Ajaka was an Oyo

Oyo Empire

The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today southwestern Nigeria. The empire was established before the 14th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by European explorers. It rose to preeminence through its possession of a powerful cavalry and wealth...

 emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

 who was twice on the throne. His father was Oranyan

Oranyan

Oranyan Omoluabi, King of the Yoruba, also known as Oranmiyan, was a Yoruba king from the kingdom of Ile-Ife and heir to Oduduwa. According to Yoruba history, he founded Oyo at around the year 1170 and one of his children, Eweka I, went on to become the first Oba of the Benin Empire...

 or Oranmiyan and his brother, according to the historian Samuel Johnson, was Sango.

Life

Ajaka lived in a fierce and tumultuous age, but he was originally a man of a peaceful disposition which was perceived as weakness. The reason for this is not far-fetched: it seems the emperor was resolved to busy himself with palace affairs while simultaneously allowing his warriors more freedom than was traditional. This led to him being deposed and his brother being proclaimed emperor after a series of insubordinations from his local chiefs

King

- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...

. He was later called on to ascend the throne after the death of Sango. In his later years, he changed from being mild mannered to a warlike emperor, and was similar to his brother. The Basorun or prime minister and commander-in-chief during his second reign was Salekoudi, and it was in this period that the Yoruban drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

, Ogidigbo, was introduced to Oyo. The drum was and still is used in great festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

s where the Alaafin

Alaafin

Alaafin or Man of the Palace in the Yoruba language was the title of the emperor of the medieval Oyo empire of northwestern Yorubaland. It was retained through the fall of that state as the official title of the ceremonial ruler of the contemporary Oyo clan....

and the Basorun are present.