Ashanti-Fante War (1806-1807)

The Ashanti Fante War from 1806 to 1807 took place in the south of what is now Ghana and ended with the defeat of the first Fante Confederation , whose area was ruled by the Ashanti Empire until 1823 .

prehistory

The background to the war was a decades-long rivalry between the coastal people of the Fante, allied with the British , and the rising regional power of the Ashanti . At the beginning of the 19th century, the Ashanti Empire stretched over almost the entire national territory of today's Ghana with the exception of the narrow coastal strip formed by the Fante states. Since capturing the so-called Elmina note , the Ashanti had direct access to trade with the Europeans, specifically with the Dutch, via the port city of Elmina . Elmina, however, was surrounded by fan territory. The Fante obstructed access to Elmina and often interrupted trade with the Europeans, which was existential for the Ashanti Empire with a view to the supply of firearms.

trigger

The trigger for the war was a grave robbery in the Ashanti tributary, divided empire Assin . Half of this empire was under the regional ruler Tsibu , the other half Amo . One of Tsibu's people robbed a grave of a member of Amo, which was filled with rich grave goods. Amo turned to the Asantehene (Ashanti ruler), who decided that Tsibu had to pay compensation. Tsibu and other defendants refused, however, and after they murdered representatives of the Asantehene and stole gold swords from them, they fled to the Fante, whose support they obtained with the stolen goods. The Asantehene demanded the right of his troops to pass through the Fante area in order to catch the lawbreakers. The Fante granted this right, but when the Ashanti troops approached they allied with the Assin rebels and attacked the Ashanti forces. After the Ashanti victory, Tsibu agreed to compensate and return the stolen goods, including the gold swords. The Asantehene in turn accepted the offer and sent gifts to Tsibu, who now had the Asantehene's ambassadors beheaded.

Course of the war

The Asantehene then declared war on Assin and the fan states, defeated all the troops that opposed him and drove Tsibu and his people from town to town. When Tsibu sought refuge in the British Cape Coast, the British governor there had him seized and handed over to the Ashanti. After the execution of Tsibu, the Ashanti troops marched east and burned the city of Winneba . Only when smallpox broke out among his people did the Asantehene retreat.

Result of the war

Despite the retreat due to the outbreak of smallpox, the Ashanti had completely defeated the fantasy states and - despite frequent uprisings - incorporated into their empire by 1823. The Asantehene then gave himself the nickname “Bonsu” (whale) because he “did not even find an opponent in the sea who could withstand him” and went down in history as Osei Bonsu .

For the Ashanti, the 1806 war was the most successful of a series of invasions of the coastal region by the Ashanti since the late 18th century (1726, 1765, and 1777), all of which aimed at free trade via Elmina and other coastal towns.

literature

Adu Boahen: Politics in Ghana, 1800 - 1874. In: History of West Africa, London 1974, ISBN 0-582-64552-2 .