Kingdom of Benin
The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, Benin Kingdom or the Benin Empire (Bini: Arriọba ẹdo), was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's capital was Edo, now known as Benin City in Edo State, Nigeria. The Benin Kingdom was "one of the oldest and most developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa". It grew out of the previous Edo Kingdom of Igodomigodo around the 11th century AD, and lasted until it was annexed by the British Empire in 1897.
Kingdom of Benin Arriọba Ẹ̀dó | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1180–1897 | |||||||||||
The extent of Benin in 1625 | |||||||||||
| Capital | Edo (now Benin City) | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Edo, Yoruba | ||||||||||
| Religion | Edo Religion, Catholic Christianity | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| Oba | |||||||||||
• 1180–1246 (first) | Eweka I | ||||||||||
• 1888–1897 (last) | Ovonramwen | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Established | 1180 | ||||||||||
• Annexed by the United Kingdom | 1897 | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | Nigeria | ||||||||||
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