How Big Was the Benin Empire? | The Edo Heritage

 

The Benin Empire located in present day Nigeria, was a powerful society built by the Edo people. The kingdom which had the Benin monarch at the center started expanding in the Mid-14th Century until it ended in 1897 after the British Invasion of 1897.

At it’s height, the empire extended through Lagos to present day Port-Novo in Benin Republic. In the north it extended to some point at kwari{Niger state, Nigeria}. According to dapper, who gave us an insight of the the vastness of the Benin empire, and kingdoms that were under Benin control, and were his tributaries which includes the kingdom of Ijebu,Warri,Nupe and the Igala country.

According to Barbot a French man who spent most of his time trading in Africa, his voyage to west Africa was between 1678-1712 noted:

"the kingdom was bounded by Kwari (Niger state, Nigeria), Porto Novo in the west, and by the Atlantic Ocean in the south —its limit to the north does not appear. two of its colonies are Badagry and Lagos, and are called by the natives Aoni, or the offspring of Ini -Benin" - Jean Barbot {1680s}

According to Galleway “forty years ago the boundary was supposedly fifty miles off present day Lokoja; the south-eastern boundary was Ethiope River, Many states pay tribute to the king, The tribute is collected yearly, the king sending his so-called war-men to collect it."__Galleway.

{Galleway was the first permanent vice consul to the Benin river district in 1891}

The European explorer above gave us an insight of the extent of Benin during the 16,17 and18th century, when they visited the Benin River.

Jean Alfonce in the 1530’s made mention of Benin having influence over the region of the Gold Coast, he made it clear that the Kingdom of Benin stretches from River Volta to River-Royal {New Calabar}, Bonny region.

In support to Jean Alfounce Crow made mention of Ambassadors from Benin, with two large ships filled with produce from the country of Benin and were relative to the king of the people Bonny, and after feasting for months they returned to Benin with their large cargo laden with present - Crow Hugh {1830} 

{“memoirs of the late captain Hugh of liverpool}

According to John Thornton who mentioned that the coast was dominated by two principal empires and they are 

THE KINGDOM OF LABIDAN  “West”

THE KINGDOM OF BENIN      “East”

and even the emissaries from LABIDAN & Allada {Whydah} were imprisoned in the Benin court, this proving the might and control that Benin’s once held in the west coast, little wonder why the coastal waters was named “THE BIGHT OF BENIN”.

Allada the most powerful kingdom in present-day Benin Republic in the 1600s was noted by Weickmann in 1659 & Van Brakel in 1670 to be a Benin vassal;

It was also noted in 1539, that Labadi’s, one of the most powerful kingdom in the Gold Coast in present day Ghana was dependent on Benin{The LABADI are part of the Ga tribe}, which also affirmed  the historical connection between Benin & the Ga people.

Dapper insight about Benin kingdom and it’s vassal, he made mention of kingdom’s like

Istanna - Igala kingdom

Forcado - Warri kingdom 

Jaboe - ijebu kingdom

Isago - Nupe kingdom

Oedobo 

That these kingdoms mentioned all paid tribute to the Oba Of Benin, and isago was the most powerful of them all - Dapper

It was also noted by John Barbot: on his voyage to the western part of Africa 1678 &1682 that ijebu was a tributary Kingdom under the suzerainty of the Oba Of Benin.{thus proofed Benin control of Some part of the ijebu area}

The Lander Brothers also noted, during their stay at Badagry and Lagos that both principalities {Badagry & Lagos} were both tributary to  the powerful king of Benin and their bones are usually sent to Benin after the passing on of their chief.

Benin Empire was one of Africa’s most developed and civilized empire which extended it rulership beyond it borders, creating an empire that even the European’s reckon with as early as the 15th century, having vassals that pay tributes to the rulership of Benin Empire.

Written by Clinton Edocentric