Adandozan

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Adandozan was formally the ninth king of Dahomey , today's Benin , and ruled from 1797 to 1818. Today, however, he is not counted among the twelve kings of Dahomey and his name is deleted from the history of Abomey , the capital of the country.

He was the eldest son of Agonglo , his predecessor on the throne , whom he succeeded after his death. The stories of Abandozan's reign portray him as cruel: He is said to have thrown his victims alive to hyenas to his amusement . He was also pictured slitting a pregnant woman's stomach on a bet , claiming he could predict the sex of the fetus . He was also considered an unskilled warrior and general who also betrayed the royal family: he is said to have sold the mother of his half-brother Gézo into slavery . Gézo himself, who had pretended to be feeble-minded, fled into exile in Cana.

Adandozan is described as insane. He refused to negotiate with Francisco de Souza, a Brazilian merchant who was one of the main middlemen in the slave market in Ouidah , and captured and tortured him. Then the king tried to appoint one of his own ministers to sell the slaves.

Adandozan's symbols were a swollen baboon with a full mouth, an ear of corn in hand (an allusion to his enemy, the king of the kingdom of Oyo ), and a large parasol ('the king overshadows his enemies').

Traditionally it is said that his brother Gézo, who had fled, secretly returned from exile and in turn helped de Sousa to escape. In return, the Brazilian helped raise an army and, with the help of the terrorized ministers, win the throne for Gézo. Adandozan was now thrown into prison himself. The veracity of this traditional portrayal is unclear - the propaganda of the following government could have falsified history and portrayed Adandozan as a monster and madman, not least to legitimize the coup and the new regime. However, all stories agree that Adandozan wanted to make trade with the Europeans more profitable. In addition, he probably undermined the power of the royal family through various reforms.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Agonglo King of Dahomey
1797–1818 		Gézo
personal data
SURNAME Adandozan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Dahomey
DATE OF BIRTH before 1797
DATE OF DEATH after 1818