Benin Kingdom: AD 900-1300

Background Notes for Teachers

 

 

When people refer to Benin Kingdom they do not mean the modern day country of Benin in West

Africa. Instead, they are talking about an area of land that was known in past as ‘Benin Kingdom’

but is now a part of Nigeria. The kingdom began as a group of small villages that joined together

and it rose to become a wealthy and powerful empire in the 16th Century. Benin Kingdom was

destoryed when British forces invaded in 1897. The National Curriculum suggests that children

learn about Benin Kingdom during the period of AD 900-1300 as a non-European study. This is the

‘Early Period’ of Benin Kingdom’s history. As it is important to view this period in the wider

context of the historical narrative of Benin Kingdom, we have also included information about

subsequent periods in the guide.

 

With few written sources, what we know about Benin Kingdom comes mostly from either artefacts

and monuments that archaeologists have discovered or the rich heritage of oral tradition that still

exists among the people of Nigeria today.

 

The Early Period (AD 900-1300)

Benin Kingdom began as a group of small villages situated in the rainforests of West Africa. In

order to gain improved trading and security, some of the villages made a decision to join together

as a conglomerate. They were ruled by a dynasty of kings called Ogisos (meaning ‘Kings of the

Sky’) and the people began to build an impressive earthen moat around the boundaries of the

kingdom, the remains of which can still be seen today. They began to form an identity as a unified

kingdom, which became called Igodomigodo. People worked hard as farmers and craftsmen to

ensure that the kingdom had high quality goods to trade with foreigners.

 

A big change occurred around AD 1180 when the Ogiso and his family were exiled for misrule.

This left Benin Kingdom in a state of unrest, with fighting among the people about who would be

king. After plenty of drama, a young man called Eweke became king and began a new dynasty

rulers called the Obas. The Obas were very powerful and were treated like gods. Under their

rule, Benin Kingdom began to flourish and expand its boundaries.

 

 

The Golden Age (AD 1300-1700)

Over the next few hundred years Benin became a powerful and wealthy kingdom and it controlled

large amounts of land in West Africa. Georgraphially it was perfectly situated for trading its high

quality goods with other African kingdoms. Visitors from Portugal and other European countries

began to arrive and set up important trading links too. Other countries desired Benin’s impressive

arts and crafts as well as the exotic crops produced by its farmers. Later they began trading slaves

too, providing Benin with a great source of wealth. Benin’s army was powerful and the Oba

enjoyed his wealthy lifestyle in the many exquisite palaces and courts of Benin City.

 

 

The Period of Decline (AD 1700-1897)

After AD 1700, Benin Kingdom began to decrease in both wealth and power. The people began to

fight again about who should become the next Oba and a series of civil wars led to a huge

decrease in the population. The wars also distracted the people from providing important services

like making high quality trading goods and fighting well in the formally powerful army. In

addition, European countries began to ban the Slave Trade and Benin lost one its biggest sources

of wealth. Instead, European countries were racing to colonise Africa and it seemed that Great

Britain had hopes of making Benin part of its colonial empire. After a series of disputes over

signing a treaty and an incident in which Benin warriors killed a group of British officials, British

troops invaded Benin City. The troops burned down the city’s buildings and looted its valuable

artworks before exiling the Oba and taking control. Benin Kingdom was taken under British rules

and the area would later become part of independent Nigeria in the 1960s.