The Oba of Benin, or Omo N'Oba, is both the oba

Oba (ruler)

Oba is a West African synonym for monarch, one that is usually applied to the Yoruba and Edo rulers of the region. It is also often used by their traditional subjects to refer to other kings and queens, such as Elizabeth I of England, in their native languages.-Edo account of the word's origin:The...

 of the Edo people

Edo people

Edo is the name for the place, people and language of an ethnic group in Nigeria. Other Edo-speaking ethnic groups include the Esan and the Afemai...

 and the pretender

Pretender

A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....

 to the defunct title of the king of the Benin Kingdom (1180 - 1897). The Benin homeland (not to be confused with the modern day country of the Republic of Benin

Republic of Benin

The short-lived Republic of Benin, in Nigeria's coastal Bight of Benin, was named after its capital Benin City. It was known as Mid-Western state in Nigeria until August 1967 when it was occupied by Biafra as its forces advanced towards Lagos...

, which was formerly known as Dahomey

Dahomey

Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...

) has and continues to be most significantly populated by the Edo (also known as the Bini or Benin ethnic group).

The title of 'oba' was either created or adopted (depending on which divine myth you're following) by Oba Eweka the Great, the kingdom's first 'Oba'. The current capital is Benin City

Benin City

Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...

, which is in modern day Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

.

In 1897, the British launched a Punitive Expedition, sacked Benin city and exiled Oba Ovonramwen

Ovonramwen

Ovonramwen Nogbaisi , also called Overami, was the last Oba of the Kingdom of Benin, which was dissolved following his rule.-Biography:Ovonramwen Nogbaisi came to be the Oba of Benin in 1888....

, taking control of the area in order to establish the British colony of Nigeria

Colonial Nigeria

Colonial Nigeria ran from 1800 till October 1, 1960 when it gained independence. Up until the amalgamation of 1914, the country's constituting parts existed as separate British protectorates.-Abolition of the Slave Trade:...

. The expedition was mounted to avenge the killing by the Binis of an official British delegation that had violated their customs earlier in 1896. It consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers, and is still remembered by the Edos with horror today. To cover the cost of the expedition, the Benin royal art

Benin art

Benin art is the art from the Kingdom of Benin or Edo Empire , a pre-colonial African state located in what is now known as the South-South region of Nigeria. Benin art was produced mainly for the court of the Oba of Benin - a divine ruler for whom the craftsmen produced a range of ceremonially...

 was auctioned off by the British. Ovonramwen died in 1914, his throne never having been restored to him.

The present Oba, Erediauwa I, is the 39th Oba of the dynasty.

History

Main article: Benin Empire

Benin Empire

The Benin Empire was a pre-colonial African state in what is now modern Nigeria. It is not to be confused with the modern-day country called Benin, formerly called Dahomey.-Origin:...

According to oral tradition, the first dynasty of the Edo or Benin Kingdom was the Ogiso dynasty, rulers who were known to their people as the kings of the Sky. The number of such kings varies depending on which tradition is followed. One tradition gives the number as 31 while others state twelve or even one. Whatever the case may be, all of the accounts agree that a popular revolt ousted the Ogiso and that shortly afterwards, the Eweka dynasty was founded with its founder being sent by the King of Ife

Ife

Ife is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of inhabitation at the site has been discovered to date back to roughly 560 BC...

 in response to a request that he send the citizens of Benin a ruler. The king, known as the Oni of Ife, is reputed to have sent Oranyan (also known as Oranmiyan), one of his sons by the Yoruba princess Okanbi. This son is believed to've spent some years in Benin City before returning to Ife to subsequently establish a Yoruba kingdom at 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...

. It is said that he left Ubinu in anger and saw the place, for its palace intrigues and fights over power caused by the brother of the last Ogiso, as synonymous with 'vexations'. On his way home to Ife, Oranyan stopped briefly at Ego, where he impregnated Princess Erimwinde, the daughter of the duke of Ego, in short order. She is then believed to have given birth to a son named Eweka, the first Oba of Benin.
In 1440, Oba Ewuare, also known as 'Ewuare the Great', came to power and turned the city-state into an empire that stretched further west to the coveted port, Eko. The name "Benin" is a Portuguese corruption of "Bini" which itself is a corruption of the Itsekhiri's "Ubinu". "Bini" came into use in the 15th century during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great by the increasing mix of ethnicities living together or arriving to pay dues at the royal administrative centre. At about 1485, following the Portuguese involvement in the area, the city proper began to be referred to as "Benin" while the expanding group of tributary states became known as the "Benin Empire".

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Oba of Benin's power was at its peak and different monarchs of the dynasty controlled significant stretches of land in what is now West Africa. During this era, exquisite naturalistic bronze art was created to enhance and embody the power of the Oba. The art often depicted the ancestors in order to establish both continuity and legitimacy. Due to this, only the Obas of Benin were allowed to own the famous bronze heads of Benin.

Pre-Imperial Obas of Benin (1180-1440)

The dates of reigns of these early kings are highly uncertain.

• Eweka I (1180–1246)
• Uwuakhuahen (1246–1250)
• Henmihen (1250–1260)
• Ewedo (1260–1274)
• Oguola (1274–1287)
• Edoni (1287–1292)
• Udagbedo (1292–1329)
• Ohen (1329–1366)
• Egbeka (1366–1397)
• Orobiru (1397–1434)
• Uwaifiokun (1434–1440)

Obas of the Benin Empire (1440-1897)

There is some uncertainty in the dates of the reigns of some of the earlier warrior kings

• Ewuare the Great (1440–1473)
• Ezoti (1473–1475)
• Olua (1475–1480)
• Ozolua (1480–1504)
• Esigie (1504–1547)
• Orhogbua (1547–1580)
• Ehengbuda (1580–1602)
• Ohuan (1602–1656)
• Ohenzae (1656–1661)
• Akenzae (1661–1669)
• Akengboi (1669–1675)
• Akenkpaye (1675–1684)
• Akengbedo (1684–1689)
• Ore-Oghene (1689–1701)
• Ewuakpe (1701–1712)
• Ozuere (1712–1713)
• Akenzua I (1713–1740)
• Eresoyen (1740–1750)
• Akengbuda (1750–1804)
• Obanosa (1804–1816)
• Ogbebo (1816)
• Osemwende (1816–1848)
• Adolo (1848–1888)
• Ovonramwen Nogbaisi
  Ovonramwen
  Ovonramwen Nogbaisi , also called Overami, was the last Oba of the Kingdom of Benin, which was dissolved following his rule.-Biography:Ovonramwen Nogbaisi came to be the Oba of Benin in 1888....
  
   (1888–1914) (exiled to Calabar
  Calabar
  Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
  
   by the British
  British Empire
  The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
  
   in 1897)

Post-Imperial Obas of Benin (1914-Present)

• Eweka II (1914–1933)
• Akenzua II
  Akenzua II
  Oba Akenzua II was an Edo king , son and heir to Oba Eweka II . In 1936, Oba Akenzua began the movement to return back to Nigeria the Benin Bronzes stolen in 1897 in the 1897 Punitive Expedition...
  
   (1933–1978)
• Erediauwa I (1979–present)

Some of the cadet members of the Eweka dynasty live elsewhere in Nigeria, as well as in other parts of Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

External links

• Africa Reparations Movement | Campaign for the return of the Benin Bronzes
• Stories of royalty in brass. Collections Multimedia Public Access System, The British Museum, 2000. Accessed 6 September 2006.
• Edofolks - List of Obas of Benin
• Benin kingdom Obas 1200AD-Date {with photos} {source Edoworld}
• Benin Monarchial system {source Edoworld}
• Benin Traditional Temple and Cultural Center to the world