Independence and Amary Ngone

In 1549, the damel (dammeel in Wolof,^[4] often translated into European languages as "king") Dece Fu Njogu, having failed to send tribute to the Buurba Léléfoulifak for several years, sent his son Amary Ngone Sobel Fall to do so. Amary, aided by his uncle the Teigne of Baol, led an army to a lake called Danki, and left them there to go to the Buurba's court with a small escort. Poorly received by Léléfoulifak, he announced that his country had no need of a leader such as that. The Jolof-Jolof pursued them back to Danki, where the Cayor forces routed them and killed Léléfoulifak.^[3]: 9

The battle of Danki marked the end of the Jolof Empire's hold over Cayor. In the ensuing celebrations Dece Fu Njogu was killed in an accident, and Amary Ngone became damel. His uncle died soon afterwards, and he thus became the first Damel-Teigne ruling over both Cayor and Baol.^[3]: 10 He proclaimed a new constitution for the kingdom and founded a new, more centrally located capital at Mboul. In the years after his accession Jolof invaded several times attempting to re-assert their hegemony but were defeated. They would not dare to attack Cayor again until Amary's death, after a 44-year reign.^[3]: 11

Marabout Wars

During the height of the Tubenaan movement in the late 17th century, marabouts across the region began to aspire to political power for the first time, advocating a restoration of traditional Islamic values. Futa Toro was the first to fall. In Cayor, the powerful marabout Ndiaye Sall allied with Yacine Bubu, who had recently and controversially been removed from her position as lingeer by her nephew, the Damel Detye Maram. They joined forces to overthrow him, enthroning another nephew of Yacine Bubu's, Ma Faly Gueye. Six months later, however, Gueye was caught drinking alcohol by Sall's talibes and killed.^[1]: 328 Yacine Bubu, determined to protect the power of the royal family and prevent Sall from establishing a theocracy, convened a secret assembly of notables to reach out to Makhoredia Diouf, Buur of Saloum, for support against the marabouts.^{[5][1]: 329} They were successful in defeating Sall, but instability continued for years afterwards.

In 1693 the aristocracy, now threatened by the Buur of Saloum, appealed to the Teigne of neighboring Baol, Lat Sukaabe Fall for help. He took over Cayor and declared himself the Damel-Teigne, imposing the hegemony of his maternal line, the Geej, over the previously dominant Dorobe and Guelwaar matriclans. He also strengthened central power, coopted the marabouts with royal appointments, and frequently clashed with the French over their attempts to impose a trade monopoly on the kingdom.^[6]

18th Century

During the 18th century, under the leadershup of Damel Maïsa Teindde Ouédji, Cayor annexed the Kingdom of Baol but was then embroiled in a succession dispute after his death. Baol regained its independence in 1756.^[7] During the 1750s and 60s, Cayor was repeatedly involved in wars against Waalo and Jolof, with the Buurba ruling as Damel 1759-60. The forces of the Trarza Emirate helped Maissa Bigué Ngoné Fall regain the throne, in return for yearly tribute and permission to raid in Cayor one month a year.^{[8]: 41–2}

In 1776, inspired by the rise of the Imamate of Futa Toro, the marabouts of Cayor again began to agitate for political power under the leadership of Malamin Sarr. Damel Amari Ngoone Ndela Kumba pre-emptively attacked, capturing Sarr's son and selling him into slavery. In response, some clerics did the same to agents of the crown. In a climactic showdown the marabouts were defeated, Sarr was killed, and many were again sold into slavery.^[9]: 599 The surviving marabouts played an important role in founding the Lebou republic on the Cap-Vert peninsula.^[2]

Soon after, the Almamy of Futa Toro Abdul Kader joined with the Buurba of Jolof to avenge the clerics and re-establish his influence over Cayor. As the invading army crossed the Ferlo Desert, the damel removed food stores and poisoned wells so that the exhausted Torodbe could not replenish their supplies. At the battle of Bunxoy, Amari Ngoone Ndela destroyed the Futanke force and captured Abdul Kader himself.^[10]: 95 He treated him well, as a respected religious leader, then sent him home laden with gifts after the Torodbe had elected a new almamy.^[9]: 601

In the aftermath of this decisive victory of the old, secular order over reformist Islamists, tension continued to increase between the clerics and the nobility. During this period, contemporary writers began to refer to the ruling class as 'pagan' for the first time, although they still self-identified as Muslim.^[9]: 601

Lat Jor and the French

Birima Ngoné Latir was crowned damel in 1855, succeeding his uncle who had raised him after his father Makodou Koumba, the Teigne of Baol, had been driven into exile.^[3]: 31

The French governor Louis Faidherbe, based in Saint-Louis, encouraged the clerics to rebel again. In 1859 the marabouts of the province of Ndiambour took advantage of the rumoured death of the young, weak damel to do so. Makodou Koumba returned from exile to help crush the rebellion.^{[11][9]: 604} A brutal war resulted, with the reigning teigne Thié Yasin Ngoné Déguèn coming to support the marabouts with the promise of becoming damel. After winning battles at Mboul and Mekhe, and 2 years of conflict, Birima Ngoné Latir defeated the Baol-Baol army and Makodou Koumba was reinstalled as teigne. Latir died soon after, however, and Makodou left Baol to succeed his son as damel.^[3]: 32

Makodou faced resistance from his son's maternal side, who wanted Birima Ngoné's half-brother Lat Jor enthroned instead. Makodou defeated the opposition at Béri-Ngaraf, and Lat Jor submitted. He reneged on a treaty signed with the French to build a railroad across Cayor, so in 1861 the French invaded and replaced him with Ma-Dyodyo.^{[3]: 33 [12]} Lat Jor and the nobility resented both the harsh rule of Ma-Dyodyo and the external intervention. After some initial military success in 1863, he was forced to take refuge with the almaami of Saloum, Maba Diakhou Ba, early the next year.^[13][14]

The French attempted to annex the country, but this ultimately proved unworkable.^[15] In 1868 Lat Jor and his troops returned to Cayor to regain independence. He allied with Shaikh Amadou Ba and defeated the French in the battle of Mekhe on July 8th, 1869.^[16] By 1871 the French accepted his restoration to the position of damel. Amadou Ba's meddling in Cayor, however, soon ended their partnership. ^[17] Over the next few years Lat Jor tried to exert his authority over Baol and helped the French defeat and kill Amadou in 1875.^[18]

This alliance was broken in 1881 when Lat Jor began a rebellion to resist the construction of the Dakar to Saint-Louis railway across Cayor. Dior is reported to have told the French Governor Servatius:

"As long as I live, be assured, I shall oppose, with all my might the construction of this railway."^[19]

In 1883 Lat Jor tried to replace the powerful Farba Demba War Sall, who defected to Samba Laobe Fall, Lat Jor's nephew and rival claimant to the throne.^[3]: 36 With French support, Samba soon took over Cayor. He ruled for 3 years, before quarreling with Alboury Ndiaye, Bourba of Jolof, and invading despite a treaty promising to inform the French before making war. Alboury attacked while Fall's exahusted troops were trying to set up camp, routing the Waadjor forced and wounding Fall. The French pressured the damel to pay reparations, but he refused. At the ensuing negotiatons at Tivaouane on October 6, 1886, a fight ensued and he was killed by a French lieutenant.^{[3]: 37–8} Lat Jor died in battle soon afterwards, and the kingdom of Cayor ceased to exist as an independent, united state.^[20]