The ''mogho naba'' of Wogodogo is the ruler ("king of the world") of Wogodogo, one of the

Mossi Kingdoms The Mossi Kingdoms, were a group of kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso that dominated the region of the Volta River, upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The largest Mossi kingdom was that of Ouagadougou. The king of Ouagadougou, known as ...

located in present-day

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. The kingdom takes its name from its historic capital, now the Burkinabe national capital of

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

. Although the most politically powerful of the Mossi Kingdoms, there was no Mossi "empire", and the Wogodogo king did not have authority over the other kingdoms. The French colonial period and subsequent independence have reduced the power vested in the position, but the ''mogho naba'' retains an influential role in Burkina Faso. The position is typically hereditary, following male-only lines of descent. Originally, the position passed primarily to brothers (or even cousins), rather than to sons, but by the reign of Zombré had transitioned to its current

order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.selecting the ''mogho naba'', and the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

may be passed over if, for example, he is deemed physically unfit for the position's traditional role in war or if he would fail to uphold the dignity of the office (as in cases of

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

). This council has traditionally included: the ''baloum naba'', head of the king's servants; the ''gounga naba'', leader of the infantry; the ''larale naba'', keeper of the royal tombs; the ''kamsaogo naba'', manager of the palace

eunuchs A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

; and the ''widi naba'', the royal

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and Groomsman, ...

Rulers of Wogodogo

The

chronology Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the deter ...

of the Mossi Kingdoms prior to the French occupation is unclear. Historian Yamba Tiendrebeogo reconstructed the history of Wogodogo from Mossi

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

that included the lengths of the reigns of historical rulers. Other scholars propose more recent dates for many pre-colonial events—setting the start of Oubri's reign around 1495 rather than 1182—and correspondingly shorter reigns for many rulers.

As mogho naba of Tenkodogo

The first Mossi Kingdom was centered around Tenkodogo. Wogodogo, initially a

client state A client state in the context of international relations is a State (polity), state that is economically, politically, and militarily subordinated to a more powerful controlling state. Alternative terms for a ''client state'' are satellite state, ...

of Tenkodogo, gradually grew in power until it was the dominant political power in the Mossi Kingdoms; nevertheless, the rulers of Tenkodogo prior to the formation of Wogodogo are counted as kings of Wogodogo by tradition.

As mogho naba of Oubritenga

The first capital of

Oubritenga Oubritenga is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso The regions of Burkina Faso are divided into 45 administrative provinces. These 45 provinces are currently sub-divided into 351 Departments of Burkina Faso, departments or communes. List ...

("Oubri's land") was Guilongou, near modern-day

Ziniaré Ziniaré is a town located in the province of Oubritenga in Burkina Faso. It is the capital of Oubritenga Province and Plateau-Central Region. Geography Ziniaré is located 35 km northeast of downtown Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu ( ...

, but typically moved to a village preferred by each new king upon his accession.

As mogho naba of Wogodogo

Naba Zombré relocated the capital to Wogodogo (

Scope of power

According to Titinga Frédéric Pacéré, in tradition, he is considered all powerful with right of life and death on the inhabitants of Wogodogo and Oubritenga. In practice, his power was subject to the custom and law of the fathers. He personifies the empire and embodies its unity, but power is really in the hands of the court of the ''mogho naba'', ministers who make decisions and govern the country. This complex organisation of powers is materialised every Friday during the ceremony of the false departure of the king. The ''mogho naba'' has no authority over the other kingdoms of Tenkodogo, Fada N'Gourma, Boussouma and

Ouahigouya Ouahigouya () is a city in northern Burkina Faso, situated 182 kilometres northwest of Ouagadougou. It is the capital of the Yatenga Province and one of its subdivisions the Ouahigouya Department. It is also the biggest town in the Nord Region (B ...

, whose sovereigns would be, like him, descendants of

Yennenga Yennenga (born 11th-15th century) was a legendary princess, considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. She was a famous warrior within the Kingdom of Dagbon, now in present day Ghana. The founder of the Kingdom of Dagbon was her fa ...

. Traditionally, the rulers of these four kingdoms and the ''mogho naba'' avoid each other, but they happen to meet, such as happened in 1946 to consult on the reconstruction of the Upper Volta.Lassina Simporé, « La métallurgie traditionnelle du fer et la fondation du royaume de Wogdogo» dans ''Crossroads / Carrefour Sahel: Cultural and technological developments in first millennium BC/AD West Africa, Africa Magna Verlag, 2009,
p.251, note 3
'

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book , last1=Rupley , first1=Lawrence , last2=Bangali , first2=Lamissa , last3=Diamitani , first3=Boureima , title=Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso , edition=Third , publisher=Scarecrow Press , year=2013 , isbn=978-0-8108-6770-3 Rulers of Wogodogo French West Africa Lists of rulers in Africa