From this base in Hausaland the Fulani rapidly spread throughout the region. The open plains to the west were annexed, to the south the Fulani captured the northern section of Yorubaland. They were blocked in the east by the kingdom of Kanem-Bornu in 1810. Since Fulani strength was centered on powerful cavalry they could not expand very far southwards, however, as the horses were ineffective in the forests of the region and could not withstand the diseases of those latitudes. It became the largest state in Africa stretching from what is today Burkina Faso to Cameroon.
The new empire was organized into a series of emirates that were loosely controlled by dan Fodio. Under him the empire was split into two divisions, one ruled by his brother, the other by his son. In 1815 dan Fodio retired from the Sultanate and the empire passed to his son Muhammed Bello. He built up the new capital at Sokoto, turning it into a major centre. The empire in the nineteenth century is often referred to as the Sokoto Caliphate. Dan Fodio's brother Abdullahi dan Fodio continued to rule in the west, and this position, known as the Gwandu Emirate, was passed to his heirs but remained subordinated to Sokoto.
In addition to its military prowess, the empire became known for its scholarship. Bello, Abdullahi, and dan Fodio were all considered great scholars and despite ruling such a vast state, all three continued to produce a sizable output of poetry, and texts on religion, politics, and history. While scholarship continued in the empire after Bello's death it became divorced from political life. Over time, the empire also became far more Hausa in character, with the Hausa language becoming the official language.
The empire continued to be an economic success. Hausaland, now unified, reached a level of unprecedented prosperity and the region remained safe from raids by Saharan nomads.
While the Sultan of Sokoto was paramount, the Emirs controlling the other cities, especially Kano, steadily increased in power during the nineteenth century. In 1893 a crisis of the succession saw the rulers of Kano rise to preeminence.
The empire began to collapse under pressure from European colonialism that destroyed traditional trading patterns and armed neighbouring states. When the French explorer Parfait-Louis Monteil visited Sokoto in 1891, the Caliph was at war with the Emir of Argungu, defeating Argungu the next year. Monteil claimed that Fulani power was tottering, but he was probably over-impressed by temporary unrest caused by the war and by the recent accession of the unpopular Caliph Abdul Rahman. However, in 1903 both Sokoto and Kano were sacked and the Empire collapsed, being divided between the French, British and Germans.
The colonizers preserved the Fulani emirate system as the local rulers were given considerable autonomy by the British. The Sultan of Sokoto remains to this day the main religious leader of Nigerian Muslims, and the position is still held by descendents of dan Fodio.
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