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The Kingdom of Benin, [2] also known as Great Benin or Benin Kingdom is a kingdom within what is now considered southern Nigeria. [3] It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, [4] which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's capital was Edo, now known as Benin City in Edo State, Nigeria.
The royal arts of the Benin Kingdom of southern region Nigeria affirm the centrality of the Oba, or divine king, portraying his divine nature. While recording the kingdom's significant historical events and the Oba's involvement with them, they also initiate the Oba's interactions with the supernatural and honor his deified ancestors, forging a continuity that is vital to the kingdom's well-being.
The city of Benin served as the paramount settlement of the Edo Kingdom of Benin, a pre-colonial polity that flourished from the 13th to the 19th centuries.During its final centuries, the kingdom maintained significant trade relations with Portugal, prior to being captured, sacked, and razed in 1897 by a British punitive expedition.
The history of the territories which since ca. 1900 have been known under the name of Nigeria during the pre-colonial period (16th to 18th centuries) was dominated by several powerful West African kingdoms or empires, such as the Benin Kingdom, Oyo Empire and the Islamic Kanem-Bornu Empire in the northeast.
Eweka I (reigned 1200 AD – 1235 AD) was the first Oba of Benin and presided over the kingdom's shift from the Ogiso Dynasty to the establishment of the Obaship.His 35-year reign had a notable impact on the political, cultural, and traditional aspects of the kingdom.
The Kingdom of Benin was a hub of African civilization long before Portuguese traders visited, [15] [16] and bronzes were made in Benin prior to the arrival of the Portuguese. [17] The Benin bronze sculpture tradition is thought to have derived from or been influenced by that of the older nearby Kingdom of Ife in southwest Nigeria. [5] [6] [7]
The first oba of Benin was Eweka I, who was the son of Oranmiyan, a prince from Ife, another powerful West African kingdom. [1] The obas of Benin claimed descent from Oranmiyan and the Yoruba people , but they also adopted and adapted the culture and traditions of the Edo people . [ 2 ]
Rawson's troops captured Benin City and the Kingdom of Benin was eventually absorbed into colonial Nigeria. [1] The expedition freed about 100 Africans enslaved by the Oba. [2] [3] The aftermath of the expedition had significant impacts on the Kingdom of Benin, including the looting of cultural artifacts and the exile of the Oba.