The King of Dahomey (''Ahosu'' in the

Fon language Fon (, ) also known as Dahomean is the language of the Fon people. It belongs to the Gbe group within the larger Atlantic–Congo family. It is primarily spoken in Benin Republic, as well as in Nigeria and Togo by approximately 2.3 million sp ...

) was the ruler of

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African List of kingdoms in Africa throughout history, kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. It developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in ...

, a

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

n kingdom in the southern part of present-day

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

, which lasted from 1600 until 1900 when the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

abolished the political authority of the Kingdom. The rulers served a prominent position in Fon ancestor worship leading the Annual Customs and this important position caused the French to bring back the exiled king of Dahomey for ceremonial purposes in 1910. Since 2000, there have been rival claimants as king and there has so far been no political solution. The Palace and seat of government were in the town of

Abomey Agbome or Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small tr ...

. Early historiography of the King of Dahomey presented them as absolute rulers who formally owned all property and people of the kingdom. However, recent histories have emphasized that there was significant political contestation limiting the power of the king and that there was a female ruler of Dahomey,

Hangbe Hangbe (or Hangbè, also Ahangbe or Na Hangbe) was a woman who served as the King of Dahomey, regent of the Kingdom of Dahomey for a brief period before Agaja came to power in 1718. According to oral tradition, she became regent upon the sudden d ...

, who was largely written out of early histories.

The first king

Multiple lists of the kings of Dahomey have been put together and many of them start at different points for the first King of Dahomey. In various sources,

Do-Aklin Do-Aklin or Gangnihessou (Ganye Hessou) or Dogbari is claimed as the founder of the Fon people, Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in present-day Benin and the first person in the royal lineage of the King of Dahomey, Kings of Dahomey (the Aladaxonou, Aladaxo ...

Dakodonu Dakodonou, ''Dakodonu'', ''Dako Donu'' or ''Dako Danzo'' was an early king of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, ruling from around 1620 until 1645. Oral tradition recounts that Dakodonu was the son (or grandson) of Do-Aklin, the fou ...

, or

Houegbadja Houegbadja or Wegbaja or Aho was a King of Dahomey, King in the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, from around 1645 until 1685. Houegbadja followed his father Dakodonou to the throne and formed much of the administration and religious p ...

are all considered the first king of Dahomey. Oral tradition contends that Do-Aklin moved from

Allada Allada is a town, arrondissement, and commune, located in the Atlantique Department of Benin. The current town of Allada corresponds to Great Ardra (also called Grand Ardra, or Arda), which was the capital of a Fon kingdom also called Allada ...

to the Abomey plateau, Dakodonu created the first settlement and founded the kingdom (but is often considered a "mere chief"), and Houegbadja who settled the kingdom, built the palace and created much of the structure is often considered the first king of Dahomey. Oral tradition contends that the kings were all of the ''Aladaxonou'' dynasty, a name claiming descent from the city of

which Dahomey conquered in the 1700s. Historians largely believe now that this connection was created to legitimate rule over the city of Allada and that connections to the royal family in Allada were likely of a limited nature. In oral tradition of most accounts, Houegbadja is considered the first king and recognition of him happened first in the

Annual Customs of Dahomey Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...

List of kings

(Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office) Sources:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King Of Dahomey

Kingdom of Dahomey Kings of Dahomey

The first king

List of kings

See also

References