Tegbessou

Tegbessou (alternatively Tegbesu) or Bossa Ahadee was a King of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, from 1740 until 1774. Tegbessou was not the oldest son of King Agaja (1718-1740), but was selected after Agaja's death to be the king after winning a succession struggle with a brother.

Rise to power

Oral traditions hold that Tegbessou was the son of Agaja and Hwanjile, a woman reported to have brought Vodun to the kingdom. King Agaja had significantly expanded the Kingdom of Dahomey during his reign, notably conquering Allada in 1724 and Whydah in 1727. This increased the size of the kingdom and increased both domestic dissent (with the royal aristocrats of both Allada and Whydah opposing Dahomey from fortified islands off the coast) and regional opposition (mainly with semi-regular warfare between Dahomey and the Oyo Empire). According to one oral tradition, as part of the tribute owed by Dahomey to Oyo, Agaja had to give to Oyo one of his sons. The story claims that only Hwanjile of all of Agaja's wives was willing to allow her son to go to Oyo. This act of sacrifice, according to the oral tradition made Tegbessou favored by Agaja. Agaja reportedly tells Tegbessou that he is the future king, but his brother Zinga is still the official heir.