Mansa Musa: The Richest Man in History Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire from 1312 to 1337 CE at the height of medieval Africa's golden age. While Europe struggled through the Dark Ages, West Africa was experiencing a renaissance. Mali controlled the trans-Saharan trade routes that connected three continents, making it the economic powerhouse of the medieval world. Musa's empire stretched from the Atlantic coast to the bend of the Niger River — larger than Western Europe. But size wasn't Mali's o