Benin , one of the most important historical kingdoms of the West African forest region (fl. 13th - 19th centuries).
Britannica Quiz Destination Africa:Fact or Fiction? Is Africa's northernmost point further north than Europe's southernmost point? See if your geographical knowledge points north or south on this journey through Africa. Tradition has it that the The Edo People became unhappy with the rule of a Dynasty of semi-mythical kings ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of If a to rule them. His son Eweka is considered the first oba or king of Benin , although authority would remain with a hereditary order of local chiefs for many years. Began towards the end of the 13th century royal power to assert itself under , oba Ewedo and firmly established among the most famous oba , Ewuare the Great (reg . c. 1440–80) who has been described as a great warrior and magician. He established a hereditary succession and greatly expanded the territory of the Kingdom of Benin, which stretched from the Niger Delta east to present Lagos to the west. (Lagos was actually founded by a Beninese army and paid tribute to the Oba from Benin until the end of the 19th century.) Ewuare also rebuilt the capital (present-day Benin City). and equipped them with great walls and moats. The Oba became the supreme political, juridical, economic, and spiritual leader of his people, and he and his ancestors eventually became objects of government Cults that used them human sacrifice in their religious observances.
Ewuare has been supported by a number of powerful Obas superseded of which was the boss Ozolua the conqueror ( c. 1481- c. 1504; the son of Ewuare) and Esigie (early to mid-16th century, the son of Ozolua), who enjoyed good relations with the Portuguese and sent envoys to their king. Among these conditions Benin is a highly organized state. The numerous artisans were organized into guilds and the kingdom became famous for its ivory and woodcarver. The Brasssmith and bronze casters were distinguished by naturalistic heads, reliefs, and other sculptures. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, Benin had an active trade in ivory, palm oil and pepper with Portuguese and Dutch traders, for whom it served as a link to interior West Africa . It also benefited greatly from the Slave Trade . During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the kingdom was weakened by violent succession struggles between members of the royal dynasty, some of which erupted into civil wars. The weaker ones Obas confiscated themselves in their palaces and took refuge in the rituals of divine kingship while indiscriminately granting aristocratic titles to a growing class of unproductive nobles. The kingdom's prosperity declined with the suppression of the slave trade, and as its territorial extent shrunk, Benin leaders increasingly relied on supernatural rituals and large-scale human sacrifice to advance the state to protect against further territorial encroachments. The practice of human sacrifice was only eradicated after the British burned Benin City in 1897, after which the depopulated and weakened kingdom became part of the British Nigeria incorporated . The descendants of Benin's ruling dynasty still occupy the throne in Benin City (although today's Oba has only an advisory role in government).
