Orompoto (also spelled Oronpoto) was an

Alaafin Alaafin, or ''The Owner of the Palace'' in the Yoruba language, is the title of the emperor of the medieval Oyo empire and present-day Oyo town of West Africa. He ruled the old Oyo Empire which extended from the present day Benin republic to ...

of the Yoruba

Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking s ...

. The empire of which she ruled is located in what is modern day western and north-central Nigeria.

History

Orompoto was the sister of her predecessor, Eguguojo. She became the first woman to become "king" of the Oyo in the imperial era, and the first woman since the pre-imperial ruler Yeyeori. Orompoto assumed the throne because there was no male successor within her family at the time. She helped drive the

Nupe Nupe may refer to: *Nupe people, of Nigeria *Nupe language, their language *The Bida Emirate, also known as the Nupe Kingdom, their former state *A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African Amer ...

from Oyo in 1555. Orompoto lived in the 16th century. Orompto was the second Oyo monarch to reign in the new capital of Igboho. Some traditions of the oral record hold that she was miraculously transformed into a man before assuming the throne there. Orompoto used horses extensively in military battles and may have obtained them from

Borgu Borgu is a region in north-west Nigeria and in the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as Bariba or Borgawa. History According to the ...

. She was reportedly masterfully skilled on horseback, and created a specialized order of cavalry officers within her army that were subject to the Eso Ikoyi. The first of its kind, the cavalry was a force to be reckoned with in the various wars with Oyo's enemies. Considered a skillful

warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

herself, she is said to have distinguished herself at the Battle of Illayi. While fighting her enemies there, she lost three war chiefs in quick succession, titleholders that are known as ''Gbonkas'' in Oyo. The third of them is believed to have fallen with his face locked in an unnerving grin. The enemies thought that he was still alive and was making a mocking gesture, and were overwhelmed by what they considered to be their inability to best the Oyo gbonkas. They abandoned the battlefield thereafter, and the Oyo later claimed victory. She was succeeded by Ajiboyede.

References

Alaafins of Oyo Women in 16th-century warfare 16th-century Nigerian women Nigerian women's history African women in war 16th-century monarchs in Africa 16th-century women rulers Yoruba queens regnant {{Africa-royal-stub