Ewuare (also known as Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I), originally known as Prince Ogun, was the twelfth Oba of the

Benin Empire The Kingdom of Benin, also known as Great Benin, is a traditional kingdom in southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's c ...

from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

. After the war, Ewuare rebuilt much of the city of Benin, reformed political structures in the kingdom, greatly expanded the territory of the kingdom, and fostered the arts and festivals. He left a significant legacy in the

Kingdom of Benin The Kingdom of Benin, also known as Great Benin, is a traditional kingdom in southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's c ...

Ewuare was most likely born in the Benin Royal Palace in Benin City and he wasn’t proclaimed heir. Originally named Prince Ogun, he was an insignificant member of the royal house, even challenged from birth. Ewuare's name means "the trouble has ceased", referring to when he finally gained the throne after rebelling against Uwaifiokun. During his reign, Edo was rebuilt and possibly started the construction of the Benin Moats. He was the founder of Benin's "Imperial Era" and expanded the Benin Empire in all directions. He was also the first Oba to meet the Portuguese in 1473. He was a key general and from oral history, recounted 201 victories against other cities and states. Gaining power after seizing the throne from Uwaifiokun in 1440, he reformed the administration of the Benin Empire and transformed it into an imperial state through conquest. He was the first Oba to establish limited trade with the Portuguese in 1473 and gradually began to acquire firearms for the empire. His early reforms and developments are seen as early acts of indigenous modernization in Africa.

Name

The story in which Ewuare got his name happened when he was wandering around the kingdom. One day he passed by a farm when he heard a farmer call out to his son, “Ewuare!”, asking of the boy to bring him some ikan. Ewuare, at the time Prince Ogun, liked both the sound and the meaning of the word. It was a prayer. Ogun wandered on the farm, engaging in a conversation with the farmer, telling him he liked the name of the farmer’s son. He asked to buy the name from the farmer so he could use it for himself. The farmer was confused but eventually accepted. Ogun gave him the money and left. Days later, he passed by the farm, overhearing the name be said by the farmer to his son once again. Ogun felt he was robbed after he brought the name and the boy still had it. Ogun then sought to kill the boy as he felt it was the only remedy to the situation. Ogun hid in bushes on the edges of the farm, waiting for the boy to approach. When the boy soon approached, Ogun was said to pounce on him, smothering him and strangling him.

Rise to power

Prior to Ewuare, the Oba of Benin was limited in their power and authority by the ''uzama'', a group of hereditary chieftains throughout the kingdom. The ''uzama'' were able to appoint the Oba of Benin upon the death of an Oba and could limit any efforts by the Oba. The rise of Ewuare to a position of power is chronicled by Benin's oral history. Ewuare was born as the third son of the Oba Ohen. At this point, Ewuare was known by the name Prince Ogun. Ohen was deposed and stoned to death after both of his legs were paralyzed since it meant he lost the divine powers. A controversy arose upon the death of Ohen when both Prince Ogun and his brother Prince Irughe were exiled by Oba Orobiru, Ohen's second son. Ohen's first son, Oba Egbeka had ruled upon their father's death but did not last long. In exile Ogun then traveled widely throughout the region visiting many different kingdoms. Local historian Jacob U. Egharevba contended that after the death of Orobiru, both Ogun and Uwaifaikon were banished from the city, but then Uwaifaikon was able to return, lied to the Uzama, and was named king. One popular oral history contends that while Prince Ogun was exiled he performed a favour for a jungle spirit and as a result got a magic bag, called ''Agbavboko''. Agbavboko had the magical qualities that no matter what Ogun put into the bag, it had more space and whenever he reached in he could pull out whatever he desired. During his travels, he gathered significant magical and herbal knowledge from a variety of sources. At one point, he felt the need to sleep under the sacred ''uloko'' tree and the tree told him to return to Benin City and reclaim the throne. On his way back to the city, he removed an infected thorn from a lion's paw and the lion gave him a magic

Talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

which he could use to create any situation in the world he desired. He arrived in Benin City surprised to find a parade for his brother Uwaifaikon while the people were in destitute circumstances. Prince Ogun used the talisman to set large parts of the city on fire. He then reached into ''Agbavboko'' and pulled out a bow with a poison arrow which he then used to assassinate Uwaifaikon. In the confusion that ensued, he hid with a slave, named Edo, that had taken care of him when he was young and who recognized him immediately in the chaos. Supporters of Uwaifaikon entered Edo's house and killed him trying to find Ogun who had hidden. Ogun then exited the house and gathered his supporters and was able to assert his right to the throne. In Egharevba's version, during a visit to the city during his exile, Ogun was taken in by a prominent chief who hid him in a dried well but then went to tell the authorities. The head slave of the chief, named Edo, let down a ladder into the well and advised Ewuare to escape. Ogun then took the name Ewuare translated to "the trouble has ceased". Eventually, the honorific ''Ogidigan'' (the Great) was appended and he is often known as Ewuare Ogidigan or Ewuare the Great. The date for his rise to the throne is usually dated to 1440. To honor the slave that had sacrificed his life to save his, Ewuare also renamed the city to Edo (now Benin City).

Rule

Ewuare is often considered a key state-reformer and crucial in many aspects of state formation in the

Benin empire The Kingdom of Benin, also known as Great Benin, is a traditional kingdom in southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's c ...

. He consolidated the power of the Oba, changed lineage procedures, and created an administrative structure for the Empire. In addition, he greatly expanded the empire and took over a significant territory. A major administrative development undertaken by Ewuare was reducing the power of the ''uzama'' chiefs which were a limiting force on the Oba. Ewuare removed their ability to appoint the Oba and instead adopted a clear succession going to the first-born son. In adopting this

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

lineage system, the authority of the ''uzama'' was greatly decreased. In addition, to clarify the situation, Ewuare developed the ''Edaiken'' title for the oldest son to clearly establish the lineage. One oral history dates this development to a situation in the city of Uselu. The chief of Uselu, Iken, had become an ally to Ewuare. At one point, another city was revolting against Ewuare's rule and Iken mobilized an army to end the revolt. Because he did not have anyone to rule Uselu, Ewuare sent his oldest son Kuoboyuwa to serve in the town until the war was over. Iken died in the fighting and since he had no heir, Kuoboyuwa became the ruler. This incident created a clear succession to the oldest son of the king with the title ''Edaiken'' derived from the incident. Ewuare also created two additional layers of administration in towns and villages with the creation of the ''Eghabho n'ore'' (town chiefs) and ''Eghabho n'ogbe'' (palace chiefs). These acted as administrative arms, directly appointed and accountable to the Oba, who would collect tribute, deal with legal issues, and generally take part of the affairs of state. To foster this, Ewuare encouraged the freeborn population to work in the palace for small wages as part of these different orders. In addition, Ewuare was successful at taking over a number of cities and towns in the region for expanding the empire. He personally led the army against many of the

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

communities, living west of the Niger river, and key Yoruba settlements like

Akure Akure is a city in south-western Nigeria. It is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Ondo State. The city had a population of 403,000 as of the 2006 population census. Its current population is estimated at 774,000.Owo. In towns that he took over, he quickly replaced the ruling elite with chiefs of his administrative system who were his allies. Oral history recount 201 victories by Ewuare over the various cities and towns creating a large empire centered in Edo. The capital city of the empire was rebuilt during Ewuare with significant redesign. Around Benin City (then Edo), Ewuare built significant walls and moats, large

boulevards A boulevard is a type of broad avenue (landscape), avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway or wide road in a commerce, commercial district. In Europe, boulevards were originally circumferential roads ...

within the city, and clearly divided zones for different craft work. Archeological evidence has found that the walls built around the palace and the city, and even out into the country, were significant constructions taking multiple years to complete. In addition, he rebuilt the palace and created a clear division between it and the rest of the capital city. The division was further emphasized through the introduction by Ewuare of

scarification Scarification involves scratching, etching, burning/ branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification or body art. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In t ...

for freeborn citizens to differentiate them from the slave population. Egharevba establishes a different source of the scarification that developed in the Kingdom. Oral histories used by Egharevba suggest that during his reign, his oldest son Kuoboyuwa (the ruler of Iken) and his second son Ezuwarha (who had become the ruler of Iyowa) became rivals and ended up poisoning each other causing Ewuare to go into significant mourning. In his sorrow, Ewuare passed a law prohibiting sex in the kingdom for three years which resulted in many members of the kingdom migrating to other areas. Ewuare overturned the law but because few migrants returned, he told all neighboring states to refuse to give entry to his citizens and developed the scarification practice to allow clear identification of their citizens.

Contact with the Portuguese

While on the throne, Ewuare met the Portuguese explorer, Ruy de Sequiera in 1473. It is unclear whether he went into the city, but contacts between the Portuguese and the Oba were initiated. This established limited trade between the two empires, to be expanded greatly starting in the 1480s. The king of Portugal developed a close alliance with Oba Esigie, who was the first Oba of Benin to have spoken Portuguese. Ewuare greatly expanded the arts in Benin during his reign and was aided greatly in this through increased trade. Ewuare is generally credited with expanding ivory and wood carving in the empire and the creation of Bronze heads for shrines to deceased Obas. In addition, Ewuare began many of the royal decoration traditions involving coral.Art Institute of Chicago: Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria
In both folktales and artistic representations, Ewuare is considered someone with significant magical powers. His herbal and magical knowledge is attested to in a number of significant art work from the era. Crucial in this is the creation during Ewuare of the Igue festival, which was originally celebrated as a festival to renew his magical powers. One oral history says that the date of the Igue festival was set initially to the marriage between Ewuare and a wife named Ewere. He is also said to have founded the Ugie Erha Ọba festival which honored the Obas.

Religious Controversy

The commonly accepted view is that Christianity was first introduced to the people of Benin during the reign of Oba Esigie, the grandson of Oba Ewuare. However, a closer examination of Oba Ewuare’s time on the throne, along with traditional stories from that era, suggests that Christianity may have actually arrived earlier—during Ewuare’s own reign. In fact, it appears that Oba Ewuare himself was the main focus of the Portuguese missionaries’ efforts to spread Christianity. He responded positively to their teachings, showing both openness and enthusiasm toward the new religion.

Story regarding the controversy

One of the most well-known legends surrounding Oba Ewuare of Benin concerns an event in which he allegedly attempted to destroy the deities of the land. According to traditional accounts, Ewuare invited the revered ''Ihen''—mystics who had achieved legendary feats in life and were deified after death—to a grand banquet at his palace. These deities were represented by hereditary priesthoods, typically passed from father to eldest son. Among those said to have accepted the Oba’s invitation were prominent ''Ihen'' such as Okhuaihe, Ake, Ovator n’Igieduma, Ogan n’Ekhua, and Ireghezi n’Ekae, along with others active at the time. The gathering took place in a large hall within the Iweton area of the Ogbe quarters, near the Oba's palace. Following a formal welcome, which included traditional prayers and the ceremonial breaking of kola nuts, the Oba excused himself, leaving his guests to enjoy an elaborate feast. The meal included pounded yam, venison-rich stew, and palm wine. After confirming that the deities were relaxed and satisfied, Ewuare reportedly ordered that the hall’s single entrance be sealed and the building set on fire. The hall, made of thatch and mud, was soon engulfed in flames. However, according to legend, the deities used their supernatural powers to escape unharmed—either passing through the thick mud walls or leaping through the fire-damaged roof. The only one said to have been injured was Ake, the deity of archery and patron of hunters, who sustained burns to his forearms and shins. These injuries reportedly left lasting skin discolorations, which Ake concealed with red camwood pigment—a tradition that his worshippers continue to follow. This act, interpreted as an attempt by Ewuare to suppress indigenous religious practices, was seen as a grave offense against the spiritual order. It is believed that he was later afflicted with a severe illness—identified in oral tradition as anasarca (generalized edema)—as divine punishment. Due to the nature of his illness and the belief that his death was caused by an offense against the ''Ovia'' deity, his remains were not buried in Benin City. Instead, he was interred in the village of Essi, his maternal grandmother’s hometown beyond the Ovia River, to avoid bringing misfortune to the city.

Death and lineage

Details about his death are not generally known but Egharevba says that he was buried at Esi, near the town of Edo (

). His first remaining son, Ezoti, died from assassination and his second son, Olua, ruled for a short period and was replaced when the ''uzama'' revolted. His third son, Ozolua became Oba around 1483 and ruled until 1514. The royal lineage from Ewuare would continue for multiple generations.

References

Notes

Sources

* {{Obas of Benin Obas of Benin 1473 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century Nigerian people 15th-century monarchs in Africa People from Benin City