Mansa Mahmud IV retired to Niani and died by 1610. His three sons tore the remnants of the country apart, and Mali became a scattering of loosely allied chiefdoms.[1] These were swallowed up by the Bamana Empire,[2] which even the pashalik of Timbuktu would eventually have to pay tribute to.[9] Still, none of the emergent powers would come close to the hegemony of Mali or Songhai.