I’m writing an epic fantasy based on Sub Saharan Africa and I want to know if there are a group of warriors with a set combat style, code, and training system similar to what we know for knights or samurai? I think I saw a post where someone mentioned a danzo a long time ago but I haven’t been able to find any information on them.
Various states in the Sahel (the region immediately south of the Sahara) basically had knights - armoured cavalry, largely drawn from the aristocracy. For example, 19th century armour for man and horse, from Bornu (northern Nigeria):
and similar armour in modern ceremonial use in Nigeria:
The expense of maintaining warhorses and the time needed to train in military skills made the role of the armoured cavalryman similar in the Sahel to Europe and the Middle East. That is, dominated by a knightly class.
Where the tsetse fly defeated attempts to maintain significant numbers of cavalry, all-infantry armies were usual, with the bulk of the armies being short-term levies or volunteers. However, there was often a professional core consisting of the royal bodyguard. These soldiers were full-time professional soldiers, and are analogous to European housecarls (e.g., Anglo-Saxon housecarls), supported by the king. The classic example of a state with this type of system was the Kingdom of Kongo (in modern Anglola) and neighbouring kingdoms such as Ndongo. The professional soldiers trained extensively, and were noted for their agility in dodging arrows and spear thrusts. Skills could be displayed in military reviews, and in military dances. One such display was given by Queen Njinga of Ndongo in 1660, when she was in her 70s, impressing a visiting missionary priest. When the priest complimented her on her agility, she apologised for poor performance due to her age, boasting that in her youth she was not afraid to face 25 armed men.
Sub-Saharan Africa is large and very diverse. A partial overview of military systems and warfare in sub-Saharan Africa is given in
