38 Facts About Oyo Empire

Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria.

The Oyo Empire was one of the most politically important states in the entirety of Western Africa from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, and held sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin on its west.

Oyo Empire left all his treasures in Ife and allowed another king to rule there.

At one time, Oyo Empire-ile was at war with the Bariba of Borgu, who wanted to subjugate the new city still under construction.

Oyo Empire had grown into a formidable inland power by the end of the 14th century.

Related searches

Sometime around 1535, the Nupe occupied Oyo Empire and forced its ruling dynasty to take refuge in the kingdom of Borgu.

Yoruba of Oyo Empire went through an interregnum of 80 years as an exiled dynasty after its defeat by the Nupe.

Oyo Empire never encompassed all Yoruba people, but it was the most populous kingdom in Yoruba history.

Key to the Yoruba rebuilding of Oyo Empire was a stronger military and a more centralized government.

Oba Ofinran, Alaafin of Oyo Empire, succeeded in regaining Oyo Empire's original territory from the Nupe.

In 1728, the Oyo Empire invaded the Kingdom of Dahomey in a major campaign of its cavalry.

The Oyo Empire army was able to attack defensive fortifications, but it was harder to supply an army, and they withdrew when supplies ran out.

Oyo Empire led a successful campaign into Mahi territory north of Dahomey in the late 18th century.

Metropolitan Oyo Empire corresponded, more or less, to the Oyo Empire state prior to the Nupe invasion.

Metropolitan Oyo Empire was divided into six provinces, with three on the west side of the Ogun River and three to the river's east.

Oyo Empire was known to punish disobedience by wholesale slaughter of the erring community, as it accomplished in Allada in 1698.

Oyo Empire developed a highly sophisticated political structure to govern its territorial domains.

Oyo Empire was responsible for keeping tributaries safe from attack, settling internal quarrels between sub-rulers, and mediating between those sub-rulers and their people.

The Alaafin of Oyo Empire was expected to give his subordinates honours and presents.

Oyo Empire was not a purely hereditary monarchy, nor was it an absolute one.

Oyo Empire was not always closely related to his predecessor, although he did have to be descended from Oranmiyan, a son of Oduduwa, and to hail from the Ona Isokun ward.

Alaafin of Oyo Empire appointed certain religious and government officials, who were usually eunuchs.

Oyo Empire appointed these to visit and sometimes reside in Dahomey and the Egbado Corridor to collect taxes and spy on Dahomey's military successes, so that the Alaafin of Oyo Empire could get his cut.

The Oyo Empire Mesi spoke for the politicians while the Ogboni spoke for the people and were backed by the power of religion.

The Oyo Empire Mesi developed as a check on the Alaafin's power, preventing the Alaafin from being an autocrat; they compelled many Alaafins to commit suicide during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Related searches

New alaafins of Oyo Empire were therefore seen as being appointed by the gods.

Oyo Empire was the only Yoruba state to adopt cavalry; it did so because most of its territory was in the northern savannah.

Oyo Empire was able to purchase horses from the north and maintain them in metropolitan Oyo Empire because of partial freedom from the tsetse fly.

Oyo Empire maintained a semi-standing army of specialist cavalry soldiers called the Eso, the Esho or, formally, the Eso of Ikoyi.

Oyo Empire was required to live in a frontier province of great importance to keep an eye on the enemy and to keep him from usurping the throne.

Forces inside metropolitan Oyo Empire were commanded by the Bashorun, leading member of the Oyo Empire Mesi.

Many believe the decline of the Oyo empire had started as early as 1754 with the dynastic intrigues and palace coups sponsored by the Oyo Prime Minister Gaha.

Clapperton's party recorded passing numerous Oyo Empire villages burned by the Fulani of Ilorin while Majotu had sought the help of the English king and the Oba of Benin in putting down the Ilorin rebellion.

Clapperton noticed a shortage of horses, even though the Oyo were renowned as a great cavalry force; this might have something to do with the fact that most of the empire's soldiers and hence cavalry were stationed at Ilorin under the command of Afonja.

Oyo Empire immediately demanded a huge tribute from King Gezo for the unauthorized incursion, to which Gezo dispatched his Brazilian viceroy, Chacha Francisco Felix de Sousa, to the Alaafin at Oyo Empire to make peace.

The Oyo Empire army was decisively defeated, ending Oyo Empire's hegemony over Dahomey.

Oba Atiba sought to preserve what remained of Oyo Empire by placing on Ibadan the duty of protecting the capital from the Ilorin in the north and northeast.

Oyo Empire attempted to get the Ijaye to protect Oyo from the west against the Dahomeans.