Who started the kingdom?
The kingdom of Benin began in the900s when theEdo people settled in therainforests of West Africa.
At first, they lived in small family groups, but gradually these groups developed into a kingdom.
The kingdom was called Igodomigodo. It was ruled by a series of kings, known as Ogisos, which means‘rulers of the sky’.
How did the Obas come to rule?
In the 1100s the Ogisos lost control of their kingdom.
The Edo people feared that their country would fall into chaos, so they asked their neighbour, theKing of Ife, for help. The king sent his sonPrince Oranmiyan to restore peace to the Edo kingdom.
Oranmiyan chose his sonEweka to be thefirst Oba of Benin. An Oba was aruler.
By the 1400s Benin was awealthy kingdom. The Obas lived in beautiful palaces decorated with shining brass.
How did Benin become an empire?
- Around 1440, Ewuare became the new Oba of Benin.
- He built up an army.
- He also rebuiltBenin City and theroyal palace.
Oba Ewuare was the first offive great warrior kings. Find out more about them below.
| Oba | What did they do? |
|---|---|
| Oba Ewuare | Introducedhereditary succession (the heir to the throne is the current king's child). |
| Oba Ozolua | Believed to have won 200 battles. |
| Oba Esigie | Expanded his kingdom eastwards to form an empire and won land from theKingdom of Ife. |
| Oba Orhogbua | During his reign, the empire reached itslargest size. It stretched beyond the River Niger in the east and extended west as far as present-day Ghana. |
| Oba Ehengbuda | Spent most of his reign stopping rebellions led by local chiefs. |
Obas Ozolua and Esigie both encouragedtrade with Europe.
Trade brought huge wealth to Benin and they used it to build up avast army. Various goods were sold includingivory,palm oil,pepper.
Oba Ehengbuda was the last of the warrior kings. After his death in 1601, Benin’s empire gradually shrank in size.
Listen: What was trade like in Benin?
In the year 1668 a Dutch writer called Olfert Dapper put together some merchants’ descriptions of their travels. Listen to them in this audio clip.
How did traders from Europe see Benin?
Benin City is at least four miles wide. The city has wide, straight roads, lined by houses. The houses are large and handsome with walls made from clay. The people are very friendly and there seems to be no stealing.
Inside the city is the king’s court. It is large and square and surrounded by a wall. The court is divided into many palaces with separate houses and apartments for courtiers.
The court has many galleries flanked by wooden pillars. Fixed to these pillars are shining metal plaques showing battle scenes and deeds of courage. The roofs of the palace have pointed turrets and on top of each turret there is a copper bird with outspread wings.
The king shows himself just once a year to his people, riding out of his court on horseback. He is beautifully dressed with all sorts of royal ornaments. Three or four hundred noblemen accompany their king, some on horseback and some on foot. And a great number of musicians walk before and behind him, playing merry tunes on all sorts of musical instruments.
The king doesn’t ride very far from the court, but soon returns after a little tour. Then he orders some tame leopards that he keeps, to be led about the city in chains.
How did Benin become part of the British empire?
By the 1800s, the kingdom of Benin began to lose power.
Benin was also under threat fromBritain who wanted to gain control of Benin’srich natural resources (palm oil and rubber).
The Oba tried to stop all contact with Britain, but the British insisted on their right to trade.
In 1897, a group ofBritish officials tried to visit Benin. They were sent away because the Oba was busy with a religious ceremony, but they decided to visit anyway. As they approached theborders of Benin, a group of warriors drove them back and several British men were killed.
This attack made the British furious. They sent over athousand soldiers to invade Benin. Benin City wasburnt to the ground and the kingdom of Benin became part of theBritish Empire.
Activity: Quiz – Kingdom of Benin
Easter Holiday Activity Pack activity
Check out some Easter inspired activities to complete in the Easter Holidays, for KS2.
More on Kingdom of Benin
Find out more by working through a topic
- count2 of 8
- count3 of 8
- count4 of 8
- count5 of 8
