We calibrate the period of existence of the Kingdom of Benin between the 12th century and the 19th century. At its beginning, the kingdom was a state located in West Africa populated mainly by the Edos, an ethnic group whose dynasty is still alive today. This great empire was spread over the current territories of southwestern Nigeria, Benin and a good part of Togo.
Historians trace the creation of this kingdom in two stages. The period when the kingdom was ruled by an Ogiso, and when it was ruled by an Oba. The Ogisos are the oldest kings of the Edo ethnic group. Moreover, the meaning of this term in Edo is “King of the Sky”. At the time of their reign, the country would have borne the name of Igodo Migodo, the name of the first of them, Obagodo.
As for the Oba, the versions of their arrival in the kingdom diverge. The two most famous relate that the people of Edo had invited Prince Oranmiyan from the neighboring Yoruba kingdom of Ife to protect them from the tyranny of the Ogisos; the other version relates that Prince Oranmiyan led an invasion which repelled the Ogisos and that Oranmiyan’s son, Eweka, was the first Oba of Benin.
Golden age and heyday of the kingdom
Oba Ewuare, known as Le Grand, reigned between 1440 and 1473. The golden age of the Kingdom of Benin began under his aegis. In order to strengthen his power, he created other categories of leaders in order to weaken the power of Uzama and thwart political factions. He will subsequently engage in several conquests. Idah to the north, Owo and Akure in Ibo lands. The kingdom will gradually become an empire and Edo, which it strengthens, becomes its capital. The Oba is now considered a demi-god and Ewuare institutes the inheritance of the title.
In 1472, the reign of Ewuare ended and his son Ozolua the conqueror replaced him. The latter continued his father’s work by extending the empire. Lagos becomes the garrison of military troops. In 1486, Joao Afonso de Aveiro, a Portuguese navigator comes into contact with the empire and established diplomatic relations with him resulting in exchanges of ambassadors and commercial goods. Benin exported to Portugal pepper, leopard skins, ivory, traditional outfits, handicrafts made of wood and terracotta. In return, the empire received clothes, glasses and firearms.
Thanks to its firearms, the empire strengthened its military power and accelerated its expansion during the 16th century. The Portuguese tried to convert the Oba to Catholicism but this enterprise fell through because the Oba was the head of the cult. During the reign of Oba Esigie, son of Ozolua, the empire reached its peak. The latter reigned over the empire from 1504 to 1550. The arts and culture sector was the main base of this heyday. Esigie raised an army ranging from 20,000 men to 100,000 men. Works of art from this period still exist today and being displayed in Western museums.
Unlike his father, Esigie will preach Christianity to his people. This is how he sent Ohen-Okun, the priest of Ughoton to the king of Portugal. The latter sent Catholic missionaries to Benin. Esigie therefore authorized the construction of several churches. Especially in the towns of Ogbelaka, Idumwerie and Akpakpaya. The current large church in Benin City dates from this period.
In 1553 the British became interested in the Benin Empire and organized a first expedition there. This is how commercial exchanges based on ivory, palm oil and pepper are established between the empire and the British.
Decline and destruction of the empire
In the 18th century, the influence of the empire began to diminish. Partly because of the invasions of the Yorubas in the West, the British in the South and the Nupes in the North. In a burst of pride, the empire regained its health with the palm oil trade in the 19th century. The British, however, increased their pressure in the 1880s and 1890s. The Oba, in order to maintain the independence of his kingdom, reduced exports until the only commodity exported was palm oil.
In 1897, the British through Lieutenant Phillips requested an audience with the Oba Ovoramwen in order to ratify a treaty calling for an end to human sacrifice. The Lieutenant bursts in accompanied by nine soldiers in Benin City while the Oba has not yet responded favorably to his request. This intrusion is considered by the Beninese as a declaration of war. Lieutenant Phillips and seven of his men are killed. Killings to which the British will respond. Indeed, the latter organize a punitive expedition with a force of 1,200 men led by Admiral Harry Rawson.
They annex Benin City and destroy a large quantity of the royal treasure, while dispersing the rest. The Oba is forced into exile in the locality of Calabar. In 1897, the province of Warri is dislocated from the empire. In 1900, the sovereignty of the kingdom ended and Benin was incorporated into the British colonial empire within the protectorate of Southern Nigeria. The monarchy was restored in 1914 but the Oba was stripped of all power.
