''Ogiso'' is the name used by the people of

Igodomigodo Igodomigodo was an ancient Edo kingdom in modern-day southern Nigeria ruled by the Ogiso monarchy. History Legendary origins The Edo tradition of origin holds that initially there was no land on earth. Accordingly, Osanobua requested three ...

or (Ugodomigodo) to refer to the institution and first dynasty of rulers beginning approximately around 900 - 950AD or the mid tenth century. The name variously translates to mean 'King from the sky', 'King of the sky', or 'King of heaven'. Broken down, the word is coined from the article pieces ''-Ogie''; the Edo word for king, and ''-Iso''; the Edo word for sky. Early traditions narrate that these early kings (''Ogie'') descended from heaven. The first of them,

Igodo Igodo (Obagodo) was the first King of Igodomigodo. According to Ife and early Benin tradition, he was one of the sons of Oduduwa who dispersed from Ife to found various kingdoms. Some Edo traditions say Igodo descended from heaven, others cla ...

(or Obagodo), is believed to have been a stranger from the sky because of his immense wisdom. Not much is known about the reign of the Ogisos compared to the era of the Obas, and the period is often said to be of a semi-mythical or legendary nature. The exact number of Ogisos that reigned have varied since the inception of written Benin history. Ademola Iyi-Eweka records a list of fifteen Ogisos ending with

Owodo Owodo (, ) was the thirty-first and last ("king") of Igodomigodo, an early kingdom that later became part of the Benin Empire. His reign marked the end of the Ogiso era and initiated a transitional period that led to the establishment of the ...

in 1998. Before him, pioneer Edo historian Jacob U. Egharevba had recorded a varying number of Ogisos in different editions of his popular and widely celebrated work; '' A Short History of Benin''. However, In his fourth and final edition published in 1968, the Ogisos had eventually settled on fifteen in number with their names and functions detailed. Since the earlier authors, another Benin writer S.B Omoregie (1997) has developed the list to 31 Ogisos and furnished all thirty one with names and precise dates of rule. Although he doesn't explain or account for how he arrived at the dates ascribed to each ruler, his publication keeps the time period of the Ogiso dynasty within the established timeline (900 CE - 1130 CE) and it includes very detailed information on the lives and times of some of the rulers. Chief Osemwegie-Ero (2003) maintained the list of 31 Ogisos but backdates the beginning of the dynasty to 40 BCE instead. He also used precise dates for the reigns of each member in his publication and doesn't explain how the two introduced date novelties were concluded. His work was published to mark the centenary of the Benin Expedition, 1897-1997. Of their number in the 31 list Ogiso, the first three are related by blood to Oduduwa. The next twenty anteceding Ogisos starting with Akhuankhuan were not chosen based on consanguinity (blood relationship) but on personal abilities. Eventually however, the dynastic transmission model seem to have been restored again for the reign of the last eight members. Common to most of the lists are the first three rulers, starting with Obagodo (the pioneer), Ere (the second and most revered) and Orire (the third ruler). Udo is believed by a segment of the Edo population to have been the first capital of the land and that Igodo first descended from the sky and governed Udo for twenty five years before moving to Benin, while others yet believe the original site of Igodo's palace was situated in Ugbekun. The Ogiso were assisted by a group of seven nobles called the Uzama. During the reign of Ogisos, Edo lands were called '

' and they had administrative centers or capitals Udo, Ugbekun, and later on Ore-Edo now

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 ...

. Many observers have described the system of government in Igodomigodo as one best described as a ''Supra-chiefdom'' or ''Complex chiefdom'', and the line of rulers were not an actual dynasty in the real sense. Community autonomy was given to each community by the Ogiso during their reign.

List of the Ogiso, Egharevba 1933-1968

Below is a consolidated list of Ogisos that reigned in Benin which appear in all of Egharevba's works from the first to the fourth and final edition. He lists his informants and sources in his book.

Alternative list of the Ogiso, S.B Omoregie 1997

This is an alternative list of Ogisos that reigned in Benin based on the work of chief S.B Omoregie. The period for the reign of the

Ogiso monarchy The were the earliest known ruling monarchy of the Edo kingdom of Igodomigodo, founded by Igodo, the first Ogiso. The monarchy began around 900 AD and lasted until the early 12th century when it was succeeded by the Oba monarchy. The Ogiso m ...

is placed between c.900 AD and 1130 AD with thirty one Ogisos listed. He does not explain how the dates for the reigning period of each Ogiso was arrived at.

Notes

References

External links

edo-nation.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogiso Nigeria history-related lists Lists of monarchs Edo (ethnic group)