40 Facts About Dahomey

Kingdom of Dahomey was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904.

Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century by expanding south to conquer key cities like Whydah belonging to the Kingdom of Whydah on the Atlantic coast which granted it unhindered access to the tricontinental triangular trade.

Much of the middle 19th century, the Kingdom of Dahomey became a key regional state, after eventually ending tributary status to the Oyo Empire.

The Kingdom of Dahomey was an important regional power that had an organized domestic economy built on conquest and slave labor, significant international trade and diplomatic relations with Europeans, a centralized administration, taxation systems, and an organized military.

Growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known to Europeans as a major supplier of slaves.

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The Annual Customs of Dahomey involved significant collection and distribution of gifts and tribute, religious Vodun ceremonies, military parades, and discussions by dignitaries about the future for the kingdom.

Dahomey was weakened by military defeat from Abeokuta, a Yoruba city-state which was founded by the Oyo Empire refugees migrating southwards.

Dahomey later began experiencing territorial tensions with France which led to the First Franco-Dahomean War in 1890, resulting in French victory.

Kingdom of Dahomey was referred to by many different names and has been written in a variety of ways, including Danxome, Danhome, and Fon.

Kingdom of Dahomey was established around 1600 by the Fon people who had recently settled in the area .

In contrast to surrounding regions, Dahomey employed a professional standing army numbering around ten thousand.

Hwanjile, in particular, is said to have changed dramatically the religious practices of Dahomey by creating two new deities and more closely tying worship to that of the king.

When King Ghezo ascended the throne in 1818, he was confronted by two immediate obstacles: the Kingdom of Dahomey was in politically turmoil, and it financially unstable.

Dahomey put stipulations on Dahomey's participation in the slave trade.

Under his reign, no longer would the Dahomey be traded, as they were under his brother's, Adandozan, leadership.

Dahomey would focus on capturing their enemies and trading them instead.

Dahomey were soon met with victory when they brought down the Oyo Empire and its yoke at Paonignan in 1827.

Dahomey explained to them that the entire region had become dependent on the slave trading, so ending immediately would destabilize his kingdom and lead to anarchy.

Dahomey's reign cemented the Kingdom of Dahomey as one of the most powerful African kingdoms that stood against British attempts, with Egba support, at converting people to Christianity, and maintained their traditional religion, known as Vodun.

Dahomey abolished the human sacrifice of slaves and removed the death penalty for certain lesser offenses, such as adultery.

In 1958, French Dahomey became the self-governing colony called the Republic of Dahomey and gained full independence in 1960.

In 1750, The Kingdom of Dahomey sent a diplomatic mission to Brazil, while the country was still under Portuguese rule, in order to strengthen diplomatic relations, after an incident which led to the expulsion of Portuguese-Brazilian diplomatic authorities, in 1743.

Dahomey was the first country to recognize the independence of Brazil in 1822.

Dahomey even held the office of chacha during his subsequent reign.

In 1861, the kingdom of Porto-Novo, one of Dahomey's tributaries, was attacked by the British Royal Navy, which was participating in anti-slaving patrols.

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Dahomey ignored all French claims there as well and continued to collect customs from the port.

Dahomey was forced to sign a treaty surrendering Porto-Novo and Cotonou to the French.

However, Dahomey later returned to raiding the area and disregarded French complaints, triggering the Second Franco-Dahomean War in 1892.

Dahomey became an adversary to the British Empire after the abolition of slavery during the 19th century.

In 1851, the Royal Navy imposed a naval blockade against Dahomey, forcing Ghezo to sign a treaty in 1852 that immediately abolished the export of slaves.

However, the last known slave ship that sailed to the United States secretly and illegally imported a group of 110 slaves from Dahomey, purchased long after the abolition of the slave trade.

The city-state of Porto-Novo, under the protection of Oyo, and Dahomey had a long-standing rivalry largely over control of the slave trade along the coast.

The Dahomey army favored imported European weapons as opposed to traditional weapons.

Dahomey built underground chambers in Abomey which served varying functions including that of providing military installations for the army.

Kingdom of Dahomey shared many religious rituals with surrounding populations; however, it developed unique ceremonies, beliefs, and religious stories for the kingdom.

Dahomey had a unique form of West African Vodun that linked together preexisting animist traditions with vodun practices.

Arts in Dahomey were unique and distinct from the artistic traditions elsewhere in Africa.

Dahomey had a distinctive tradition of casting small brass figures of animals or people, which were worn as jewellery or displayed in the homes of the relatively well-off.

Kingdom of Dahomey has been depicted in a number of different works of fiction or creative nonfiction.

Dahomey has been depicted in some historical war strategy video games.