Pet, and Lamu were systematically sacked and plundered by the Portuguese. Tristão da Cunha then set his sights on the territory of the Ajuran Empire, where the Battle of Barava took place. After a long engagement, Portuguese soldiers burned the city and looted it. However, due to the fierce resistance of the local population and soldiers, the Portuguese failed to occupy the city permanently, and eventually the Portuguese were completely defeated by the powerful Somalis from the Ajuran Empire, and the inhabitants who fled to the interior eventually returned and rebuilt the city.
Tristão da Cunha was later seriously wounded and sought refuge in the Socotra Islands after losing men and boats. After losing the war with the Ajuran Empire, attempts to capture Barava failed. He decides to regroup his men in the Socotra Islands, and Tristang will set sail for Mogadishu, Africa's richest city. But news about what happened in Balava has spread, and there has been a massive mobilization of troops. Many cavalry, soldiers and battleships now guarded the city in defensive positions. Despite this, Triston chose to storm and try to conquer the city, although every officer and soldier in his army opposed this, fearing that if they engaged their opponents in battle, they would definitely lose. He decided to let the Somalis leave peacefully, because he realized that they were extremely difficult to conquer and that the Portuguese had better not mess with them and let the Ajuran Empire become independent. ）
(Somali-Portuguese tensions would continue to run high over the next few decades, with increasing contact between Somali sailors and Ottoman pirates worrying the Portuguese, who conducted a punitive expedition to Mogadishu led by João de Sepúvelda, but were utterly defeated by the Ajuran navy before they even reached the capital of Ajuran.) If Ang de Sepverta ends up killed at the Battle of Benadiel, all his ships will be blown to pieces.
Ottoman cooperation with Somalia against the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean reached its peak in the 1580s, when the Ajura customers of the Somali coastal city began to sympathize with the Arabs and Swahilis under Portuguese rule and sent envoys to Turkey to join forces with the pirate Mir Alibe on an expedition against the Portuguese. He agreed and joined a large Somali fleet, which began attacking Portuguese colonies in East Africa.
By the way, while individual Portuguese and other European ships were attacked and boarded by the West African navy, these were mainly some exploration ships, and not entire fleets prepared for full-scale war, with which the Ajuran fleet met and destroyed them twice, hundreds were killed and enslaved.
They did make military upgrades because they could not be used on land and at sea at the same time.
Marine
Changamir Donbo was the ruler of the Rozvian Empire. Dombo was one of the most powerful rulers in south-central Africa in the 18th century, successfully driving the Portuguese out of the region's markets.
Changamire Dombo, a relative of Munhumutapa, was originally one of these local Shuna leaders. He received the title of Changamir (lord) and developed an effective army called Rozvi, which by the 1670s had become a major force in the northeastern Zimbabwean plateau.
In the early 1680s, (Dongbo) Dombo led his army to the southwest, where he defeated the Torvas. He then challenged the Portuguese in the Zambezi Valley. Donbo's first military encounter with the Portuguese and their African mercenaries took place during the Battle of Mangwe, before June 1684.
In the early 1680s, (Dongbo) Dombo led his army southwest, where he defeated the Torvas. He then challenged the Portuguese in the Zambezi Valley. The first military confrontation between Dong Bo and the Portuguese and their African mercenaries took place at the Battle of Maunggyit before June 1684.
Rozvi bows and arrows and Portuguese firearms, the battle lasted all day. Although Changamire Gyumbo managed to defeat the Portuguese four or five times, his army suffered heavy casualties in artillery fire.
The two armies set up camp on the battlefield, intending to fight again the next day. At 1 a.m., the Portuguese woke up to find them surrounded by fire made by the Rozvi women on the orders of Donbo. The Portuguese and their African allies, thinking they were under siege, fled into the night, and when the sun rose, Changamir Donbo's army ransacked their abandoned camp. Changamir Donbo did not pursue the Portuguese because his army also suffered heavy casualties, and he had to settle for Mutappa, including some Portuguese who invaded Butua, and he eventually defeated them, killing 5,000 men.
The Portuguese never returned to the Zambezi plateau.
Bibliography:
The Portuguese War
"Changamir Dongbo-Pindura"