Benin Empire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Benin Empire
Edo
← 1440–1897 →

Flag

The extent of Benin in 1625

Capital Benin City-Edo

Languages Edo
Government Monarchy
King/Emperor
(Oba)
- 1180–1246 Eweka I
Ovonramwen (exile
- 1888–1914
1897)
Erediauwa I (post-
- 1979–
imperial)
Historical era Early Modern Period
Imperial
- expansionism 1440
begins
Annexed by the
- 1897
United Kingdom
Area
90,000 km² (34,749
- 1625
sq mi)

The Benin Empire (1440–1897) was a pre-colonial African state in what is now modern
Nigeria. It should not be confused with the modern-day country called Benin, formerly called
Dahomey.

Origin[edit]
The original people and founders of the Benin Empire, the Edo people, were initially ruled by
the Ogiso (Kings of the Sky) dynasty who called their land Igodomigodo. The rulers or kings
were commonly known as Ogiso. Igodo, the first Ogiso, wielded much influence and gained
popularity as a good ruler. He died after a long reign and was succeeded by Ere, his eldest
son. After the death of Ere, the country was ruled by the following princes and princesses in
succession: Orire, Akhuankhuan, Ekpigho, Oria, Emose, Orhorho, Oriagba, Odoligie, Uwa,
Hennenden, Obioye, Arigho, and Owodo. Emose and Orhorho were women. It is said that
thirty-one Ogisos reigned but few of their names are known and they are very hard to trace.
Therefore it is wise to research it because some people doubt the existence of the first period
of the Benin Empire. This is partly because many mythical and frightful tales have been
attached to the people connected with the Ogiso. In the 8th century, the ruling Ogiso
successfully expanded Igodomigodo into a system of autonomous settlements. According to
the new spin of history[citation needed], revisionists claimed that in 12th century, a great palace
intrigue and battle for power erupted between the warrior crown prince Ekaladerhan son of
the last Ogiso and his young paternal uncle. In anger over an oracle, Prince Ekaladerhan left
the royal court with his warriors. When his old father the Ogiso died, the Ogiso dynasty was
ended as the people and royal kingmakers preferred their king's son as natural next in line to
rule.

The exiled Prince Ekaladerhan who was not known in Ile-Ife, somehow earned the title of
Ooni (Oghene) at Ile-Ife and refused to return, then sent his son Oranmiyan to become king.
Prince Oranmiyan took up his abode in the palace built for him at Usama by the elders (now a
coronation shrine). Soon after his arrival he married a beautiful lady, Erinmwinde, daughter
of Osa-nego, was the ninth Onogie (Duke) of Ego, by whom he had a son. After some years
residence here he called a meeting of the people and renounced his office, remarking that the
country was a land of vexation, Ile-Ibinu (by which name the country was afterward known)
and that only a child born, trained and educated in the arts and mysteries of the land could
reign over the people. He caused his son born to him by Erinmwinde to be made King in his
place, and returned to his native land, Ile-Ife. After some years in Ife, he left for Oyo, where
he also left a son behind on leaving the place, and his son Ajaka ultimately became the first
Alafin of Oyo of the present line, while Oranmiyan himself was reigning as Oni of Ife.
Therefore, Oranmiyan of Ife, the father of Eweka I, the Oba of Benin, was also the father of
Ajaka, the first Alafin of Oyo.

By the 15th century, Edo as a system of protected settlements expanded into a thriving city-
state. In the 15th century, the twelfth Oba in line, Oba Ewuare the Great (1440–1473) would
expand the city-state to an empire.

It was not until the 15th century during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great that the kingdom's
administrative centre, the city Ubinu, began to be known as Benin City by the Portuguese,
and would later be adopted by the locals as well. Before then, due to the pronounced ethnic
diversity at the kingdom's headquarters during the 15th century from the successes of Oba
Ewuare, the earlier name ('Ubinu') by a tribe of the Edos was colloquially spoken as "Bini"
by the mix of Itsekhiri, Edo, Urhobo living together in the royal administrative centre of the
kingdom. The Portuguese would write this down as Benin City. Though, farther Edo clans,
such as the Itsekiris and the Urhobos still referred to the city as Ubini up till the late 19th
century, as evidence implies.

Aside from Benin City, the system of rule of the Oba in his kingdom, even through the
golden age of the kingdom, was still loosely based after the Ogiso dynasty, which was
military and royal protection in exchange of use of resources and implementation of taxes
paid to the royal administrative centre. Language and culture was not enforced but remained
heterogenous and localized according to each group within the kingdom, though a local
"Enogie" (duke) was often appointed by the Oba for specified ethnic areas.

Oral tradition[edit]

Bronze plaque of Benin Warriors with ceremonial swords. 16th–18th centuries, Nigeria.

Nearly 36 known Ogiso are accounted for as rulers of the empire. According to the Edo oral
tradition, during the reign of the last Ogiso, his son and heir apparent, Ekaladerhan, was
banished from Igodomigodo (modern day "Benin Empire 1180-1897") as a result of one of
the Queens having deliberately changed an oracle message to the Ogiso. Prince Ekaladerhan
was a powerful warrior and well loved. On leaving Benin he travelled in a westerly direction
to the land of the Yoruba.

At that time, according to the Yoruba, the Ifá oracle said that the Yoruba people of Ile Ife
(also known as Ife) would be ruled by a man who would demonstrate his proof of birth and
relation to Ile-Ife. Ekaladerhan's arrival at the Yoruba city of Ife was never known or told as
oral history anywhere until revitionists' spin that he changed his name to 'Izoduwa' (which in
his native language meant 'I have chosen the path of prosperity') and became The Great
Oduduwa, also known as Odudua, Oòdua, of the Yoruba.

On the death of his father, the last Ogiso, a group of Benin Chiefs led by Chief Oliha came to
Ife, pleading with Oduduwa (the Ooni) to return to Igodomigodo (later known as Benin City
in the 15th century during Oba Ewuare) to ascend the throne. Oduduwa's reply was that a
ruler cannot leave his domain but he had seven sons and would ask one of them to go back to
become the next king there.

There are other versions of the story of Oduduwa. Many Yoruba often regard Oduduwa as a
god/mystery spirit or prince coming from a place towards the east of the land of the Yoruba
peoples. Though this would rudimentarily seem to confirm the Bini spin on his history due to
the fact that Benin is technically to the east of Ife, his origin tends not to be attributed to
Benin City.

Eweka I was the first 'Oba' or king of the new dynasty after the end of the era of Ogiso. He
changed the ancient name of Igodomigodo to Edo.
Centuries later, in 1440, Oba Ewuare, also known as Ewuare the Great, came to power and
turned the city-state into an empire. It was only at this time that the administrative centre of
the kingdom began to be referred to as Ubinu after the Itsekhiri word and corrupted to Bini
by the Itsekhiri, Edo, Urhobo living together in the royal administrative centre of the
kingdom. The Portuguese who arrived in 1485 would refer to it as Benin and the centre
would become known as Benin City and its empire Benin Empire.

The Ancient Benin Empire, as with the Oyo Empire which eventually gained political
ascendancy over even Ile-Ife, gained political strength and ascendancy over much of what is
now Mid-Western and Western Nigeria, with the Oyo Empire bordering it on the west, the
Niger river on the east, and the northerly lands succumbing to Fulani Muslim invasion in the
North. Interestingly, much of what is now known as Western Iboland and even Yorubaland
was conquered by the Benin Kingdom in the late 19th century - Agbor (Ika), Akure, Owo and
even the present day Lagos Island, which was named "Eko" meaning "War Camp" by the
Bini.

The present day Monarchy of Lagos Island did not come directly from Ile-Ife, but from
Benin, and this can be seen up till in the attire of the Oba and High Chiefs of Lagos, and in
the street and area names of Lagos Island which are Yoruba corruptions of Benin names
(Idumagbo, Idumota, Igbosere etc.). Other parts of the present day Lagos State were under
Ijebu (fiercely resisting domination by the Oyo Empire) and Egun (tossed between the
Dahomey Kingdom, with its seat in present day Republic of Benin, and the Oyo Kingdom).

Golden Age[edit]

Benin city in the 17th century.

The Oba had become the paramount power within the region. Oba Ewuare, the first Golden
Age Oba, is credited with turning Benin City into City States from a military fortress built by
Ogiso, protected by moats and walls. It was from this bastion that he launched his military
campaigns and began the expansion of the kingdom from the Edo-speaking heartlands.

Oba Ewuare was a direct descendant of Eweka I great grandson of Oduduwa, Oni of Ife.
A series of walls marked the incremental growth of the sacred city from 850 CE until its
decline in the 16th century. In the 15th century Benin became the greatest city of the empire
created by Oba Ewuare. To enclose his palace he commanded the building of Benin's inner
wall, a seven mile (11 km) long earthen rampart girded by a moat 50 feet (15 m) deep. This
was excavated in the early 1960s by Graham Connah. Connah estimated that its construction,
if spread out over five dry seasons, would have required a workforce of 1,000 laborers
working ten hours a day seven days a week. Ewuare also added great thoroughfares and
erected nine fortified gateways.

Pendant ivory mask of Queen Idia (Iyoba ne Esigie (meaning: Queenmother of Oba Esigie)),
court of Benin, 16th century (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Excavations also uncovered a rural network of earthen walls 4 to 8 thousand miles long that
would have taken an estimated 150 million man hours to build and must have taken hundreds
of years to build. These were apparently raised to mark out territories for towns and cities.
Thirteen years after Ewuare's death tales of Benin's splendors lured more Portuguese traders
to the city gates.[1]

At its maximum extent, the empire extended from the western Ibo tribes on the shores of the
Niger river, through parts of the southwestern region of Nigeria (much of present day Ondo
State, and the isolated islands (current Lagos Island and Obalende) in the coastal region of
present day Lagos State). Expansion of the MidWestern Benin Kingdom eastwards was
stopped by the aggressive autonomous Igbo villages southeast of the Niger river, the Oyo
Kingdom, which extended through most of SouthWestern Nigeria in the West to parts of
present day Republic of Benin, and the Northerly tribes united under the new and fiercely
proselytistic Islamic faith.

The state developed an advanced artistic culture, especially in its famous artifacts of bronze,
iron and ivory. These include bronze wall plaques and life-sized bronze heads depicting the
Obas of Benin. The most common artifact is based on Queen Idia, now best known as the
FESTAC Mask after its use in 1977 in the logo of the Nigeria-financed and hosted Second
Festival of Black & African Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77).
European contact[edit]

Drawing of Benin City made by an English officer, 1897

The first European travelers to reach Benin were Portuguese explorers in about 1485. A
strong mercantile relationship developed, with the Edo trading tropical products such as
ivory, pepper and palm oil with the Portuguese for European goods such as manila and guns.
In the early 16th century, the Oba sent an ambassador to Lisbon, and the king of Portugal sent
Christian missionaries to Benin City. Some residents of Benin City could still speak a pidgin
Portuguese in the late 19th century.

The first English expedition to Benin was in 1553, and significant trading developed between
England and Benin based on the export of ivory, palm oil and pepper. Visitors in the 16th and
17th centuries brought back to Europe tales of "the Great Benin", a fabulous city of noble
buildings, ruled over by a powerful king. However, the Oba began to suspect Britain of larger
colonial designs and ceased communications with the British until the British Expedition in
1896-97 when British troops captured, burned, and looted Benin City, which brought the
Benin Empire to an end.[2]

A 17th-century Dutch engraving from Olfert Dapper's Nauwkeurige Beschrijvinge der

Afrikaansche Gewesten, published in Amsterdam in 1668 wrote:

The king's palace or court is a square, and is as large as the town of Haarlem and entirely
surrounded by a special wall, like that which encircles the town. It is divided into many
magnificent palaces, houses, and apartments of the courtiers, and comprises beautiful and
long square galleries, about as large as the Exchange at Amsterdam, but one larger than
another, resting on wooden pillars, from top to bottom covered with cast copper, on which are
engraved the pictures of their war exploits and battles..."
—Olfert Dapper, Nauwkeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaansche Gewesten

Another Dutch traveller was David van Nyendael who in 1699 gave an eye-witness account.

The Legions of Benin[edit]

Copper sculpture from Benin showing the mix of weapons that co-existed side by side during
the colonial era. Note firearms in the right hand of one figure, and traditional swords held by
others.
"The King of Benin can in a single day make 20,000 men ready for war, and, if need be,
180,000, and because of this he has great influence among all the surrounding peoples. . . .
His authority stretches over many cities, towns and villages. There is no King thereabouts
who, in the possession of so many beautiful cities and towns, is his equal."
—Olfert Dapper, Nauwkeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaansche Gewesten (Description of
Africa), 1668

The kingdom of Benin offers a snapshot of a relatively well-organized and sophisticated

African polity in operation before the major European colonial interlude.[3] Military
operations relied on a well trained disciplined force. At the head of the host stood the Oba of
Benin. The monarch of the realm served as supreme military commander. Beneath him were
subordinate generalissimos, the Ezomo, the Iyase, and others who supervised a Metropolitan
Regiment based in the capital, and a Royal Regiment made up of hand-picked warriors that
also served as bodyguards. Benin's Queen Mother also retained her own regiment, the
"Queen's Own." The Metropolitan and Royal regiments were relatively stable semi-
permanent or permanent formations. The Village Regiments provided the bulk of the fighting
force and were mobilized as needed, sending contingents of warriors upon the command of
the king and his generals. Formations were broken down into sub-units under designated
commanders. Foreign observers often commented favorably on Benin's discipline and
organization as "better disciplined than any other Guinea nation", contrasting them with the
slacker troops from the Gold Coast.[4]

Until the introduction of guns in the 15th century, traditional weapons like the spear and bow
held sway. Efforts were made to reorganize a local guild of blacksmiths in the 18th century to
manufacture light firearms, but dependence on imports was still heavy. Before the coming of
the gun, guilds of blacksmiths were charged with war production—–particularly swords and
iron spearheads.[3]

Benin's tactics were well organized, with preliminary plans weighed by the Oba and his sub-
commanders. Logistics were organized to support missions from the usual porter forces,
water transport via canoe, and requisitioning from localities the army passed through.
Movement of troops via canoes was critically important in the lagoons, creeks and rivers of
the Niger Delta, a key area of Benin's domination. Tactics in the field seem to have evolved
over time. While the head-on clash was well known, documentation from the 18th century
shows greater emphasis on avoiding continuous battle lines, and more effort to encircle an
enemy (ifianyako).[3]

Fortifications were important in the region and numerous military campaigns fought by
Benin's soldiers revolved around sieges. As noted above, Benin's military earthworks are the
largest of such structures in the world, and Benin's rivals also built extensively. Barring a
successful assault, most sieges were resolved by a strategy of attrition, slowly cutting off and
starving out the enemy fortification until it capitulated. On occasion however, European
mercenaries were called on to aid with these sieges. In 1603–04 for example, European
cannon helped batter and destroy the gates of a town near present-day Lagos, allowing 10,000
warriors of Benin to enter and conquer it. In payment the Europeans received one woman
captive each and bundles of pepper.[5] The example of Benin shows the power of indigenous
military systems, but also the role outside influences and new technologies brought to bear.
This is a normal pattern among many nations and was to be reflected across Africa as the
19th century dawned.

Decline[edit]
The Gallwey Treaty of 1892

By the last half of the nineteenth century Great Britain had become desirous of having a
closer relationship with the Kingdom of Benin. Several attempts were made to achieve this
end beginning with the official visit of Richard Burton in 1862. Following that was an
attempt to establish a treaty between Benin and the United Kingdom by Hewtt, Blair and
Annesley in 1884, 1885 and 1886 respectively. However, these efforts did not yield any
results. Progress was finally made by Vice-Consul H.L Gallwey's visit to Benin in 1892. This
mission was significant in several ways. It was the first Official visit after Richard Burton's in
1862 when he was the consul at Fernando Po, and it would also set in motion the events to
come that would lead to Oba Ovonramwen's demise.

Contrary to the stories told by Gallwey later, for a number of reasons there is still today some
controversy as to whether the Oba actually agreed to the terms of the treaty as Gallwey had
claimed. First, at the time of his visit to Benin the Oba could not welcome Gallwey or any
other foreigners due to the observance of the traditional Igue festival which prohibited the
presence of any non-native persons during the ritual season.Also, even though Gallwey
claimed the King(Oba)and his chiefs were willing to sign the treaty, it was common
knowledge that Oba Ovonramwen was not in the habit of signing one sided treaties. The
Treaty reads "Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India in
compliance with the request of [the] King of Benin, hereby extend to him and the territory
under his authority and jurisdiction, Her gracious favor and protection" (Article 1). The
Treaty also states "The King of Benin agrees and promises to refrain from entering into any
correspondence, Agreement or Treaty with any foreign nation or power except with the
knowledge of her Britannic Majesty's Government" (Article 2), and finally that "It is agreed
that full jurisdiction, civil and criminal over British subject's and their property in the territory
of Benin is reserved to her Britannic Majesty, to be exercised by such consular or other
officers as Her Majesty shall appoint for the purpose...The same jurisdiction is likewise
reserved to her Majesty in the said territory of Benin over foreign subjects enjoying British
protection, who shall be deemed to be involved in the expression "British subjects"
throughout this Treaty" (Article 3).
It makes little sense that the Oba and his chiefs would accept the terms laid out in articles IV-
IX, or that the Oba or his chiefs would knowingly bestow their dominion upon Queen
Victoria for so little apparent remuneration. Under Article IV, the treaty states that "All
disputes between the King of Benin and other Chiefs between him and British or foreign
traders or between the aforesaid King and neighboring tribes which can not be settled
amicably between the two parties, shall be submitted to the British consular or other officers
appointed by Her Britannic Majesty to exercise jurisdiction in the Benin territories for
arbitration and decision or for arrangement." Oba Ovonremwen was a tenacious man, which
is contrary to the accounts of treaty portrayers such as Gallwey; he was not doltish.

The chiefs attest that the Oba did not sign the treaty because he was in the middle of an
important festival which prohibited him from doing anything else (including signing the
treaty). Ovoramwen maintained that he did not touch the white man's pen. Gallwey later
claimed in his report that the Oba basically accepted the signing of the treaty in all respects.
Despite the ambiguity over whether or not the Oba signed the treaty, the British officials
easily accepted it as though he did because they were driven (to a large extent) by greed;
British officials were increasingly interested in controlling trade in Benin and also in
accessing the kingdom's rubber resources to support their own growing tire market.

The city and empire of Benin declined after 1700. By this time, European activity in the area,
most notably through the Trans-Atlantic slave-trade, resulted in major disruptive
repercussions. However, Benin's power was revived in the 19th century with the development
of the trade in palm oil and textiles. To preserve Benin's independence, bit by bit the Oba
banned the export of goods from Benin, until the trade was exclusively in palm oil.

Benin resisted signing a protectorate treaty with Britain through most of the 1880s and 1890s.
However, after Benin discovered Britain's true intentions, eight unknowing British
representatives, who came to visit Benin were killed. As a result a Punitive Expedition was
launched in 1897. The British force, under the command of Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, razed
and burned the city, destroying much of the country's treasured art and dispersing nearly all
that remained. The stolen portrait figures, busts, and groups created in iron, carved ivory, and
especially in brass (conventionally called the "Benin Bronzes") are now displayed in
museums around the world.

Monarchs[edit]
Main article: Oba of Benin

The mythic origins of Benin state that the city was originally under the rule of Ogisos,
meaning "Kings of the Sky". When the last Ogiso died, the nobles and chiefs disagreed over
who would be the next Ogiso, so the Benin sent a message to Ife to the Ooni (Oghene) of Ile-
Ife, Oba Oduduwa, the king of Ife. Benin's nobles asked him to send them a king; eventually
Oduduwa sent to them his grandson, prince Oranmiyan. When Oranmiyan came to Benin, he
struggled with the culture and customs of the Benin people. Because of his own difficulties
acclimating to his new kingdom, Oba Oranmiyan changed the name of the city to Ile-Ibinu
(1180-1897) which in the Yoruba language means the "Land of Vexation," and decided to
leave the city. However, before leaving Benin, Oranmiyan had a son, Eweka, by princess
Erimwinde. When Oranmiyan heard of this, he sent to him seven marbles for the child to play
with. One day, as the prince was playing, one of the marbles broke. He immediately said
"owomika!" or "eweka!", meaning "I succeeded!" He immediately became the first Oba of
Benin, Oba Eweka I. Oba Eweka was the first to reject the title of the native Benin "Ogiso"
and took the title "Oba," meaning 'king' in the Yoruba language. Allegedly Oba Eweka later
changed the name of the city of Ile-Ibinu, the capital of the Benin kingdom, to "Ubinu."
Around 1470, Ewuare changed the name of the state to Edo.[2] This was about the time the
people of Okpekpe migrated from Benin City

THE GREAT BENIN EMPIRE;

A LEGACY OF AFRICAN CIVILIZATION
FORID:10
partner-pub-4510258564717226:34dqw w -qmcc
ISO-8859-1

Search

The history of the great Benin Empire as a nation The Political &
is the record of a state that was established Spiritual Purpose
2300yrs before any contact was made with of the Holy Land
European inferior nation. The great Benin Empire
made remarkable achievements in those pre-
European years, in art, science, administration,
technology, political organization, architectures,
astronomy, town-planning e.t.c.

When the great Benin empire reached the zeniths

of its power, it extended its boundaries and
exercised power over all the west African lands
bordering the entire stretch of the bight of Benin,
Advertise here from the mouth of the river Volta in the west and Advertise
for eastward to the present day Congo and to the here for
just $500 / delta of river Niger in the east e.g. Ghana, just $500 /
month Republic of Benin, both across the borders of month
modern Nigeria. Onitsha on the Niger and many
other cities such as Asaba, Agbor, Isele-Uku, Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt, Font
Warri, Idah e.t.c. Many of these states and other color: Blue

cities owe their corporate existence to the ancient

Benin Empire. The influence of the great Benin Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt, Font
color: Blue
Empire was said to have even extended to the
present day Sierra Leone in the west.

The legendary fame of the Great Benin empire

was such that the name Benin had many
meanings, e.g. there was Benin-city and Benin
empire, Benin river close to the new Benin
(Warri) and there is the bight of Benin and the
Benin district comprising of Sapele and Warri.
Beyond the Gulf of Benin, the great Benin
Empire's legendary fame was indeed wide spread.
Several European states heard about the empires
might and civilized attitudes, many sought for it.

That a vast stretch of the West African coastline

bears the name " BIGHT OF BENIN" is no
accident of history. Even until these day, it quite
evident and amazing how the cultural influence
of the ancient Benin empire remains strong till
today. An independent republic of former
Dahomey in 1975 decided to change its name to
the republic of Benin as a way of reconnecting its
roots to Africa's once glorious kingdom. The
republic of Togo on the other hand named some
of her prestigious institutions after the great
Benin empire e.g. Universite du Benin, Togo
hotel du Benin e.t.c. President Gnassingbe
Eyadema during his 1974 visit to Benin City
openly stated that the Togolese people originated
from the ancient Benin Empire. His open
declaration was cardinal in the sense that it ended
the historical dilemma that
clouded the ancient Benin and present day Benin
speakingYoruba influence on many West African
nations. Today, the people of Onitsha across the
Niger, the Isekiris, Urobos, Isian and Ijaws just to
mention but a few all proudly trace their
venerated royal lineages to the ancient Benin
empire.

Lourenco Pinto, who captained a Portuguese ship

that brought the so-called missionaries to Warri
the ancient port of Benin in 1619, sent the below
deposition to the Sacra Congregazione the
instance of father Montelcone. " All the city of
this African Empire are organized, large and
harmonious. The streets run straight and as far as
the eyes can see. The houses are large; especially
those of the king, which is richly decorated and
has, fine columns. The city is wealthy and
industrious."

Before that period, the great Benin Empire had

built a unique defensive wall around its principal
cities. The magnitude and complexity of this
great wall has qualified it to be entered in the
Guinness Book of Records as the greatest earth
moving work ever constructed by man. With an
estimated total length in excess of 20.000km, the
great Benin wall is the longest running military
defensive network ever built by man.

Isn't it
ironic that
the people
that once
made up
this
ancient
Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt
prestigiou
s kingdom
are now
grouped
along
minority
lines in
the
modern
day
Nigeria.
No thanks
to the
British
dubious Nigeria: Traffic
invasion
and
subsequen
t
amalgama
tion of
over 200
ethnic
nationaliti
es that
now make
up one
Nigeria.

Isn' t it
sad that
the name
of this
over
3000yrs
old
empire
does not
even
appear on
Nigeria
map these
days,
instead
towns like
Ogbomos
ho and
Lagos
originally
named
Eko
which was
founded
by Benin
military
leaders
now
represent
the glory
of
Nigeria's
ancient
cities.
The marginalization and the dubious miss-
interpretation of the great Benin Empire's history
have to end. It is time for African scholars and
historians to engage in the challenging and vital
 task of re-constructing Africa's unifying history.
During this process, every element of all ancient
African empires should be given due respect and
honor, without exhibiting the contemporary
tribalist and colonial mentality/education that is
tearing African apart.

Fellow Africans, let us not forget that Africa is

the past, the present and certainly the future.

Benin Empire
From New World Encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Previous (Benham's top)
Next (Benito Juárez)
Ready

Reconstruction of a flag of the Kingdom of Benin based on a flag captured by British forces
during the Benin campaign 1897; today seen in the British National Maritime Museum.[1]

The Benin Empire or Edo Empire (1440-1897) was a large pre-colonial African state of
modern Nigeria. There is still an Obo, or king, although currently his role is mainly symbolic.
The first Obo was Eweka I who died in 1246. It was through trading slaves with the
Europeans that the Empire grew rich in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was in the
end a European imperial power, Great Britain that ended the Empire as a political polity in
the late nineteenth century. Britain had set herself the task of what she saw as pacifying the
Niger, which meant offering African rulers protection and, if they refused, deposing them.
The Obo opposed them so they burned his capital. However, after the death of the exiled 35th
Obo, who had stubbornly resisted them, they allowed the 36th to return to Nigeria. With other
traditional leaders in the post-colonial nation state of Nigeria, the Obo of Benin is recognized
as a member of the House of Chiefs. Within his own community, the Obo is symbolic of a
long cultural and historical legacy. He is the leader of the Edo community of some 5,000,000
people. While it existed, the Benin Empire was an economic and political power. It remains
famous for its artifacts of bronze, ivory and iron. Sadly, when the British set fire to the
Empire's capital in 1897, they also burned many valuable works of art. The colonialists were
so sure of their moral right to rule others that they often did not notice, or did not hesitate to
destroy, evidence that those whom they thought "primitive" had many skills and technologies
of their own.
Contents
[hide]

 1 Origin
 2 Golden Age
 3 Government
 4 People
 5 European contact
 6 Decline
 7 Legacy
 8 List of Obas of the Benin Empire (1180-Present)
o 8.1 Pre-Imperial Obas of Benin (1180-1440)
o 8.2 Obas of the Benin Empire (1440-1897)
o 8.3 Post-Imperial Obas of Benin (1914-Present)
 9 Notes
 10 References
 11 External links
 12 Credits

Origin
According to one traditional account, the original people and founders of the Benin Empire,
the Bini (or Edo people), were initially ruled by the Ogisos (Kings of the Sky). The city of
Ibinu (later called Benin City) was founded in 1180 C.E.

About 36 known Ogiso are accounted for as rulers of the empire. On the death of the last
Ogiso, his son and heir apparent Ekaladerhan was banished from Benin as a result of one of
the Queens changing the message from the oracle to the Ogiso. Ekaladerhan was a powerful
warrior and well loved Prince. On leaving Benin he travelled to the west of the present day
Nigeria to the land of the Yorubas. At that time the Yoruba oracle said that their King will
come out of the forest and when Ekaladerhan arrived at Ife, he was received as a King.

He changed his name to Imadoduwa meaning "I did not misplace my royalty" and became
The Great Oduduwa of The Yoruba Land. On the death of his father, the last Ogiso, a group
of Benin Chiefs led by Chief Oliha came to Ife, pleading with him to come back to Benin to
ascend the throne. Oduduwa's reply was that a King cannot leave his Kingdom but he had
seven sons and would ask one of them to go back to Benin to rule as the next King.

Oranmiyan, the son of Ekaladerhan aka Oduduwa, agreed to go to Benin. He spent some
years in Benin and came back to Ife after his wife gave birth to a son named Eweka. Eweka I
became the first Oba of Benin. In 1440, Oba Ewuare (Ewuare the Great) came to power and
turned the city-state into an empire. Around 1470, he named the new state Edo.

Golden Age
Pendant ivory mask, court of Benin, sixteenth century (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The Oba had become the paramount power within the region. Oba Ewuare, the first Golden
Age Oba, is credited with turning Benin City into a military fortress protected by moats and
walls. It was from this bastion that he launched his military campaigns and began the
expansion of the kingdom from the Edo-speaking heartlands. The lands of Idah, Owo, Akure
all came under the central authority of the Edo Empire.

At its maximum extent the empire is claimed by the Edos to have extended from Onitsha in
the east, through the forested southwestern region of Nigeria and into the present-day nation
of Ghana. The Ga peoples of Ghana trace their ancestry to the ancient Kingdom of Benin.

The state developed an advanced artistic culture especially in its famous artifacts of bronze,
iron and ivory. These include bronze wall plaques and life-sized bronze heads of the Obas of
Benin. The most common artifact is based on Queen Idia, popularly called the FESTAC
mask. Most artwork was commissioned by or created for the palace, often for ceremonial use.
Much art depicted the Obo in various costumes. The guild of artisans enjoyed royal patronage
and occupied a designated district of the capital. When Europeans first saw this art they
supposed a non-African origin because they did not think Africans capable of such
sophisticated work. The "Portuguese, the Ancient Egyptians, even the lost tribe of Israel"
were credited instead of the Edo.[2] Benin grew increasingly rich during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries on the slave trade with Europe; slaves from enemy states of the interior
were sold, and carried to the Americas in Dutch and Portuguese ships. The Bight of Benin's
shore soon came to be known as the "Slave Coast."

Government
The empire was ruled by a regent called the Oba. Today, the Oba of Benin is still very
respected in Nigeria; he is the most revered traditional ruler in Nigeria though his powers are
largely ceremonial and religious. The capital of the Benin Empire was Edo, now known as
Benin City in what is now southwestern Nigeria.

People
The Benin Empire derives its name from the Bini people who dominated the area. The
ethnonym may possibly derive from groups in western Nigeria, where the term "ibinu" means
"anger" reflecting the warring nature of the Binis or from central and north-central Nigeria,
where the term birnin means "gated" or "walled area." The city and its people are more
properly called the Edo. Today, this population is found mostly in and around modern day
Benin City. It is from Portuguese explorers that we get the name the Benin Empire. However,
the Bini name for the land and even the capital city was Edo.

European contact
The first European travelers to reach Benin were Portuguese explorers in about 1485. A
strong mercantile relationship developed, with the Portuguese trading tropical products, and
increasingly slaves, for European goods and guns. In the early sixteenth century the Oba sent
an ambassador to Lisbon, and the king of Portugal sent Christian missionaries to Benin. Some
residents of Benin could still speak a pidgin Portuguese in the late nineteenth century. The
first English expedition to Benin was in 1553, and a significant trade soon grew up between
England and Benin based on the export of ivory, palm oil and pepper. Trade consisted of: 20
percent ivory, 30 percent slaves, and 50 percent other things. Visitors in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries brought back to Europe tales of "the Great Benin," a fabulous city of
noble buildings, ruled over by a powerful king.

Decline

A sketch of the city from 1897, the year it was burned by the British.

The city and empire of Benin declined after 1700, but revived in the nineteenth century with
the development of the trade in palm oil, enslaved captives, and textiles. To preserve Benin's
independence, bit by bit the Oba banned the export of goods from Benin, until the trade was
exclusively in palm oil.

Benin resisted signing a protectorate treaty with Great Britain through most of the 1880s and
1890s. However, after the slaying of eight British representatives in Benin territory, a
'Punitive Expedition' was launched in 1897, in which a British force, under the command of
Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, conquered and burned the city, destroying much of the country’s
treasured art and dispersing nearly all that remained. The portrait figures, busts, and groups
created in iron, carved ivory, and especially in brass (conventionally called the "Benin
Bronzes") made in Benin are now displayed in museums around the world. Some 3000
objects were removed and for many years stored in secret to perpetuate the myth that no such
artwork could have an African provenance.

Legacy
The Oba was captured and eventually allowed to live in exile until his death in 1914.
However, the office of Oba continued to be recognized in colonial Nigeria. Eweka II (1914-
1933) built a new palace to replace the one that the British destroyed when they burned the
city. Akenzua II (1933-1978) received Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom during her state
visit to Nigeria in 1956. In 1966 he became Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.
The Oba is advised by a Traditional Council. Both the Obo and the Nigerian Government
(which has purchased back some items) have requested the return of what they describe as
"stolen" art to Nigeria.[3] Crown Prince Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, a graduate of the
University of Wales is Nigerian Ambassador to Norway.[4]

List of Obas of the Benin Empire (1180-Present)

Pre-Imperial Obas of Benin (1180-1440)

1. Eweka I (1180 - 1246)

2. Uwuakhuahen (1246 - 1250)
3. Henmihen (1250 - 1260)
4. Ewedo (1260 - 1274)
5. Oguola (1274 - 1287)
6. Edoni (1287 - 1292)
7. Udagbedo (1292 - 1329)
8. Ohen (1329 - 1366)
9. Egbeka (1366 - 1397)
10. Orobiru (1397 - 1434)
11. Uwaifiokun (1434 - 1440)

Obas of the Benin Empire (1440-1897)

1. Ewuare the Great (1440 - 1473)

2. Ezoti (1473 - 1475)
3. Olua (1475 - 1480)
4. Ozolua (1480 - 1504)
5. Esigie (1504 - 1547)
6. Orhogbua (1547 - 1580)
7. Ehengbuda (1580 - 1602)
8. Ohuan (1602 - 1656)
9. Ohenzae (1656 - 1661)
10. Akenzae (1661 - 1669)
11. Akengboi (1669 - 1675)
12. Akenkbaye (1675 - 1684)
13. Akengbedo (1684 - 1689)
14. Ore-Oghene (1689 - 1701)
15. Ewuakpe (1701 - 1712)
16. Ozuere (1712 - 1713)
17. Akenzua I (1713 - 1740)
18. Eresoyen (1740 - 1750)
19. Akengbuda (1750 - 1804)
20. Obanosa (1804 - 1816)
21. Ogbebo (1816)
 22. Osemwende (1816 - 1848)
23. Adolo (1848 - 1888)
24. Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (1888 - 1914) (exiled to Calabar by the British in 1897)

Post-Imperial Obas of Benin (1914-Present)

1. Eweka II (1914 - 1933)

2. Akenzua II (1933 - 1978)
3. Erediauwa I (1979 - present)

Notes
1. ↑ Institute for Benin Studies tell us that the "Great National Benin Military Flag stolen
by the British in 1897 is today seen in the British National Maritime Museum."
Institute for Benin Studies. Retrieved May 26, 2008
2. ↑ Tribal African Art: Benin Style. zyama.com. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
3. ↑ Hijacked African Treasures. African Repatriation Movement. Retrieved May 26,
2008.
4. ↑ Benin (Edo) Princely State. uq.net.au. Contains list of all 38 Obas. Retrieved May
26, 2008.

References
 Ben-Amos, Paula. 1999. Art, innovation, and politics in eighteenth-century Benin.
Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253335036.
 Bondarenko, Dimitri M. 2005. "A Homoarchic Alternative to the Homoarchic State:
Benin Kingdom of the 13th - 19th Centuries." Social Evolution & History. 4:2:18-88.
ISSN 1681-4363.
 Roese, P. M., and Dimitri M. Bondarenko. 2005. A Popular History of Benin. The
Rise and Fall of a Mighty Forest Kingdom. Frankfurt, DE: Peter Lang. ISBN
9780820460796.
 Mercury, Karen. 2005. The Hinterlands, historical fiction about the Benin Expedition
of 1897. Palm Beach, FL: Medallion Press. ISBN 9781932815115.
 Scholefield, Alan. 1975. The dark kingdoms: the impact of white civilization on three
great African monarchies. New York, NY: Morrow. ISBN 9780688029586.

External links
All links retrieved January 21, 2013.

 The Story of Africa: Ife and Benin BBC World Service.

 List of Obas of Benin

Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in
accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the
Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated
with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both
the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the
Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing
formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here

Origins and Empire: The Benin, Owo, and

Ijebu Kingdoms

o Artists
o Rulers
o Central Africa
o Eastern Africa
o Southern Africa
o Western Africa

Head of an Oba, 16th century (ca. 1550)

Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
Brass

H. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.86)

Head of an Oba (King), 18th century

Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
Brass
 H. 13 in. (33 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991 (1991.17.2)

Head of an Oba (King), 19th century

Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
Brass, iron

H. 18 in. (45.7 cm)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991 (1991.17.3)

View Slideshow
Territorial expansion and dialogue among the powerful states of the
Guinea coast region of West Africa resulted in exchanges that were not
only economic but also artistic and cultural in nature. As a result, Owo,
Ijebu, and Benin, a trio of kingdoms located within present-day southern
Nigeria, shared aspects of courtly culture including titles, ceremonial
paraphernalia, and art forms. These commonalities are especially
interesting and noteworthy given the ethnic disparities that existed
among these distinct polities. While the states of Owo and Ijebu were
composed primarily of Yoruba peoples, the core populations of the Benin
kingdom were ethnically Edo.

Related

 Guinea Coast, 1400–1600 A.D.

 Guinea Coast, 1600–1800 A.D.
 Guinea Coast, 1800–1900 A.D.
 Guinea Coast, 1900 A.D.–present

 Benin Chronology
 Exchange of Art and Ideas: the Benin, Owo, and Ijebu Kingdoms
 Ife (from ca. 350 B.C.)
 Ife Terracottas (1000–1400 A.D.)

 African Lost–Wax Casting

 Idia: The First Queen Mother of Benin
 Igbo–Ukwu (ca. 9th century)
 Portraits of African Leadership
 Ways of Recording African History

 Africa, 1400–1600 A.D.

 Africa, 1600–1800 A.D.
 World, 1400–1600 A.D.
 World, 1600–1800 A.D.

 Edo Peoples of Western Africa

 Owo–Yoruba Peoples of Western Africa
 The Republic of Benin [Fon] of Western Africa

 Guinea Coast

 Brass
 Brass from Africa and Egypt

 Regalia

 Trade (1600–1800 A.D.)

Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on googleShare on emailMore Sharing ServicesIn

their respective
oral traditions, Ijebu, Owo, and Benin all trace their origins to the ancient
city of Ile-Ife, the cradle of Yoruba culture, and claim that their founders
were the sons of the Yoruba deity Odudua, who was the first ruler of that
city. Especially in Owo and Benin, the early art-historical and
archaeological records reinforce these strong affiliations with Ife culture.
Benin's royal histories relate that the court's brass casters learned their
art from an Ife master named Iguegha, who had been sent from Ife
around 1400 at the request of Benin's oba Oguola. Indeed, the earliest
dated cast-brass memorial heads from Benin (1979.206.86) replicate the
refined naturalism of Ife sculpture; early Owo terracotta sculpture
appears to have been heavily influenced by the arts of Ife as well.

Each kingdom's historical ties to Ife contributed to its sense of identity,

and doubtless encouraged and justified their appropriation of certain
aspects of Ife's political and religious practices. It was ultimately their
ongoing relationships with one another, however, that produced broad
similarities in their art forms and courtly structures. The outward-looking
tendencies of these states were manifested in broad-based trade,
diplomacy, and warfare. Ijebu's lagoon ports and well-established trade
routes to the lower Niger Delta, as well as overland routes via the Ondo
and Owo Yoruba states, ensured economic and cultural interchange with
Benin. Owo, whose territories abutted those of Benin, also engaged in
extensive trade with this state. Benin itself was an expansive state
whose superior military permitted it to dominate territories well beyond its
heartland.

The exact nature of the political and military engagements among these
states is unclear; oral histories collected from the courts of Owo, Ijebu,
and Benin provide divergent commentaries on this subject. While Benin
claims to have placed Ijebu under its dominion during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, Ijebu's own traditions dispute this. By the
seventeenth century, Benin controlled the coast from the southern Niger
Delta to at least the eastern edge of Ijebu's territory, but it is unclear
what political influence the Edo court had upon the Ijebu heartland in the
interior. Owo, Benin's neighbor to the northwest, appears to have
intermittently found itself under the suzerainty of the obas. Given the Edo
origins of many aspects of Owo's courtly culture, it is clear that the
diplomatic relationship between the two kingdoms was intimate, and not
entirely equitable: royal Edo histories speak of Osogboye, the sixteenth-
century ruler of Owo who visited the Benin court to adopt highly
prestigious forms of Edo courtly culture. Not surprisingly, this version of
events is contested by Owo historians, who assert that Osogboye
traveled to Benin to learn military techniques that would better protect his
kingdom from Edo aggression. Altogether, these conflicting historical
perspectives suggest that the similarities which exist between the
Yoruba states and their Edo counterpart can be attributed to a
combination of factors: the forcible influence of Benin, the assertion of
common origins at Ife, and the desire of less powerful kingdoms to
strengthen themselves and enrich their status by incorporating the
traditions of their adversary.

Alexander Ives Bortolot

Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia
University
 Citation These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may
Bortolot, Alexander Ives. "Origins and Empire: The Benin, or may not represent the most current scholarship.
Owo, and Ijebu Kingdoms". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art  Newton, Douglas. "The Art of Africa, the Pacific Islands,
History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. and the Americas: A New Perspective." The Metropolitan
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/beni_2/hd_beni_2.htm Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 39, no. 2 (Fall, 1981).
(October 2003) JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
 Vogel, Susan Mullin. "Art and Politics: A Staff from the
Further Reading Court of Benin, West Africa." Metropolitan Museum Journal,
 Drewal, Henry John, John Pemberton III, and Rowland Vol. 13 (1978).
Abiodun. Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and JSTOR | PDF
Thought. New York: Center for African Art, 1989.
 Ezra, Kate. The Royal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection.
Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of
Art, 1992.

National Flag of Benin

Country: Benin

Proportions: 2:3

Benin Flag Description:

The Benin flag consists of a green vertical stripe on the left side and a yellow horizontal stripe on top of a red
horizontal stripe on the right side of the flag. The yellow and red stripes are of equal size.