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Discussion Board Forum 5

Rhonda Ray

HIWD 320 Africa

Liberty University in Lynchburg VA



Most of the West African coast was explored between 1415 to the 1600s.  175,000 slaves were taken to Europe and the Americans during this period and with the involvement of the Dutch and English, the slave trade grew exponentially.

Mino Amazons of Dahomey 1890

The Kingdom of Dahomey was one of the most powerful and influential kingdoms in West Africa. Known for their fearless warriors, and their female amazon fighters, the kingdom expanded its territory mainly through wars and aggression. Dahomey was borne out of the Kingdom of Alladah in the 17th century when the king was murdered, and his sons set out to build their empires. The Kingdom of Dahomey commanded a lot of geographical space which meant they had sustained interactions with traders and explorers from Europe.

Before the formation of Dahomey, the Kingdom of Benin had begun trading with Portugal in the late 15th century; this trade was sealed with a treaty signed in 1472 ("Dahomey 1486 - 1960"). The trade of goods turned into slave trade in the early 16th century.¹

The Kingdom of Dahomey was known for selling its war captives into slavery which was a significant income earner for the kingdom. Alternatively, the British and the Portugese, who engaged actively in the transatlantic slave trade, benefited majorly from the relationship with the Dahomey Kingdom. 

Europeans explored the country with the aim of gaining benefits from the natural resources, labor and to spread Christianity. European countries quickly developed mercantile ties with indigenous powers and built factories along the coast.  Imports from other countries included cloths, iron, copper, cowry shells, beads, mechanical toys, alcohol and jewelry.  In exchange for their wares, Europeans returned with textiles, carvings, spices, ivory, gum and African slaves.

Portugal dominated world trade between the 15th & 16th century.  They hoped to control trade by converting the kingdom to Christianity.  They shared their beliefs of magic, the supernatural and medicine for illnesses with African societies.  Trade was encourgaged with the growth of brass casting.  Even though West Africans invented smelting, they could not produce enough metal to supply the casting industry.  The Portuguese started trading brass and copper of pepper, cloth, ivory and slaves.  

The money and influence that the kingdom gained from the slave trade helped it establish dominance over its neighbours and helped them define their borders and territories.  One of the reasons why the king of Dahomey conquered neighboring countries  was to control their trade with Europe.  The profit would be profitable for his court and government.

In the 19th century, the kingdom began a strategic relationship with France with a commercial treaty. The slave trade had come to an end, and the Dahomey Kingdom and king had lost its significance in the eyes of its European allies. In the subsequent years, Portugal, Britain, and France fought over territory within the kingdom, primarily by the coast, in order to control shipping ports. These bold moves on its territory were not taken kindly by the sovereign of the Dahomey Kingdom at the time (Skelton).  In 1904, Dahomey became part of the French West Africa, after strategic invasions and annexations bringing to an end a mutually beneficial relationship and ushering in the age of the colonizer ("Dahomey 1486 - 1960").²

For most kingdoms in West Africa, interaction with foreigners was fueled by the Transatlantic Slave Trade.  After the slave traded ended the kingdom ceased to be used to the colonials powers and were quickly annexed, divided or overrun in a bid to control their geographical territories. 

Queen Elizabeth meeting Chief S. O. Alonge in 1956

Sources:

¹Dahomey 1486 - 1960." Schudak.De, www.schudak.de/timelines/dahomey1486-1960.html. Assessed 9 November 2017.

²Skelton, Geoffrey. "French Colonial Conquest of Dahomey in 1892." Historynet, 2006, www.historynet.com/french-colonial-conquest-of-dahomey-in-1892.htm. Assessed 29 November 2017.