African History

Yoruba States: Incredible Trade and Conflict, 19th Century

April 28, 2024

Yoruba States

Yoruba States: The nineteenth century was a time of war and change for the Yoruba. Before this, the Yoruba people lived in several states. The Oyo kingdom was the strongest of these. Law and order were strong in Oyo while they were there. The fall of the empire sparked a period of chaos and unrest that lasted until the end of the 1800s. The empire fell apart quickly because of internal fighting, weakening power battles between the alafin (king) and his main chiefs, a drop in the economy caused by ending the Atlantic slave trade, and an invasion from the north by Fulani jihadists (holy war).

Fulani fighters took control of Ilorin, sacked Oyo as the capital, and destroyed many northern Yoruba towns. More than a thousand people fled to central and southern Yoruba. Many relocated to pre-existing locations that had not yet undergone destruction. Others started their own villages. In southern Yorubaland, some people came together to form raiding bands that killed and stole everything in sight.

The men from Oyo, who were refugees, attacked the towns of Owu and Egba and destroyed them. The destruction of Oyo and other factors led to the emergence of new states, each vying for control of the coastal trade routes that transported European weapons and other goods to Africa. As these successor states, like Ibadan, Ijaye, Ilorin, New Oyo, Abeokuta, and Oke Odan, fought for power and control, there were times when war broke out.

The rising power of Ibadan stopped Ilorin’s plans to take over and subjugate most of Yorubaland for the Sokoto caliphate. Following this, Ibadan took control of most of eastern and central Yoruba, including parts of Ijesa, Ekiti, Igbomina, and Akoko. In 1862, Ibadan defeated Ijaye and removed him, making Ibadan the most powerful Yoruba state. But Ibadan’s desire to become an empire quickly caused a lot of people to respond.

Ibadan fought in many wars. In the north, it fought the Ijesa, Ekiti, Ilorin, and other groups. In the south, it fought the Ijebu and Egba. Up until the end of the century, people were afraid and felt unsafe because of the chaos and uncertainty caused by these wars.

All across the world, these disasters left their mark. Because the wars forced many people to relocate, resulting in the destruction and abandonment of old towns and the construction of new ones. es flocked to large towns to maximize their numbers during a time when numbers were crucial for safety and winning wars, leading to an increase in the number of people living in cities. The Yoruba culture became very militarized, and professional armies and fighters grew.

The ologun, or war leaders, needed more people to serve as soldiers, farmhands, trade agents, wives, followers, and to increase their power and status. This resulted in more slavery and slave trade. During this period, the Atlantic saw the sale of more Yoruba as slaves than ever before, surpassing the sales of any other African group. Because they arrived late and in large groups, the Yoruba left a strong and lasting cultural mark on the New World of the Americas. The military had a lot of power in politics because war was common and people always needed to feel safe.

In the most important new towns, the monarchy, which was a part of the traditional Yoruba political system, was thrown out in favor of new types of government that were better able to handle the needs of the time. In Ibadan, the establishment of a Republican system enabled talented individuals to secure employment opportunities. A military oligarchy, comprising a group of individuals, ruled the new country. Families did not choose the chiefs.

Those in charge of “men and means” held power, and they bestowed new names on brave warriors as a token of appreciation. The fierce and dangerous competition for power among the ologun kept Ibadan and Yorubaland unstable for most of the 1900s. In Ijaye, Kurunmi, who was the ona kakanfo (commander) of the Oyo kingdom, put down and killed all of his rivals, then set up a personal autocracy that didn’t let anyone else come close until Ibadan destroyed it in 1862.

Abeokuta and Oke Odan established a loose federal system. This system divided power among a number of almost independent villages and their well-known war chiefs. Pressures from outside the Yoruba country made the problem worse and more difficult. Islam, a foreign faith that came to Yorubaland many years before the 1800s, used the problems of that time to spread throughout the area. Recaptured or freed slaves from Europe, the United States, and Sierra Leone brought Christianity from the south.

Starting in Badagry in 1841, Christianity spread to southern and western Yorubaland and was well established by the end of the 1800s. The Nupe, who had just gotten a new line of Fulani kings from the north, also defeated the Okun-Yoruba and took over parts of Igbomina and Ekiti. The Benin army came from the southeast and reached Otun-Ekiti in the northeastern part of Yorubaland. They came from the west and attacked Ketu and Egbado. They also besieged Abeokuta four times: in 1851, 1864, 1873, and 1874.

Even though Abeokuta’s soldiers worked hard, it also had help from the British on the coast, which made its wins easier. British businesses needed raw materials like cotton and palm oil, and Britain needed markets to sell its goods. This is why Britain got involved in the politics and economics of the West African coast.

The British attacked and took over Lagos in 1851. They aimed to boost legal trade, allow missionaries to instill civilization in the Yoruba country, and curb the slave trade, which had flourished in Yorubaland despite the official outlawing of the transatlantic slave trade. After ten years, Lagos became a British crown colony. From then on, the British were in constant conflict with Ijebu, Egba, and Ibadan over who would control the trade lines to the interior.

At the same time, the British got involved in trying to end the nearly 100-year-old civil fights between brothers in the Yoruba country. British and Christian missionary diplomacy proved effective, leading to the signing of a peace deal in 1886. This was because the fighting had stopped, and both sides were tired of the war. But when the European “scramble” and division of Africa began, the British dropped all pretense. In 1892, they invaded and took over Ijebu.

Both Abeokuta and Ibadan learned from this loss, which is why they gave up without a fight. The colonial troops only had to use force against New Oyo and Ilorin to get them to give up. But the memory of the upsetting events of the 1800s and their effects has had a lasting impact on the Yoruba people’s understanding of history, as well as their politics and relationships within and between groups.

The nineteenth century was a time of war and change for the Yoruba. Before this, the Yoruba people lived in several states. The Oyo kingdom was the strongest of these. Law and order were strong in Oyo while they were there. The fall of the empire sparked a period of chaos and unrest that lasted until the end of the 1800s. The empire fell apart quickly because of internal fighting, weakening power battles between the alafin (king) and his main chiefs, a drop in the economy caused by ending the Atlantic slave trade, and an invasion from the north by Fulani jihadists (holy war).

All across the world, these disasters left their mark. The wars forced many people to relocate, resulting in the destruction and abandonment of old towns and the construction of new ones. Refugees flocked to large towns to maximize their numbers during a time when numbers were crucial for safety and winning wars, leading to an increase in the number of people living in cities. The Yoruba culture became very militarized, and professional armies and fighters grew.