List of rulers of the Kingdom of Benin
The rulers of the Kingdom of Benin were called " Oba " and ruled the Kingdom of Benin in what is now Nigeria from 1200 AD . From the 15th to the 19th centuries, this empire was one of the most powerful in West Africa. The original rulers of today's city of Benin ruled little more than the city and a few dependent villages between around 800 and 1200. They are usually summarized as the "Ogiso Dynasty" and can hardly be regarded as rulers of a kingdom. After the end of this dynasty, a ruler named Oranyim followed. The following list begins with the following “ Eweka I. ”, because with him the function of an “Oba” and also a “Reich” began to develop. From around 1700 the following information is relatively reliable historical data, before that it is an approximation.
The following list is based on the king list by Jakob Uwadiae Egharevba .
| Oba | Reign |
|---|---|
| Eweka I. | about 1200 |
| Uwakhuahs | ? |
| Marriages | ? |
| Ewedo | circa 1255 |
| Oguola | circa 1280 |
| Edoni | circa 1295 |
| Udagbedo | circa 1299 |
| Oh | circa 1334 |
| Egbeka | circa 1370 |
| Orobiru | ? |
| Uwaifiokun | ? |
| Ewuare | circa 1440 |
| Ezoti | circa 1473 |
| Olua | circa 1473 |
| Ozolua | circa 1481 |
| Esigie | circa 1504 |
| Orhogbua | circa 1550 |
| Ehengbuda | circa 1578 |
| Ohuan | circa 1608 |
| Ahenzae | circa 1641 |
| Akenzae | circa - 1661 |
| Akengboi | circa 1669 |
| Akenkpaye | circa 1675 |
| Akengbedo | circa 1684 |
| Oreoghene | circa 1689 |
| Ewuakpe | circa 1700 |
| Ozuere | circa 1712 |
| Akenzua | circa 1713 |
| Eresoyen | circa 1735 |
| Akengbuda | circa 1750 |
| Obansoa | circa 1804 |
| Ogbebo | circa 1816 |
| Osem turn | circa 1816 |
| Adolo | circa 1850 |
| Ovonramwen | approx. 1888-1897 |
| Eweka II. | 1914 |
| Akenzua II. | 1933 |
| Erediauwa | 1979-2017 |
| Ewuare | since 2018 |
See also
literature
- Jakob Uwadiae Egharevba: A Short History of Benin. 4th edition 1968, Ibadan University Press
- Philip Agibana Igbafe: The History of the Kingdom of Benin: An Overview. In: Benin, Kings and Rituals. Courtly art from Nigeria , exhibition catalog, ed. by Barbara Blankensteiner.