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418:) and a Dahomey ambassador known as Adomo Tomo or Captain Tom on a mission to Britain. Lambe was meant to deliver a "Scheme of Trade" to King George I. The "Scheme of Trade" outlined a plan for King George I to work with King Agaja in the creation of a plantation in Dahomey, exporting goods such as sugar, cotton, and indigo. However, Lambe was aware that the English had already abandoned plans to set up a plantation in Dahomey; he left Dahomey with no intention of following through on Agaja's plan. Lambe initially sold Adomo Tomo into slavery in Maryland, but after a few years came back to free Tomo and bring him to England. Lambe and Tomo carried a letter claimed to be from Agaja and received an audience with
382:, which Agaja had conquered in 1724 but whose leader had recently renounced his allegiance to Dahomey, caused a large war in 1732 in which Agaja burned the town and took thousands of people captive. In addition, regular warfare continued between Agaja and the exiled Whydah population under Huffon. In July 1733 Huffon died and a civil war broke out in the exiled community. A defeated prince went to Agaja to ask for assistance and seeing the opportunity, Agaja agreed to support the prince against the leadership of Whydah and allowed the prince to resettle after the war was successful. The other Whydah faction was defeated by Agaja in 1734 with assistance of the French.
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resources, and made all the residents of Abomey abandon the city. The Oyo army found it difficult to remain in that situation and so they returned to Oyo in April. This strategy was repeated in 1729 and 1730, with Oyo sending increasingly larger armies and Agaja and his troops retreating into the marshes. The 1730 invasion was particularly devastating as the Oyo feigned acceptance of gifts from Agaja but then ambushed
Dahomey's forces when they returned to Abomey. With the regular destruction of Abomey, Agaja moved the capital to Allada and ruled from there (his son Tegbessou would later move the capital back to Abomey while appointing a puppet king in Allada).
44:
526:, in contrast, argues that there is no clear evidence of motivation by Agaja opposing the slave trade and that the conquests of Allada and Whydah may have been simply done to improve Agaja's access to economic trade. Law contends that the disruption in slave trade that followed the rise of Dahomey was not necessarily related to any efforts on their part to slow the slave trade, but was simply due to the disruption caused by their conquests. Law believes in the authenticity of the Bulfinch Lambe letter, but contends that Atkins misinterprets it. In addition, Law doubts the self-defense motivation highlighted by Davidson and Akinjogbin, writing:
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coastal raiders too...But the new state of
Dahomey could defend itself effectively only if it could lay hold on adequate supplies of firearms and ammunition. And these it could obtain only by trade with Ardra and Ouidah -- and, of course, only in exchange for slaves...In the end, Dahomey found their exactions intolerable. They refused to allow Dahomey to sell its captives to the Europeans except through them, and this was the immediate reason why the fourth king of Dahomey, Agaja, waged successful war on them in 1727 and seized their towns."
467:. In that book, Atkins argued that Allada and Whydah were known for regular slave raiding on the Abomey plateau and that Agaja's attacks on those kingdoms were primarily to release some of his people who had been captured. A key piece of evidence for Atkins was a letter purported to be from Agaja and carried by Bulfinch Lambe to England in 1731 which expressed the willingness of Agaja to establish agricultural exports to Great Britain as an alternative to the slave trade. The authenticity of this letter is disputed and it was widely used in
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return for which he would provide favorable trade relations at the conclusion of the war. On
February 26, 1727, Agaja attacked Whydah and burned the palace, causing the royal family to flee from the city. During the five-day battle, reports say that five thousand people in Whydah were killed and ten to eleven thousand were captured. In April, he burned all of the European factories in the Whydah capital.
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they maintain that its authenticity remains "not proven" but that since Lambe was provided 80 slaves when he was released, it is unlikely that Agaja's motivations were clear. Instead, they argue that the evidence supports Agaja trying to get involved in the slave trade but being unable to do so because of war with the exiled royal family of Whydah and the Oyo Empire. They write:
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assemble at the back of his remaining army to make his forces look larger. The ploy worked as the Whydah forces saw a huge force marching toward the city and fled before any fighting happened. After this attack, Agaja asked the
Portuguese leader in the area to negotiate a peace agreement between Dahomey and Oyo. The agreement set the boundaries between Oyo and Dahomey at the
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order to maintain the court lifestyle. Finally, he noted that, as king of
Dahomey, he had an obligation to distribute cowry shells and other common goods periodically among the common people. The cowry shells for the common people, like the silk cloth for the royal wives and the gunpowder for the army, could be obtained only through the slave trade.
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for Agaja by resisting his rule or even revolting. Agaja also appointed three different trade directors, one to manage relations with each different
European power (Britain, France, and Portugal). When the Europeans complained about these directors in 1733, Agaja replaced them with one person, thus creating the important position of
587:, a military unit composed entirely of women. Multiple histories account that Agaja did have armed female bodyguards in his palace and that he did dress women in armor in order to attack Whydah in 1728; however, historian Stanley Alpern believes that the Amazons were not likely fully organized during his reign.
303:. In 1712, a British ship attacked a Dutch ship in the harbor at Allada, triggering economic warfare between Allada and Whydah that lasted until 1720. Upon coming to the throne, Agaja and Soso made an agreement to attack Whydah and remove Huffon from power; however, this plan was halted for unknown reasons.
390:. The Dutch, in contrast, were held in high contempt by Agaja and he spent much of this period trying to destroy their interests in the region. This led the Dutch to organize a significant army of many tribes to the west of Dahomey which destroyed Agaja's forces in 1737 but did not destroy the kingdom.
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and Marion
Johnson question Akinjogbin's argument. While agreeing with the evidence from Akinjogbin that trade did slow after Agaja's rise, they find that the evidence does not support any altruistic or moral opposition to the slave trade as the reason for this. In terms of the Bulfinch Lambe letter,
410:
Agaja was the first king of
Dahomey to have significant contact with European traders. Although Dahomey had been known to European traders in the 1600s, largely as a source for slaves, because it was an inland kingdom contact was limited. When Agaja expanded the kingdom, he came into contact with the
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to the Oyo Empire since the 1680s. After Agaja had conquered Allada, it appears that he sent a smaller tribute and so on April 14, 1726, the Oyo Empire sent its army against
Dahomey. The Oyo conquered Abomey and burned the city while Agaja and his troops escaped into the marshes and hid until the Oyo
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Agaja planned his attack on Whydah in
February 1727. He conspired with his daughter, Na Gueze, who was married to Huffon, to pour water on the gunpowder stores in Whydah. He also sent a letter to all of the European traders in the port of Whydah encouraging them to remain neutral in the conflict, in
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The motivations of Agaja and his involvement with the slave trade remain an active dispute among historians of Dahomey with some arguing that he was resistant to the slave trade but agreed to it because of the need to defend his kingdom, while others argue that no such motivation existed and the wars
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valley and since his oldest son, Agbo Sassa, was a minor, his twin sister Hangbe may have ruled for a brief period of time (alternatively given as either three months or three years). Hangbe supported a faction that wanted Agbo Sassa to be the next king, but Agaja contested this and became the ruler
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It is true that the kings of Dahomey subsequently claimed credit for having freed the Dahomey area from the threat of invasion by neighbouring states, but there is no suggestion that this was a motive for either the original foundation or the subsequent expansion of the kingdom, or indeed that such
512:
I.A. Akinjogbin has pushed the argument the farthest arguing that Agaja's primary motivation was to end the slave trade in the region. He writes that although Agaja participated in the slave trade, this was primarily a means of self-defense and that his original motives were to end the slave trade.
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Agaja also undertook significant administrative reforms to govern the newly conquered areas. Many of the chiefs and officers in Allada were retained, while Agaja dispatched his trade officers and kept active military control over Whydah. The old chiefs, retained for necessity, often caused problems
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In 1724, Soso died and a contest for the throne in Allada followed. On March 30, 1724, Agaja's army entered Allada in support of the defeated candidate, named Hussar. After a three-day battle Agaja's army killed the king and set the palace on fire. Rather than place Hussar on the throne, though,
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Though the possibility that an African monarch tried to put an end to the slave trade is obviously attractive in the twentieth century, historians who have closely considered the evidence from Dahomey suggest, as did the eighteenth-century slave traders, that Dahomey's motive was a desire to trade
507:
Dahomey emerged "at the beginning of the seventeenth century, or about 1625, when the Fon people of the country behind the Slave Coast drew together in self-defense against the slave-raiding of their eastern neighbor, the Yoruba of Oyo. No doubt the Fon were interested in defending themselves from
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in 1737. This war, while marginally successful, was possibly considered by the Oyo Empire to be against the terms of the 1730 agreement. Conversely, it is possible that Agaja simply refused to continue paying the tribute to Oyo. Whatever the reason, war between Oyo and Dahomey resumed in 1739 and
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He noted that by converting his army from bows and arrows to guns, he needed a steady supply of gunpowder from the Europeans. He also described the fine clothing of his wives and the opulence of his royal court, implying that he needed a reliable supply of imported cloth and other luxury goods in
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Agaja died in Allada a few months after returning following the war with Oyo in 1740. Oral traditions say that Tegbessou, who was the fifth oldest son of Agaja, was told by Agaja earlier that because he had saved Dahomey from the Oyo Empire he was going to be the king rather than any of his older
544:
Agaja's actions, insofar as we know them, suggest a willingness to participate in the external trade—be it slaves, goods, or gold—in a way that suited the perceived needs of Dahomey. At the same time, he was unable to implement this opportunity immediately because of the persistent
517:
It immediately becomes clear that Agaja had very little sympathy for the slave trade when he invaded the Aja coast . His first motive appears to have been to sweep away the traditional political system, which had completely broken down and was no longer capable of providing basic security and
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After the 1730 attack by the Oyo Empire, Agaja's forces were particularly depleted. Huffon and the deposed royal family of Whydah, with support from the British and the French, attempted to reconquer the city. With depleted forces, Agaja created a special unit of women dressed in war armor to
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kingdoms, had become important coastal trading centers in the early 1700s, with trade connections to multiple European countries. The two powers made a 1705 agreement where both agreed not to interfere in the trade of the other kingdom. The King of Whydah, Huffon, grew increasingly connected
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Starting in 1730 but becoming formal in 1733 all slaves could only be sold through representatives of the king. This royal monopoly led to some revolts by important chiefs who were not receiving full prices for their goods and Agaja crushed multiple rebellions between 1733 and 1740. The royal
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Agaja rebuilt Abomey and when he conquered Whydah the next year he provided many gifts to the King of Oyo. Despite these gifts, tributary terms acceptable to Oyo were not agreed to and so the Oyo Empire returned on March 22, 1728. As part of a strategy, Agaja buried his treasure, burned food
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status to that empire and providing yearly gifts. After this, Agaja attempted to control the new territory of the kingdom of Dahomey through militarily suppressing revolts and creating administrative and ceremonial systems. Agaja died in 1740 after another war with the Oyo Empire and his son
455:
Agaja's motivations for taking over Allada and Whydah and his involvement in the slave trade have been a topic for debate among historians. The debate centers largely around Agaja's conquest of Allada and Whydah and an observed decrease in the slave trade in the area after this conquest.
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in Fon). Although the Annual Customs already existed and each family had similar celebrations, Agaja transformed this by making the royal Annual Customs the central religious ceremony in the kingdom. Family celebrations could not occur until after the royal Annual Customs had occurred.
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justice...The second motive would appear to have been to restrict and eventually stop the slave trade, which had been the cause of the breakdown of the traditional system in Aja, and to substitute other 'legitimate' items of trade between Europe and the new kingdom of Dahomey.
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warfare that threatened the existence of his state. During such a transitional and troubled period, trade inevitably languished. Such a view may not necessarily be correct, but it has the clear advantage of being both plausible and congenial to the available evidence.
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contended that Dahomey was drawn into the slave trade only as a means of self-defense against slave raiding by the Oyo Empire and the kingdoms of Allada and Whydah. He argued that Agaja took over the coastal cities to secure access to European firearms to protect the
474:
Later historians have continued this debate about the role of Agaja in the slave trade, but with the need to account for the fact that in the last years of Agaja's life (and after Atkins' book was published) the Kingdom of Dahomey was a major participant in the
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brothers, although that tradition may have been created by Tegbessou to legitimize his rule. Regardless, the result was a contest between him and his brothers upon Agaja's death. In the end, Tegbessou was victorious and became the new king of Dahomey.
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directly with Europe, and that the kingdom was willing to provide the product most desired by European traders, human beings. Akinjogbin's thesis therefore is not likely. However, both Atkin's idea that Dahomey wanted to stop raids on its own people
411:
Dutch, British, French, and Portuguese traders. Agaja opposed the Dutch and largely excluded them from trade along the coast after he had conquered it. However, he created direct officers to manage contacts with the other European powers.
610:
Agaja is often considered one of the great kings in Dahomey history and is remembered as the "great warrior". His expansions of Dahomey and connections with European traders led to his depiction in Dahomey art as a European
485:
writes that Agaja's participation in the slave trade was a self-perpetuated necessity. Agaja had increasingly made his kingdom more and more dependent on foreign wares that could only be paid for by slaves. He writes:
583:(chief to deal with Europeans), and other administrative positions. However, oral traditions sometimes ascribe these developments to other kings. In addition, Agaja is sometimes credited as the king who created the
456:
Complicating attempts to discern motivation is that Agaja's administration ended by creating a significant infrastructure for the slave trade and participated actively in it during the last few years of his reign.
715:
Agaja's reign is sometimes dated to be between 1708 and 1740. However, historians Robin Law and Edna Bay analyze multiple sources and conclude that 1718 is the better date for the start of Agaja's reign.
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In the three years between 1724 and 1727, Agaja had more than doubled the territory of Dahomey, had secured access to the Atlantic coast, and had made Dahomey a prominent power along the
307:
Agaja drove him out of the city after establishing his own power. Agaja then turned his forces against the other Aja kingdoms. In April 1724, Agaja conquered the town of
2031:
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Agaja is credited with introducing many features of the Dahomey state that became defining characteristics for future kings. It is often said that Agaja created the
422:. The letter from Agaja was dismissed as a fraud and Tomo was returned to Dahomey where Agaja appointed him the assistant to the chief of trade with the British.
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374:
Having come to terms with the Oyo empire, Agaja sought to militarily destroy other rivals in the region. This started in 1731 with a successful war against the
237:
plateau. Although there were some limited military operations outside of the plateau, the kingdom did not significantly expand before the eighteenth century.
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The Bulfinch Lambe letter plays a prominent role in Akinjogbin's analysis as a declaration of Agaja's willingness to stop the slave trade. Akinjogbin writes:
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name for the first son born after twins. When Houegbadja died, Akaba became the king and ruled from 1685 until about 1716. Akaba died during a war in the
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to the north of Abomey for supplying the Oyo with food and support during the wars. Attempts by the Portuguese and the Dutch to establish forts in
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monopoly proved unpopular and, following the defeat of Agaja's forces in 1737, he was forced to allow the free trade of slaves through Dahomey.
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For the last ten years of his reign, from 1730 until 1740, Agaja worked on consolidating his kingdom and increasing trade with Europeans.
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and made Dahomey a tributary state of Oyo, a status which would remain until 1832. As a guarantee, Agaja had to send a son,
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1110:, and Marxist historians all used the debate about Agaja's motivations to develop arguments about the slave trade economy.
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became the new king. Agaja is credited with creating many of the key government structures of Dahomey, including the
1774:
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One important contact began in 1726 when Agaja sent Bulfinch Lambe (a British trader captured in the 1724 attack on
1521:
Johnson, Marion (1978). "Bulfinch Lambe and the Emperor of Pawpaw: A Footnote to Agaja and the Slave Trade".
1578:
Law, Robin (1986). "Dahomey and the Slave Trade: Reflections on the Historiography of the Rise of Dahomey".
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1751:
460:
43:
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Law, Robin; Mann, Kristin (1999). "West Africa in the Atlantic Community: The Case of the Slave Coast".
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Agaja repeated his earlier strategy of withdrawing into the wild to wait for the Oyo troops to leave.
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444:
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Monroe, J. Cameron (2011). "In the Belly of Dan: Space, History, and Power in Precolonial Dahomey".
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1481:
Henige, David; Johnson, Marion (1976). "Agaja and the Slave Trade: Another Look at the Evidence".
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The Oyo Empire c. 1600-c. 1836: A West African Imperialism in the Era of the Atlantic Slave trade
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the argument that the Dahomeans were seeking direct overseas commerce in slaves are conceivable.
178:. During his reign, Dahomey expanded significantly and took control of key trade routes for the
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Agaja led the most important expansions of the kingdom in the 1720s with the conquest of the
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debates in Great Britain as a letter by a purported indigenous African abolitionist.
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invasions were seen (to any greater degree than Dahomey's own wars) as slave raids.
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Oral tradition says that Agaja was born around 1673, the second oldest son to
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Wives of the Leopard: Gender, Politics, and Culture in the Kingdom of Dahomey
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174:, who ruled from 1718 until 1740. He came to the throne after his brother
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As part of his efforts against the Dutch, Agaja organized a war against
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1984:
1918:
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Alpern, Stanley B. (1998). "On the Origins of the Amazons of Dahomey".
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King Ajaga of Dahomey's letters to King George I of England [
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King Ajaga of Dahomey's letters to King George I of England [
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The debate is relevant in the impact it has had on other fields.
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while the king of Allada, Soso, made his ports outposts for the
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The Oyo Empire and surrounding states around the time of Agaja
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transferred his allegiance from the King of Whydah to Agaja.
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Agaja served a crucial role in the early development of the
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against Allada and Whydah were simply for economic control.
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A New Account of Some Parts of Guinea and the Slave-Trade
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194:to the east of Dahomey resulted in Agaja accepting
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257:. Agaja was originally called Dosu, a traditional
229:. The kingdom had been founded by Agaja's father
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1717:Palace Sculptures of Abomey History Told on Walls
1410:. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. pp. 22–23.
1233:
964:
952:
459:The debate over Agaja's motivations goes back to
249:. Houegbadja's first two children were the twins
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1618:Law, Robin (1993). "The "Amazones" of Dahomey".
730:
269:
1757:A Voyage to Guinea, Brazil, and the West Indies
689:Kraus, Erika; Reid, Felicie (14 January 2018).
465:A Voyage to Guinea, Brazil, and the West Indies
1455:Canes and Chains: A Study of Sugar and Slavery
594:, largely by increasing the centrality of the
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1480:
1422:
1227:
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1714:Piqué, Francesca; Rainer, Leslie H. (1999).
1458:. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishing.
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1728:Rodney, Walter (1975). "The Guinea Coast".
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549:Edna Bay assesses the debate by writing:
266:in 1718 after a brief, violent struggle.
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1423:Falola, Toyin; Warnock, Amanda (2007).
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2080:18th century in the Kingdom of Dahomey
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233:who ruled from 1645 until 1685 on the
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590:Agaja also had a large impact on the
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1766:Memoirs of the Reign of Bossa Ahadee
1305:Dahomey and Its Neighbors: 1708-1818
678:https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172163
660:https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172163
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1565:. London: Oxford University Press.
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1426:Encyclopedia of the Middle Passage
1155:. New York: Basic Books. pp.
290:in 1727. Allada and Whydah, both
14:
2091:
1723:. Los Angeles: Paul Getty Museum.
1429:. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
692:Benin (Other Places Travel Guide)
625:History of the Kingdom of Dahomey
366:
16:King of Dahomey from 1718 to 1740
503:from slave raiding. He writes:
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2075:18th-century monarchs in Africa
1730:The Cambridge History of Africa
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1140:
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295:through trade with the British
190:(1727). Wars with the powerful
1746:Contemporary European accounts
1644:The William and Mary Quarterly
1580:The Journal of African History
1452:Halcrow, Elizabeth M. (1982).
1408:Historical Dictionary of Benin
1307:. Cambridge University Press.
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682:
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571:Dahomey Amazons in around 1890
278:Symbol of Agaja in place Goho.
1:
1898:
1885:
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270:Conquest of Allada and Whydah
1393:. New York: Back Bay Books.
7:
2034:(2000 to 2012; rival claim)
2028:(1989 to 2018; rival claim)
695:. Other Places Publishing.
618:
10:
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1366:. University of Virginia.
342:The Aja kingdoms had been
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1994:
1987:(15 January 1894 to 1900)
1911:
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1818:
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1592:10.1017/s0021853700036665
1303:Akinjogbin, I.A. (1967).
1228:Henige & Johnson 1976
1001:Falola & Warnock 2007
705:– via Google Books.
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435:Agaja and the slave trade
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1389:Davidson, Basil (1980).
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630:Francisco FĂ©lix de Sousa
579:(a prime minister), the
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330:Wars with the Oyo Empire
311:and in 1726 the King of
301:Dutch West India Company
1772:Smith, William (1744).
1763:Norris, Robert (1789).
1709:(subscription required)
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1637:(subscription required)
1613:(subscription required)
1556:(subscription required)
1516:(subscription required)
1406:Decalo, Samuel (1987).
1391:The African Slave Trade
1355:(subscription required)
1288:Piqué & Rainer 1999
406:Contacts with Europeans
35:Greatest of Black Kings
1775:A New Voyage to Guinea
1147:Harms, Robert (2002).
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347:armies returned home.
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2026:Agoli Agbo Dedjalagni
1360:Bay, Edna G. (1998).
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297:Royal African Company
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93:1673-09-20UTC13:19:38
1945:(April 1740 to 1774)
1676:Current Anthropology
477:Atlantic slave trade
463:1735 publication of
180:Atlantic slave trade
48:Emblem of King Agaja
2038:Dah Sagbadjou Glele
1561:Law, Robin (1977).
1278:, pp. 774–775.
1218:, pp. 349–350.
1182:, pp. 241–242.
1137:, pp. 244–245.
1067:Law & Mann 1999
592:religion of Dahomey
2032:Houédogni Béhanzin
1782:Snelgrave, William
573:
453:
340:
280:
227:Kingdom of Dahomey
168:Kingdom of Dahomey
154:and also known as
32:Emperor of Paupau
2047:
2046:
1995:Ceremonial throne
1828:
1827:
1819:Succeeded by
1523:History in Africa
1483:History in Africa
1322:History in Africa
1254:, pp. 69–70.
1081:, pp. 81–83.
949:, pp. 97–98.
913:, pp. 98–99.
901:, pp. 91–92.
862:, pp. 22–23.
838:, pp. 83–84.
814:, pp. 63–64.
802:, pp. 76–79.
790:, pp. 68–69.
766:, pp. 54–60.
754:, pp. 54–55.
445:Door of No Return
288:Kingdom of Whydah
284:Kingdom of Allada
170:, in present-day
145:
144:
2087:
2060:Kings of Dahomey
2020:Joseph Langanfin
1903:
1900:
1890:
1887:
1854:
1847:
1840:
1831:
1830:
1802:Preceded by
1794:
1793:
1741:
1724:
1722:
1710:
1707:
1670:
1667:
1638:
1635:
1614:
1611:
1574:
1557:
1554:
1517:
1514:
1477:
1448:
1419:
1402:
1385:
1356:
1353:
1316:
1291:
1285:
1279:
1273:
1267:
1261:
1255:
1249:
1243:
1237:
1231:
1225:
1219:
1213:
1207:
1201:
1195:
1189:
1183:
1177:
1171:
1170:
1154:
1144:
1138:
1132:
1126:
1120:
1111:
1100:
1094:
1088:
1082:
1076:
1070:
1064:
1058:
1052:
1043:
1037:
1031:
1025:
1016:
1010:
1004:
998:
989:
983:
974:
968:
962:
956:
950:
944:
938:
932:
926:
920:
914:
908:
902:
896:
890:
884:
875:
869:
863:
857:
851:
845:
839:
833:
827:
821:
815:
809:
803:
797:
791:
785:
779:
773:
767:
761:
755:
749:
743:
737:
728:
722:
716:
713:
707:
706:
686:
680:
668:
662:
650:
286:in 1724 and the
111:
109:
96:
94:
46:
19:
18:
2095:
2094:
2090:
2089:
2088:
2086:
2085:
2084:
2050:
2049:
2048:
2043:
1990:
1907:
1901:
1888:
1867:
1858:
1824:
1815:
1812:King of Dahomey
1807:
1748:
1732:. Vol. 4.
1720:
1708:
1668:
1656:10.2307/2674121
1636:
1612:
1555:
1535:10.2307/3171496
1515:
1495:10.2307/3171561
1466:
1437:
1374:
1354:
1334:10.2307/3172178
1299:
1294:
1286:
1282:
1274:
1270:
1262:
1258:
1250:
1246:
1238:
1234:
1226:
1222:
1214:
1210:
1202:
1198:
1192:Akinjogbin 1967
1190:
1186:
1178:
1174:
1167:
1145:
1141:
1133:
1129:
1121:
1114:
1101:
1097:
1089:
1085:
1077:
1073:
1065:
1061:
1053:
1046:
1038:
1034:
1028:Akinjogbin 1967
1026:
1019:
1013:Akinjogbin 1967
1011:
1007:
999:
992:
986:Akinjogbin 1967
984:
977:
969:
965:
957:
953:
947:Akinjogbin 1967
945:
941:
933:
929:
923:Akinjogbin 1967
921:
917:
911:Akinjogbin 1967
909:
905:
899:Akinjogbin 1967
897:
893:
885:
878:
870:
866:
858:
854:
848:Akinjogbin 1967
846:
842:
836:Akinjogbin 1967
834:
830:
822:
818:
810:
806:
800:Akinjogbin 1967
798:
794:
788:Akinjogbin 1967
786:
782:
774:
770:
764:Akinjogbin 1967
762:
758:
750:
746:
738:
731:
723:
719:
714:
710:
703:
687:
683:
669:
665:
651:
647:
643:
638:
621:
585:Dahomey Amazons
565:
483:Robert W. Harms
437:
428:
408:
369:
332:
272:
243:
223:
112:
107:
105:
92:
90:
49:
33:
31:
29:King of Dahomey
17:
12:
11:
5:
2093:
2083:
2082:
2077:
2072:
2067:
2062:
2045:
2044:
2042:
2041:
2040:(2018 to 2021)
2035:
2029:
2023:
2022:(1986 to 1989)
2017:
2016:(1948 to 1983)
2014:Togni-Ahoussou
2011:
2010:(1940 to 1948)
2005:
2004:(1900 to 1940)
1998:
1996:
1992:
1991:
1989:
1988:
1982:
1981:(1889 to 1894)
1976:
1975:(1858 to 1889)
1970:
1969:(1818 to 1858)
1964:
1963:(1797 to 1818)
1958:
1957:(1789 to 1797)
1952:
1951:(1774 to 1789)
1946:
1940:
1939:(1718 to 1740)
1934:
1933:(1716 to 1718)
1928:
1927:(1685 to 1716)
1922:
1921:(1645 to 1685)
1915:
1913:
1912:Dahomey Empire
1909:
1908:
1906:
1905:
1892:
1878:
1876:
1869:
1868:
1857:
1856:
1849:
1842:
1834:
1826:
1825:
1820:
1817:
1808:
1803:
1799:
1798:
1797:Regnal titles
1792:
1791:
1779:
1770:
1761:
1747:
1744:
1743:
1742:
1725:
1711:
1696:10.1086/662678
1688:10.1086/662678
1682:(6): 769–798.
1671:
1650:(2): 307–334.
1639:
1615:
1586:(2): 237–267.
1575:
1558:
1518:
1478:
1464:
1449:
1435:
1420:
1403:
1386:
1372:
1357:
1317:
1298:
1295:
1293:
1292:
1280:
1268:
1266:, p. 251.
1256:
1244:
1232:
1220:
1208:
1206:, p. 247.
1196:
1184:
1172:
1165:
1139:
1127:
1125:, p. 244.
1112:
1095:
1093:, p. 266.
1083:
1071:
1069:, p. 320.
1059:
1057:, p. 240.
1044:
1042:, p. 171.
1032:
1030:, p. 107.
1017:
1015:, p. 103.
1005:
1003:, p. 129.
990:
988:, p. 106.
975:
963:
951:
939:
937:, p. 265.
927:
915:
903:
891:
876:
874:, p. 774.
864:
852:
840:
828:
826:, p. 242.
816:
804:
792:
780:
778:, p. 235.
768:
756:
744:
729:
717:
708:
701:
681:
676:]. Link -
663:
658:]. Link -
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
633:
632:
627:
620:
617:
596:Annual Customs
564:
561:
496:Basil Davidson
436:
433:
427:
424:
420:King George II
407:
404:
368:
367:Centralization
365:
331:
328:
271:
268:
242:
239:
222:
219:
182:by conquering
150:(also spelled
143:
142:
139:
135:
134:
129:
125:
124:
121:
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114:
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98:
97:
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38:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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2027:
2024:
2021:
2018:
2015:
2012:
2009:
2006:
2003:
2000:
1999:
1997:
1993:
1986:
1983:
1980:
1977:
1974:
1971:
1968:
1965:
1962:
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1956:
1953:
1950:
1947:
1944:
1941:
1938:
1935:
1932:
1929:
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1910:
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1519:
1512:
1508:
1504:
1500:
1496:
1492:
1488:
1484:
1479:
1475:
1471:
1467:
1465:9780435982232
1461:
1457:
1456:
1450:
1446:
1442:
1438:
1436:9780313334801
1432:
1428:
1427:
1421:
1417:
1413:
1409:
1404:
1400:
1396:
1392:
1387:
1383:
1379:
1375:
1373:9780813923864
1369:
1365:
1364:
1358:
1351:
1347:
1343:
1339:
1335:
1331:
1327:
1323:
1318:
1314:
1310:
1306:
1301:
1300:
1290:, p. 33.
1289:
1284:
1277:
1272:
1265:
1260:
1253:
1248:
1242:, p. 57.
1241:
1236:
1230:, p. 61.
1229:
1224:
1217:
1212:
1205:
1200:
1194:, p. 77.
1193:
1188:
1181:
1180:Davidson 1980
1176:
1168:
1166:9780465028719
1162:
1158:
1153:
1152:
1143:
1136:
1131:
1124:
1119:
1117:
1109:
1108:Walter Rodney
1105:
1099:
1092:
1087:
1080:
1075:
1068:
1063:
1056:
1051:
1049:
1041:
1036:
1029:
1024:
1022:
1014:
1009:
1002:
997:
995:
987:
982:
980:
973:, p. 70.
972:
967:
961:, p. 64.
960:
955:
948:
943:
936:
931:
925:, p. 99.
924:
919:
912:
907:
900:
895:
889:, p. 16.
888:
883:
881:
873:
868:
861:
856:
850:, p. 84.
849:
844:
837:
832:
825:
820:
813:
808:
801:
796:
789:
784:
777:
772:
765:
760:
753:
748:
742:, p. 54.
741:
736:
734:
727:, p. 49.
726:
721:
712:
704:
702:9780982261910
698:
694:
693:
685:
679:
675:
674:
667:
661:
657:
656:
649:
645:
631:
628:
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623:
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614:
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593:
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582:
578:
569:
559:
557:
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546:
541:
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302:
298:
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276:
267:
264:
260:
256:
252:
248:
241:Rise to power
238:
236:
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228:
218:
214:
212:
208:
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202:
197:
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185:
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74:
71:
67:
64:
60:
56:
52:
45:
40:
37:
36:
30:
25:
20:
2065:1670s births
1936:
1810:
1785:
1773:
1764:
1755:
1752:Atkins, John
1729:
1716:
1679:
1675:
1647:
1643:
1623:
1619:
1583:
1579:
1562:
1526:
1522:
1486:
1482:
1454:
1425:
1407:
1390:
1362:
1325:
1321:
1304:
1297:Bibliography
1283:
1271:
1259:
1247:
1235:
1223:
1216:Johnson 1978
1211:
1199:
1187:
1175:
1151:The Diligent
1150:
1142:
1130:
1104:Karl Polanyi
1098:
1086:
1074:
1062:
1035:
1008:
966:
954:
942:
930:
918:
906:
894:
867:
855:
843:
831:
819:
807:
795:
783:
771:
759:
747:
725:Halcrow 1982
720:
711:
691:
684:
671:
666:
653:
648:
609:
603:
599:
589:
580:
576:
574:
555:
552:
548:
543:
537:David Henige
534:
529:
521:
516:
511:
506:
494:
489:
481:
473:
464:
461:John Atkins'
458:
454:
429:
413:
409:
396:
392:
387:
384:
373:
370:
353:
349:
341:
321:
317:
305:
281:
244:
224:
215:
210:
204:
160:Trudo Audati
159:
155:
151:
147:
146:
27:
2070:1740 deaths
1902: 1625
1889: 1600
1626:: 245–260.
1529:: 345–350.
1276:Monroe 2011
887:Alpern 1998
872:Monroe 2011
860:Decalo 1987
776:Rodney 1975
535:Similarly,
376:Mahi people
357:Ouémé River
344:tributaries
324:Slave Coast
263:Ouémé River
186:(1724) and
156:Trudo Agaja
62:Predecessor
2054:Categories
2002:Agoli-agbo
1985:Agoli-agbo
1919:Houegbadja
1872:Rulers of
1816:1718–1740
636:References
522:Historian
363:, to Oyo.
247:Houegbadja
231:Houegbadja
192:Oyo Empire
176:King Akaba
141:Nan Adonon
132:Houegbadja
123:Aladaxonou
1961:Adandozan
1895:Dakodonou
1822:Tegbessou
1738:457145268
1704:142318205
1608:165754199
1551:159565190
1511:163111104
1489:: 57–67.
1445:230753290
1350:162412301
1313:469476592
524:Robin Law
469:abolition
361:Tegbessou
201:Tegbessou
196:tributary
80:Tegbessou
76:Successor
57:1718–1740
2008:Aidododo
1979:BĂ©hanzin
1904:to 1645)
1882:Do-Aklin
1784:(1734).
1754:(1735).
1632:40341664
1620:Paideuma
1474:10723826
1416:14692157
1382:37928567
1328:: 9–25.
1264:Law 1993
1252:Bay 1998
1240:Bay 1998
1204:Law 1986
1135:Law 1986
1123:Law 1986
1091:Law 1986
1079:Bay 1998
1055:Law 1986
1040:Law 1977
971:Bay 1998
959:Bay 1998
935:Law 1986
824:Law 1986
812:Bay 1998
752:Bay 1998
740:Bay 1998
619:See also
209:and the
162:) was a
1955:Agonglo
1949:Kpengla
1943:Tegbesu
1865:Dahomey
1664:2674121
1571:2965997
1543:3171496
1503:3171561
1399:7753159
1342:3172178
613:caravel
604:huetanu
600:xwetanu
581:Yovogan
416:Godomey
399:Badagry
388:Yovogan
380:Godomey
309:Godomey
221:History
206:Yovogan
166:of the
106: (
91: (
89:c. 1673
1931:Hangbe
1874:Abomey
1805:Hangbe
1736:
1702:
1694:
1662:
1630:
1606:
1600:181135
1598:
1569:
1549:
1541:
1509:
1501:
1472:
1462:
1443:
1433:
1414:
1397:
1380:
1370:
1348:
1340:
1311:
1163:
699:
615:boat.
563:Legacy
449:Ouidah
255:Hangbe
235:Abomey
188:Whydah
184:Allada
152:Agadja
138:Mother
128:Father
113:Allada
70:Hangbe
1973:Glele
1967:Ghezo
1937:Agaja
1925:Akaba
1861:Kings
1721:(PDF)
1700:S2CID
1692:JSTOR
1660:JSTOR
1628:JSTOR
1604:S2CID
1596:JSTOR
1547:S2CID
1539:JSTOR
1507:S2CID
1499:JSTOR
1346:S2CID
1338:JSTOR
641:Notes
426:Death
251:Akaba
172:Benin
148:Agaja
119:House
66:Akaba
54:Reign
22:Agaja
1734:OCLC
1567:OCLC
1470:OCLC
1460:ISBN
1441:OCLC
1431:ISBN
1412:OCLC
1395:OCLC
1378:OCLC
1368:ISBN
1309:OCLC
1161:ISBN
697:ISBN
577:Mehu
443:The
313:Gomè
253:and
211:Mehu
164:king
108:1741
104:1740
101:Died
86:Born
1863:of
1684:doi
1652:doi
1588:doi
1531:doi
1491:doi
1330:doi
1157:176
673:sic
655:sic
602:or
556:and
501:Fon
447:in
292:Aja
259:Fon
158:or
68:or
2056::
1899:c.
1886:c.
1698:.
1690:.
1680:52
1678:.
1658:.
1648:56
1646:.
1624:39
1622:.
1602:.
1594:.
1584:27
1582:.
1545:.
1537:.
1525:.
1505:.
1497:.
1485:.
1468:.
1439:.
1376:.
1344:.
1336:.
1326:25
1324:.
1159:.
1115:^
1106:,
1047:^
1020:^
993:^
978:^
879:^
732:^
479:.
326:.
213:.
1897:(
1891:)
1884:(
1853:e
1846:t
1839:v
1789:.
1777:.
1768:.
1759:.
1740:.
1706:.
1686::
1666:.
1654::
1634:.
1610:.
1590::
1573:.
1553:.
1533::
1527:5
1513:.
1493::
1487:3
1476:.
1447:.
1418:.
1401:.
1384:.
1352:.
1332::
1315:.
1169:.
598:(
110:)
95:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
