The rulers of the Wadai Sultanate ruled a territory today located in the north of the Republic of Chad.
There have been three states of Wadai, with the first dated to pre-1500. In the 14th century, Wadai became a "quasi independent" state of the Maba people but was destroyed at end of the 15th century. A second Wadai state grew out of the first and was conquered by the Tunjur kingdom in the 16th century. In 1611, a Maba named Abd al-Krim expelled the Tunjur and became the first Kolak (King) in 1635, marking the beginning of the third Wadai state. France invaded Wadai in 1909 and annexed it to the territory of Chad. French military rule ended in 1935 and a new Kolak was installed, though with very limited powers over the Ouaddaï prefecture. The state was suppressed France from 1912 to 1935 and by the Chad government from 1960 to 1970.
The current Kolak Cherif Abdelhadi Mahdi was appointed by the central government of Chad, which caused uproar because he was not related to his predecessor. However, he is descended from Kolak Muhammad Sharif (r. 1843–1858). The previous Kolak was dismissed in July 2019 following ethnic clashes in the region.
Name Reign Start Reign End Title Father UnknownBefore c. 1500 Malik (King)– Karama c. 1500 ? Malik (King)– Gamal ad-Din ? ? Malik (King)– Durdur ? ? Malik (King)– al-Kamin ? ? Malik (King)– Muhammad Tunjur ? ? Sultan– Yakub al-Mwakir ? ? Sultan– Hamid ? ? Sultan– Daud ? 1635 Sultan– Abd al-Krim 1635 1655 Kolak (King)– Sharuf(Also known as Kharut al-Khabir) 1655 1678 Kolak (King)– Sharif(Also known as Kharif) 1678 1681 Kolak (King)– Yakob Arous 1681 1707 Kolak (King)– Kharut al-Sarhir 1707 1747 Kolak (King)– Muhammad Jawda(Also known as Joda) 1747 1795 Kolak (King)– Salih Deret 1795 1803 Kolak (King)Muhammad Jawda Abd al-Karim(Also known as Sabun) 1803 1813 Kolak (King)Salih DeretMuhammad Busata18131813Kolak (King)Abd al-Karim Yusuf Kharifain 1813 1829 Kolak (King)Abd al-QadirRaqib18291829Kolak (King)Abd al-Qadir Abd al-Aziz 1829 1834 Kolak (King)Radama Adam 1834 1843 Kolak (King)Abd al-Aziz Muhammad Sharif (Also known as Izz ad-Din) 1843 1858 Kolak (King)Salih Darret Ali 1858 1874 Kolak (King)Muhammad Sharif 1874 1898 Kolak (King)Ali Ibrahim I 1898 1901 Kolak (King)Ali Abu Ghazali 1901 December 1901 Kolak (King)Ali Muhammad Doud Mourrah 1902 3 June 1909 Kolak (King)Yusuf II Acyl(Also known as Asil) 1909 5 June 1912 Kolak (King)–Direct French Rule (1912–1935) Muhammad Urada I 1935 1945 Kolak (King)Ibrahim I Ali Silek 1945 1960 Kolak (King)Muhammad Doud Mourrah Vacant 1960 1970 –– Ali Silek(Second Reign) 1970 1977 Kolak (King)Muhammad Doud Mourrah Ibrahim II 1977 11 August 2004 Kolak (King)Muhammad Urada I Muhammad Urada II 11 August 2004 17 August 2019 Kolak (King)Ibrahim II Cherif Abdelhadi Mahdi 17 August 2019 Incumbent Kolak (King)Abdelhadi Mahdi
See also Chad List of heads of state of Chad List of prime ministers of Chad List of colonial governors of Chad Lists of incumbents
References