Name and History of Dahomey
– The Kingdom of Dahomey was referred to by various names, including Danxome, Danhome, and Fon.
– The name Fon relates to the dominant ethnic group of the kingdom.
– The names Dahomey, Danxome, and Danhome share a common origin story.
– The Kingdom of Dahomey was established around 1600 by the Fon people.
– The foundational king of Dahomey is considered to be Houegbadja.
– King Agaja significantly expanded the kingdom and established a professional standing army.
– Dahomey engaged in near constant warfare with the Oyo Empire.
– Dahomey became a tributary state to the Oyo Empire.
Rule of Tegbesu (1740–1774)
– Tegbesu became King of Dahomey after winning a succession struggle with his brother.
– Tegbesu implemented administrative changes to establish the legitimacy of the kingdom.
– The slave trade increased significantly during Tegbesu’s reign and became a major source of income for the king.
– The role of the ‘kpojito’ or mother of the leopard became prominent in Dahomey royalty.
– Tegbesu introduced new deities and tied worship more closely to the king.
Rule of Ghezo (1818–1859)
– King Ghezo faced political turmoil and financial challenges when he ascended the throne.
– Ghezo implemented reforms to stabilize the kingdom and improve its finances.
– He strengthened the military and expanded Dahomey’s influence.
– Ghezo faced pressure from the British to abolish the slave trade.
– The kingdom experienced territorial disputes with France, leading to the First Franco-Dahomean War.
– King Ghezo’s objectives and actions included gaining political independence, revitalizing the Dahomey economy, implementing new military strategies, and putting stipulations on the slave trade.
Victory over the Oyo Empire and British Pressure
– Dahomey brings down the Oyo Empire and its yoke in 1827.
– Increased demand for slaves from Brazil in 1830.
– British campaign to abolish the slave trade in Africa.
– British pressure on King Ghezo in the 1840s to end the slave trade.
– King Ghezo’s response emphasizing domestic pressure and proposing gradual abolition.
End of the Kingdom and Modern History
– First Franco-Dahomean War and Second Franco-Dahomean War with France.
– Reduction of the kingdom and establishment of French protectorate in 1894.
– Inclusion of the area as part of French Dahomey in 1904.
– Self-governing colony called the Republic of Dahomey in 1958.
– Full independence and renaming as the Republic of Benin in 1960.
– Continuation of the kingdom’s legacy in some form.
– Ongoing influence and significance of Dahomey in the region.
– Evolving political and social landscape of Benin.
– Impact of colonization and independence on the kingdom’s identity.
– Current status and relevance of Dahomey in Benin and beyond. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey (/dəˈhoʊmi/) was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. It developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century by expanding south to conquer key cities like Whydah belonging to the Kingdom of Whydah on the Atlantic coast which granted it unhindered access to the tricontinental triangular trade.
Kingdom of Dahomey | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1600–1904 | |||||||||||
 The Kingdom of Dahomey around 1894, superimposed on a map of the modern-day Republic of Benin, in the region of West Africa. | |||||||||||
| Status | Kingdom, vassal state of the Oyo Empire (1730–1823), French Protectorate (1894–1904) | ||||||||||
| Capital | Abomey | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Fon | ||||||||||
| Religion | Vodun | ||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Dahomean | ||||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||||
| Ahosu (King) | |||||||||||
• c. 1600–1625 (first) | Do-Aklin | ||||||||||
• 1894–1900 (last) | Agoli-agbo | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Aja settlers from Allada settle on Abomey Plateau | c. 1600 | ||||||||||
• Dakodonu begins conquest on Abomey Plateau | c. 1620 | ||||||||||
| 1724–1727 | |||||||||||
• King Ghezo defeats the Oyo Empire and ends tributary status | 1823 | ||||||||||
• Annexed into French Dahomey | 1894 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1904 | ||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
| 1700 | 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 1700 | 350,000 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Cowrie | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | Benin | ||||||||||
For much of the middle 19th century, the Kingdom of Dahomey became a key regional state, after eventually ending tributary status to the Oyo Empire. European visitors extensively documented the kingdom, and it became one of the most familiar African nations known to Europeans. The Kingdom of Dahomey was an important regional power that had an organized domestic economy built on conquest and slave labor, significant international trade and diplomatic relations with Europeans, a centralized administration, taxation systems, and an organized military. Notable in the kingdom were significant artwork, an all-female military unit called the Dahomey Amazons by European observers, and the elaborate religious practices of Vodun.
The growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known to Europeans as a major supplier of slaves. Dahomey was a highly militaristic society constantly organised for warfare; it engaged in wars and raids against neighboring nations and sold captives into the Atlantic slave trade in exchange for European goods such as rifles, gunpowder, fabrics, cowrie shells, tobacco, pipes, and alcohol. Other captives became slaves in Dahomey, where they worked on royal plantations or were killed in human sacrifices during the festival celebrations known as the Annual Customs of Dahomey. The Annual Customs of Dahomey involved significant collection and distribution of gifts and tribute, religious Vodun ceremonies, military parades, and discussions by dignitaries about the future for the kingdom.
In the 1840s, Dahomey began to face decline with British pressure to abolish the slave trade, which included the British Royal Navy imposing a naval blockade against the kingdom and enforcing anti-slavery patrols near its coast. Dahomey was also weakened after failing to invade and capture slaves in Abeokuta, a Yoruba city-state which was founded by the Oyo Empire refugees migrating southward. Dahomey later began experiencing territorial disputes with France which led to the First Franco-Dahomean War in 1890, resulting in French victory. The kingdom finally fell in 1894 when the last king, Béhanzin, was defeated by France in the Second Franco-Dahomean War, leading to the country being annexed into French West Africa as the colony of French Dahomey, later gaining independence in 1960 as the Republic of Dahomey, which would later rename itself Benin in 1975.
