Flag of Benin Empire
The Kingdom of Benin
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The Kingdom of Benin is identified as one of the oldest and most advanced kingdoms in West Africa and Africa as a whole established by the Edo people who referred to their kingdom as Igodomigodo. The Kingdom dates back to the 11th century lasting until the 19th century and flourishing in wealth and dominance. By the 14th century, the Kingdom of Benin was at its peak with a strong military and social structure as well as dominating trade in the whole of West Africa.
The people of Benin traded in palm oil, ivory, rubber, textiles, coconut and cattle among other resources. The Oba, who is known as the King became a significant figure in West African history and had the people develop their own written language as well as textile which is now known as tie-dye. They also had a well-developed metal and artwork to which many bronze monuments are a reflection of.
The great wall of Benin, one of the longest man-made structure ever built protected the kingdom from attacks and especially western invaders who wanted to have total control of the land rather than just trade. By the 17th century, the Kingdom of Benin had total political control of western and parts of Southern Nigeria but started to decline towards the start of the 18th century due to the trade dominance of the British and several attacks by westerners to have total control over the lands.
In 1897, the British army defeated the Kingdom of Benin, killing and setting the kingdom on fire and looting many of its resources including several bronze monuments. The attack saw the end of one of Africa’s most successful kingdoms lost to the British. The kingdom still exists in Nigeria in what is now known as Edo state. The monarchy is also very functional with a powerful Oba (King).
