Osei Kwadwo
Osei Kwadwo (also called Osei Kwadwo Okoawia , Osei Kumaa or just Kwadwo ) (* around 1735 , † around 1777 ), was Asantehene (ruler) of the Kingdom of Ashanti from 1764 to 1777 , from the beginning of the 18th to the middle of the 19th century first dominated the central, later the entire area of today 's Ghana .
Osei Kwadwo was the fourth Asantehene since the unification of the Ashanti under Osei Tutu I and expanded the area of the Ashanti Empire in the course of his rule through military conquest. More important were his reforms of the system of government in the Ashanti Empire. In contrast to the earlier procedure, he appointed “chiefs” and other dignitaries on the basis of their merits (bravery in war, skill in diplomatic dealings or in trade). Up to Osei Kwadwo, offices were inherited in the Ashanti Empire. He introduced non-hereditary positions, which were to be equated with ministerial offices, and occupied vacant principalities with men of his trust. The new procedure strengthened the Asantehene's personal power considerably, as the circle of those in power who owed their power solely to the Asantehene's appointment was expanded. Kwadwo also set up a kind of police force, the Ankobia , which was stationed in the capital Kumasi .
literature
- Basil Davidson : A history of West Africa 1000-1800. 4th impression. Longman, London 1981, ISBN 0-582-60340-4 ( The Growth of African Civilization ).
- Ivor Wilks: Aspects of bureaucratization in Ashanti in the nineteenth century. In: Journal of African History. VII (2), 1966, ISSN 0021-8537 , pp. 215-232.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kwadwo, Osei |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Asantehene (ruler) of the Kingdom of Ashanti |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1735 |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1777 |