Dawud was the half-brother of the 14th-century Kanem–Bornu emperor Idris I of Kanem. After the death of Idris, Dawud was chosen as king instead of the sons of Idris. Idris's sons responded by launching a war of succession, which weakened the Sayfawa dynasty and made it vulnerable to external attacks and war with the Bulala broke out in 1376. Dawud would be succeeded by his son, Othman I in 1376.[1]