The Kingdom of Benin (Edo Empire) | West Africa's Longest Lasting State

South of the Sahara Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLivC9TMdGnL8HeSXft9g__6-XRtisNeQu

The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Empire, was a kingdom located in the Southwestern region of what is now Nigeria. Lasting for at least 600 years under the Oba Dynasty, and around 1,000 more if we count the previous Ogiso Dynasty (likely closer to 2000 years between both the Ogisos and the Obas if we go with the longest estimates), Benin was one of the longest lasting states in West Africa. Home to a capital city which awed visitors, a system of earthworks rivaling the Great Wall of China in length, and some of Africa’s most famous works of art, this kingdom is an underappreciated gem of world history.

This video is part of #SouthoftheSahara, a collaboration between history channels dedicated to building a broad collection of accessible content on the underdiscussed history of Sub-Saharan Africa. Thank you to Jabari from From Nothing for organizing the collaboration, and to both Jabari and Hidden History for helping me find some of the images.

I have more videos on the Kingdom of Benin and African history more broadly planned for the future, so subscribe for that!

Sources:

Bradbury, R. E., and Peter Morton Williams. Benin Studies. Edited with an Introduction by Peter Morton-Williams. London, UK: Oxford University Press for the International African Institute, 1973.

Douglas, Mary, Phyllis Mary Kaberry, and R. E. Bradbury. “Patrimonialism and Gerontocracy in Benin Political Culture.” Essay. In Man in Africa, 17–36. London, UK: Tavistock, 1969.

Koutonin, Mawuna. “Story of Cities #5: Benin City, The Mighty Medieval Capital Now Lost without Trace.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, March 18, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/mar/18/story-of-cities-5-benin-city-edo-nigeria-mighty-medieval-capital-lost-without-trace.

“Oba Orhogbua.” Edo World. Accessed September 1, 2022. https://www.edoworld.net/Oba_Orhogbua.html.

Obinyan, Thomas Uwadiale. “The Annexation of Benin.” Journal of Black Studies 19, no. 1 (1988): 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/002193478801900103.

“Ogiso Owodo.” Edo World. Accessed September 1, 2022. https://www.edoworld.net/Ogiso_Owodo.html.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/somas_academy

africaAfrican historykingdom of benin