Oyo and Dahomey fingertip knowledge Flashcards
Where were Oyo and Dahomey located?
Both situated inland in savannah grasslands which facilitated agriculture, mobility and development of infrastructures of taxation, transport and military control.
How were Oyo and Dahomey each protected from raids?
Oyo - thick forests
Dahomey - swampland and forests
What kind of people were in Oyo?
Yoruba people
When does Oyo date back to?
At least C14 - 1300s
Who was said to have founded Oyo and from where?
Oranmiyan from Ife-Ife.
Who did Oyo trade with?
Trans-saharan Arab merchants.
When did the Nupe fight Oyo for supremacy? What happened?
C16, they defeated Oyo but Oyo fought back and by 1600 was developing as the most powerful kingdom in the area.
When did Dahomey rise?
C18
What was Allada?
It had been the most powerful kingdom in C17 - major trading partner of the Europeans.
When was Allada weakening and who became more powerful?
1660s, Whydah.
When was Dahomey founded as a small kingdom?
1620 - 1650
Who from Dahomey conquered Allada and Whydah and when?
Agaja. Allada in 1724 and Whydah in 1727.
Why did Oyo rise earlier than Dahomey?
Because of the greater longevity of the Yoruba people and their access to cavalry.
What were the Oyo kings called?
Alafin.
What did Oyo’s location give them in regards to trade and cavalry?
Access to Arab horse trade and the Savannah south-west of Oyo-Ile was ideal terrain.
