Ovonramwen: Difference between revisions

Oba Ovonramwen
Oba Ovonramwen
Oba of Benin
Oba of Benin
Reign	1888–1897
Predecessor	Adolo (r. 1848–1888)
Successor	Eweka II
Born	c. 1857
Died	c. January 1914; Calabar

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 07:28, 3 August 2024

Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, also called Overami, was the thirty-fifth Ọba of the Kingdom of Benin reigning from c. 1888 AD – c. 1897 AD, up until the British punitive expedition.

Born circa 1857, he was the son of Ọba Adọlọ. He took the name Ovọnramwẹn Nọgbaisi at his enthronement in 1888. Every Ọba took a new name at his coronation, Ovọnramwẹn meaning "The Rising Sun" and Nọgbaisi meaning "which spreads over all".^[1]^[2]

At the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Benin had managed to retain its independence and the Ọba exercised a monopoly over trade which the British found irksome. The territory was coveted by an influential group of investors for its rich natural resources such as palm oil, rubber and ivory.^[3] However, slavery played a critical role in the rise of Benin, with Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi representing the pinnacle of the Kingdom's human exploitation.^[4]

The kingdom was largely independent of British control, and pressure continued from figures such as Vice-Consul James Robert Phillips and Captain Henry Gallwey (the British vice-Consul of Oil Rivers Protectorate) who were pushing for British annexation of the Benin Empire and the removal of the Ọba.

British expedition and overthrow

In November 1896, James Robert Phillips, deputy commissioner and consul for the Niger Coast Protectorate, decided to visit and meet with Ovonramwen in Benin City in regards to the trade agreement that the Oba had made with the British but was not keeping. He formally asked his superiors in London for permission to visit Benin City. In late December 1896, without waiting for a reply or approval, Phillips embarked on an expedition. A British delegation departed from the Oil Rivers Protectorate in January 1897 with the stated aim of negotiating with the Oba of Benin. Perceiving this to be an attempt to depose the Oba, the Oba's generals unilaterally ordered an attack on the delegation as it was approaching Benin City (which included eight unknowing British representatives and hundreds of African porters and labourers).^[5] Phillip's expedition was ambushed and all but two were killed.

Subsequently, a punitive expedition against the Kingdom of Benin in 1897 led by Sir Harry Rawson resulted in the razing of Benin City, the looting of the Benin Bronzes, and the destruction of the city's fortifications. Although the British had orders to execute the Ọba, Ovonramwen escaped, but returned to the city to formally surrender on 5 August 1897. When Ovọnramwẹn returned to the city, after six months spent in evading capture in the forest, he was richly dressed and laden with coral beads and accompanied by an entourage of seven hundred to eight hundred people.^[6] He attempted to escape exile by offering Consul General Ralph Moor 200 puncheons (barrels) of oil worth £1500 at that time and to disclose where his 500 ivory tusks were buried (of a value of more than £2M at that time). However, this offer was dismissed as Moor had already discovered them.^[7]

The expedition was described as a British invasion force headed by Phillips set out to overthrow the Ọba by Sven Lindqvist in his book Exterminate All the Brutes. According to Lindqvist, the force had weapons hidden in baggage, with troops disguised as bearers. Lindqvist states that Phillips's plan was to gain access to Ovonramwen's palace by announcing that he intended to negotiate. Lindqvist states that Ovonramwen's messengers issued several warnings not to violate Benin territorial sovereignty, claiming he was unable to see Phillips due to ceremonial duties and that despite being warned on several further occasions on the way, Phillips sent his stick to the Ọba, a deliberate insult designed to provoke the conflict that would provide an excuse for British annexation.^[8]

Exile

Ovonramwen was exiled to Calabar with two of his wives, Queen Egbe and Queen Aighobahi. He was received and hosted in Calabar in a small town called "Essien Town" by Etinyin Essien Etim Offiong, the progenitor of Essien Town. He died in Calabar around the turn of the new year in 1914.^[6] Ovọnramwẹn was eventually buried in the grounds of the royal palace in Benin City.^[9] He was succeeded by his first son and legitimate heir, Prince Aguobasimwin, who ruled as Eweka II.^[10]

References

Notes

^ Eweka, Iro (1998). Dawn to Dusk: Folk Tales from Benin. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-7146-4362-5.
^ Oba of Benin Archived 2012-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Edostate.org, accessed March, 2012
^ Thomas Uwadiale Obinyan, The Annexation of Benin, in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Sep., 1988), pp. 29-40
^ 'Michael Mosbacher, 'When will the woke crowd address the history of slavery in Africa?', Daily Telegraph, 18 February 2022
^ Philip Igbafe, Benin under British Administration: the Impact of Colonial Rule on an African Kingdom, 1897–1938 (1979), pp. 56-61
^ ^a ^b Walthall, Anne (2008). Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25443-5.
^ Roth H. L. Great Benin Its Customs, Art and Horrors, 1903, appendix 111 pp xvii.
^ Sven Lindqvist, Exterminate All the Brutes, p.57-62
^ Kaplan, Flora Edouwaye S. (2004). "Sacrifice and sanctity in Benin". In Olupona, Jacob Kẹhinde (ed.). Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-27319-0.
^ Kaplan, Flora Edouwaye S. (2008-06-10). "Politics in an African Royal Harem: Women and Seclusion at the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria". In Walthall, Anne (ed.). Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25443-5.

Bibliography

"Miscellaneous views in Calabar, Opobo and Sierra Leone, circa 1912–1913 – King Ovonramwen of Benin and wives". Janus. Retrieved 2007-03-17.

External links

Antiquities from the city of Benin and from other parts of West Africa in the British Museum, a catalog from The British Museum (fully available online as PDF), which contains material from the period Ovonramwen ruled

Regnal titles
Ovonramwen Oba of Benin Born: c. 1857 Died: c. January 1914
Preceded by Adolo	Oba of Benin 1888 AD –1897 AD	Succeeded by Eweka II

[1] Eweka, Iro (1998). Dawn to Dusk: Folk Tales from Benin. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-7146-4362-5.

[2] Oba of Benin Archived 2012-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Edostate.org, accessed March, 2012

[3] Thomas Uwadiale Obinyan, The Annexation of Benin, in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Sep., 1988), pp. 29-40

[4] 'Michael Mosbacher, 'When will the woke crowd address the history of slavery in Africa?', Daily Telegraph, 18 February 2022

[5] Philip Igbafe, Benin under British Administration: the Impact of Colonial Rule on an African Kingdom, 1897–1938 (1979), pp. 56-61

[:0-6] Walthall, Anne (2008). Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25443-5.

[7] Roth H. L. Great Benin Its Customs, Art and Horrors, 1903, appendix 111 pp xvii.

[8] Sven Lindqvist, Exterminate All the Brutes, p.57-62

[9] Kaplan, Flora Edouwaye S. (2004). "Sacrifice and sanctity in Benin". In Olupona, Jacob Kẹhinde (ed.). Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-27319-0.

[10] Kaplan, Flora Edouwaye S. (2008-06-10). "Politics in an African Royal Harem: Women and Seclusion at the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria". In Walthall, Anne (ed.). Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25443-5.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | embed          = Oba Ovonramwen
 | name           = Oba Ovonramwen
-| title          =
+| title          = [[Oba of Benin]]
 | titletext      =
 | more           =
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 | alt            =
 | caption        =
-| succession     =
+| succession     = [[Oba of Benin]]
 | moretext       =
 | reign          = {{nowrap|1888–1897}}
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 | coronation     =
 | cor-type       =
-| predecessor    = Adolo (r. 1848–1888)
+| predecessor    = Adolo ({{reign|1848|1888}})
 | pre-type       =
 | successor      = [[Eweka II]]
 | suc-type       =
 | regent         =
 | reg-type       =
 | succession1    =
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 | suc-type1      =
 | regent1        =
 | reg-type1      =
 | succession2    =
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 | suc-type2      =
 | regent2        =
 | reg-type2      =
 | succession3    =
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 | suc-type3      =
 | regent3        =
 | reg-type3      =
 <!-- succession4 to succession9 are also available -->
 | birth_name     =
-| birth_date     = c. 1857
+| birth_date     = {{circa}} 1857
 | birth_place    =
-| death_date     = {{circa}} January 1914
+| death_date     = c. January 1914
 | death_place    = [[Calabar]]
 | burial_date    =
@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 | house-type     =
 | father         =
 | mother         =
 | occupation     =
 | signature_type =
 | signature      =
 | module         =
 }}
-'''Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi''' (ruled 1888–1897), also called '''Overami''', was the  [[Oba (ruler)|Ọba]] (king) of the [[Kingdom of Benin]] up until the British [[Benin Expedition of 1897|punitive expedition of 1897]].
+'''Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi''', also called '''Overami''', was the thirty-fifth [[Oba of Benin|Ọba]] of the [[Kingdom of Benin]] reigning from {{circa|1888 AD|1897 AD}}, up until the British [[Benin Expedition of 1897|punitive expedition]].
-Born circa 1857, he was the son of Ọba [[Adọlọ]]. He took the name Ovọnramwẹn Nọgbaisi at his enthronement in 1888. Every Ọba took a new name at his coronation, Ovọnramwẹn meaning "The Rising Sun" and Nọgbaisi meaning "which spreads over all".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Hw_tF0dGt8C&q=%22Ovonramwen%22&pg=PA113|title=Dawn to Dusk: Folk Tales from Benin|last=Eweka|first=Iro|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1998|isbn=978-0-7146-4362-5|language=en}}</ref><ref>[http://www.edostate.org/oba.php Oba of Benin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407211600/http://www.edostate.org/oba.php |date=2012-04-07 }}, Edostate.org, accessed March, 2012</ref>
+Born circa 1857, he was the son of Ọba [[Adọlọ]]. He took the name Ovọnramwẹn Nọgbaisi at his enthronement in 1888. Every Ọba took a new name at his coronation, Ovọnramwẹn meaning "The Rising Sun" and Nọgbaisi meaning "which spreads over all".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Hw_tF0dGt8C&q=%22Ovonramwen%22&pg=PA113 |title=Dawn to Dusk: Folk Tales from Benin |last=Eweka |first=Iro |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7146-4362-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref>[http://www.edostate.org/oba.php Oba of Benin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407211600/http://www.edostate.org/oba.php |date=2012-04-07 }}, Edostate.org, accessed March, 2012</ref>
-At the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Benin had managed to retain its independence and the Ọba exercised a monopoly over trade which the British found irksome. The territory was coveted by an influential group of investors for its rich natural resources such as [[palm oil]], rubber and ivory.<ref>Thomas Uwadiale Obinyan, The Annexation of Benin, in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Sep., 1988), pp. 29-40</ref> The kingdom was largely independent of British control, and pressure continued from figures such as Vice-Consul [[James Robert Phillips]] and Captain [[Henry Lionel Galway|Henry Gallwey]] (the British vice-Consul of [[Niger Coast Protectorate|Oil Rivers Protectorate]]) who were pushing for British annexation of the Benin Empire and the removal of the Ọba.
+At the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Benin had managed to retain its independence and the Ọba exercised a monopoly over trade which the British found irksome. The territory was coveted by an influential group of investors for its rich natural resources such as [[palm oil]], rubber and ivory.<ref>Thomas Uwadiale Obinyan, The Annexation of Benin, in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Sep., 1988), pp. 29-40</ref> However, slavery played a critical role in the rise of Benin, with Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi representing the pinnacle of the Kingdom's human exploitation.<ref>'Michael Mosbacher, 'When will the woke crowd address the history of slavery in Africa?', ''Daily Telegraph'', 18 February 2022</ref>
+The kingdom was largely independent of British control, and pressure continued from figures such as Vice-Consul [[James Robert Phillips]] and Captain [[Henry Lionel Galway|Henry Gallwey]] (the British vice-Consul of [[Niger Coast Protectorate|Oil Rivers Protectorate]]) who were pushing for British annexation of the Benin Empire and the removal of the Ọba.
 == British expedition and overthrow ==
-[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-64-34 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Ovonramwen Nogbaisi with his wives, Queen Egbe (left) and Queen Aighobahi (right), c.1898 – 1913]]In November 1896, [[James Robert Phillips]], deputy commissioner and consul for the [[Niger Coast Protectorate]], decided to visit and meet with Ovonramwen in Benin City in regards to the trade agreement that the Oba had made with the British but was not keeping. He formally asked his superiors in London for permission to visit Benin City. In late December 1896, without waiting for a reply or approval, Phillips embarked on an expedition. A British delegation departed from the Oil Rivers Protectorate in January 1897 with the stated aim of negotiating with the Oba of Benin. Perceiving this to be an attempt to depose the Oba, the Oba's generals unilaterally ordered an attack on the delegation as it was approaching Benin City (which included eight unknowing British representatives and hundreds of African porters and labourers).<ref>Philip Igbafe, ''Benin under British Administration: the Impact of Colonial Rule on an African Kingdom, 1897–1938'' (1979), pp. 56-61</ref> Phillip's expedition was ambushed and all but two were killed.
+[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-64-34 (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|Ovonramwen Nogbaisi with his wives, Queen Egbe (left) and Queen Aighobahi (right), c. 1898 – 1913]]
+In November 1896, [[James Robert Phillips]], deputy commissioner and consul for the [[Niger Coast Protectorate]], decided to visit and meet with Ovonramwen in Benin City in regards to the trade agreement that the Oba had made with the British but was not keeping. He formally asked his superiors in London for permission to visit Benin City. In late December 1896, without waiting for a reply or approval, Phillips embarked on an expedition. A British delegation departed from the Oil Rivers Protectorate in January 1897 with the stated aim of negotiating with the Oba of Benin. Perceiving this to be an attempt to depose the Oba, the Oba's generals unilaterally ordered an attack on the delegation as it was approaching Benin City (which included eight unknowing British representatives and hundreds of African porters and labourers).<ref>Philip Igbafe, ''Benin under British Administration: the Impact of Colonial Rule on an African Kingdom, 1897–1938'' (1979), pp. 56-61</ref> Phillip's expedition was ambushed and all but two were killed.
 Subsequently, a [[Benin Expedition of 1897|punitive expedition against the Kingdom of Benin]] in 1897 led by [[Harry Rawson|Sir Harry Rawson]] resulted in the razing of Benin City, the looting of the [[Benin Bronzes]], and the destruction of the city's fortifications. Although the British had orders to execute the Ọba, Ovonramwen escaped, but returned to the city to formally surrender on 5 August 1897. When Ovọnramwẹn returned to the city, after six months spent in evading capture in the forest, he was richly dressed and laden with coral beads and accompanied by an entourage of seven hundred to eight hundred people.<ref name=":0" /> He attempted to escape exile by offering Consul General Ralph Moor 200 puncheons (barrels) of oil worth £1500 at that time and to disclose where his 500 ivory tusks were buried (of a value of more than £2M at that time). However, this offer was dismissed as Moor had already discovered them.<ref>Roth H. L. Great Benin Its Customs, Art and Horrors, 1903, appendix 111 pp xvii.</ref>
-The expedition was described as a British invasion force headed by Phillips set out to overthrow the Ọba by [[Sven Lindqvist]] in his book Exterminate All the Brutes. According to Lindqvist, the force had weapons hidden in baggage, with troops disguised as bearers. Lindqvist states that Phillips' plan was to gain access to Ovonramwen's palace by announcing that he intended to negotiate. Lindqvist states that Ovonramwen's messengers issued several warnings not to violate Benin territorial sovereignty, claiming he was unable to see Phillips due to ceremonial duties and that despite being warned on several further occasions on the way, Phillips sent his stick to the Ọba, a deliberate insult designed to provoke the conflict that would provide an excuse for British annexation.<ref>Sven Lindqvist, Exterminate All the Brutes, p.57-62</ref>
+The expedition was described as a British invasion force headed by Phillips set out to overthrow the Ọba by [[Sven Lindqvist]] in his book Exterminate All the Brutes. According to Lindqvist, the force had weapons hidden in baggage, with troops disguised as bearers. Lindqvist states that Phillips's plan was to gain access to Ovonramwen's palace by announcing that he intended to negotiate. Lindqvist states that Ovonramwen's messengers issued several warnings not to violate Benin territorial sovereignty, claiming he was unable to see Phillips due to ceremonial duties and that despite being warned on several further occasions on the way, Phillips sent his stick to the Ọba, a deliberate insult designed to provoke the conflict that would provide an excuse for British annexation.<ref>Sven Lindqvist, Exterminate All the Brutes, p.57-62</ref>
 == Exile ==
 [[File:Ovonramwen Nogbaisi sur le chemin de l'exil 4172.jpg|thumb|Sculpture of Ovonramwen being exiled, [[Museum of Black Civilisations]], Dakar]]
-Ovonramwen was exiled to [[Calabar]] with two of his wives, Queen Egbe and Queen Aighobahi.
-He was received and hosted in Calabar in a small town called “Essien Town” by [[Essien Etim Offiong III|Etinyin Essien Etim Offiong]], the progenitor of Essien Town.
-He died in Calabar around the turn of the new year in 1914.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MM8lDQAAQBAJ&q=%22Ovonramwen%22&pg=PA117|title=Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History|last=Walthall|first=Anne|publisher=University of California Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-520-25443-5|language=en}}</ref> Ovọnramwẹn was eventually buried in the grounds of the royal palace in Benin City.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qK5bre18YkQC&q=Ovonramwen+buried|title=Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity|last=Kaplan|first=Flora Edouwaye S.|publisher=Psychology Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-415-27319-0|editor-last=Olupona|editor-first=Jacob Kẹhinde|language=en|chapter=Sacrifice and sanctity in Benin}}</ref> He was succeeded by his first son and legitimate heir, Prince Aguobasimwin, who ruled as [[Eweka II]].<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MM8lDQAAQBAJ&q=eweka+Aguobasimwin&pg=PA117|title=Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History|last=Kaplan|first=Flora Edouwaye S.|date=2008-06-10|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25443-5|editor-last=Walthall|editor-first=Anne|language=en|chapter=Politics in an African Royal Harem: Women and Seclusion at the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria}}</ref>
+Ovonramwen was exiled to [[Calabar]] with two of his wives, Queen Egbe and Queen Aighobahi. He was received and hosted in Calabar in a small town called "Essien Town" by [[Essien Etim Offiong III|Etinyin Essien Etim Offiong]], the progenitor of Essien Town. He died in Calabar around the turn of the new year in 1914.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MM8lDQAAQBAJ&q=%22Ovonramwen%22&pg=PA117 |title=Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History |last=Walthall |first=Anne |publisher=University of California Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-520-25443-5 |language=en}}</ref> Ovọnramwẹn was eventually buried in the grounds of the royal palace in Benin City.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qK5bre18YkQC&q=Ovonramwen+buried |title=Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity |last=Kaplan |first=Flora Edouwaye S. |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-27319-0 |editor-last=Olupona |editor-first=Jacob Kẹhinde |language=en |chapter=Sacrifice and sanctity in Benin}}</ref> He was succeeded by his first son and legitimate heir, Prince Aguobasimwin, who ruled as [[Eweka II]].<ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MM8lDQAAQBAJ&q=eweka+Aguobasimwin&pg=PA117 |title=Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History |last=Kaplan |first=Flora Edouwaye S. |date=2008-06-10 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25443-5 |editor-last=Walthall |editor-first=Anne |language=en |chapter=Politics in an African Royal Harem: Women and Seclusion at the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria}}</ref>
-== Notes ==
-{{reflist}}
 == References ==
+=== Notes ===
-*{{cite web|url=http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FY3043O%2F18|title=Miscellaneous views in Calabar, Opobo and Sierra Leone, circa 1912–1913 – King Ovonramwen of Benin and wives|work=Janus|access-date=2007-03-17}}
+{{reflist}}
+=== Bibliography ===
+* {{cite web |url=http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FY3043O%2F18|title=Miscellaneous views in Calabar, Opobo and Sierra Leone, circa 1912–1913 – King Ovonramwen of Benin and wives |work=Janus |access-date=2007-03-17}}
 == External links ==
+* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16028coll4/id/10013/rec/1 Antiquities from the city of Benin and from other parts of West Africa in the British Museum], a catalog from The [[British Museum]] (fully available online as PDF), which contains material from the period Ovonramwen ruled
-* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130731193602/http://edofolksandtradionalityofnigeria.com/ edofolksandtradionalityofnigeria.com]
-*[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16028coll4/id/10013/rec/1 Antiquities from the city of Benin and from other parts of West Africa in the British Museum], a catalog from The British Museum (fully available online as PDF), which contains material from the period Ovonramwen ruled
+{{s-start}}
+{{s-hou|[[Oba of Benin]]||{{circa}} 1857|{{circa}} January|1914}}
+{{s-reg|}}
+{{s-break}}
+{{S-bef|before= [[Adolo]]}}
+{{s-ttl
+| title = [[Oba of Benin]]
+| years = 1888 AD –1897 AD
+}}
+{{s-aft
+| after = [[Eweka II]]
+}}
+{{s-end}}
 {{Obas of Benin}}
 {{Authority control}}
 [[Category:1850s births]]
 [[Category:1914 deaths]]
 [[Category:Obas of Benin]]
-[[Category:Conflicts in 1897]]
-[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
-[[Category:Edo people]]
 [[Category:19th-century Nigerian people]]
 [[Category:20th-century Nigerian people]]
@@ Line 140: / Line 155: @@
 [[Category:People from colonial Nigeria]]
 [[Category:Dethroned monarchs]]
+[[Category:People from Benin City]]

v t e Obas of the Benin Empire and the Benin/Edo traditional state
Pre-imperial Obas	Eweka I (1200 AD – 1235 AD) Uwakhuahen (1235 AD – 1243 AD) Ehenmihen (1243 AD – 1255 AD) Ewedo (1255 AD – 1280 AD) Oguola (1280 AD – 1295 AD) Edoni (1295 AD – 1299 AD) Udagbedo (1299 AD – 1334 AD) Ohen (1334 AD – 1370 AD) Egbeka (1370 AD – 1400 AD) Orobiru (1400 AD – 1430 AD) Uwaifiokun (1430 AD – 1440 AD)
Benin Empire (1440–1897)	Ewuare The Great (1440 AD – 1473 AD) Ezoti (Reigned for 14 days) Olua (1473 AD – 1480 AD) Ozolua (1483 AD – 1504 AD) Esigie (1504 AD – 1550 AD) Orhogbua (1550 AD – 1578 AD) Ehengbuda (1578 AD -1606 AD) Ohuan (1606 AD – 1641 AD) Ohenzae (1641 AD – 1661 AD) Akenzae (1661 AD – 1669 AD) Akengboi ( 1669 AD – 1675 AD) Ahenkpaye (1675 AD – 1684 AD) Akengbedo (1684 AD – 1689 AD) Oroghene (1689 AD – 1700 AD) Ewuakpe (1700 AD – 1712 AD) Ozuere (1712 AD – 1713 AD) Akenzua I (1713 AD – 1735 AD) Eresoyen (1735 AD – 1750 AD) Akengbuda (1750 AD – 1804 AD) Obanosa (1804 AD – 1816 AD) Ogbebo (1816 AD – 1816 AD) (Reigned for eight months) Osemwende (1816 AD – 1848 AD) Adolo (1848 AD – 1888 AD) Ovonramwen N'Ogbaise (1888 AD – 1914 AD)
Under British rule (1897–1960)	Eweka II (1914 AD – 1933 AD) Akenzua II (1933 AD – 1978 AD)
Under Nigerian rule	Akenzua II (1933 AD – 1978 AD) Erediauwa (1978–2016) Ewuare II (2016 – present)

Authority control databases
International	VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	Germany United States