Kingdom of Dahomey

E69998

The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful precolonial West African state known for its centralized monarchy, extensive involvement in the Atlantic slave trade, and elite corps of women warriors often called the Dahomey Amazons.

All labels observed (11)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf West African state
precolonial African kingdom
capital Abomey
conflict Franco-Dahomean Wars
wars with Oyo Empire
conqueredBy French Third Republic
continent Africa
culturalPractice annual customs
human sacrifice at royal ceremonies
currencyOrTribute cowries
economyBasedOn palm oil trade
slave trade
endTime 1894
ethnicBase Fon people
event Second Franco-Dahomean War
expandedUnder King Agaja
governmentType absolute monarchy
centralized monarchy
knownFor Atlantic slave trade
Dahomey Amazons
female military regiment
legacy influenced modern Republic of Benin
majorPort Ouidah
Whydah
militaryUnit Dahomey Amazons
Mino
notableRuler King Agaja
King Béhanzin
King Ghezo
King Glele
partOf Slave Coast
politicalStructure powerful palace bureaucracy
royal court at Abomey
presentDayLocation Benin
primaryLanguage Fon
region West Africa
religion Vodun
West African traditional religion
linked to: Yoruba religion
startTime 17th century
successorState Colony of Dahomey
French Dahomey
linked to: French West Africa
symbol royal appliqué banners
timelineNote fell to French colonial conquest in 1894
tributaryTo Oyo Empire

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (42)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

West Africa hadHistoricState Kingdom of Dahomey
French West Africa includesTerritory Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Melville J. Herskovits notableWork Dahomey: An Ancient West African Kingdom
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Melville J. Herskovits studiedIn Dahomey (Benin)
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Benin formerName Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Benin historicalRegion Kingdom of Dahomey
French Community memberState Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Oyo influenced Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Oyo Empire tradedWith Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Oyo Empire hadVassalState Dahomey (for part of its history)
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Ordre de l’Étoile noire originalCountry Kingdom of Dahomey
Royal Palaces of Abomey builtFor kings of Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Ouidah conqueredBy Kingdom of Dahomey
Abomey partOf Kingdom of Dahomey
Abomey formerCapitalOf Kingdom of Dahomey
Dahomey and the Slave Trade mainSubject Kingdom of Dahomey
West Africans hasHistoricalState Kingdom of Dahomey
Abeokuta wars attackers Kingdom of Dahomey
Abeokuta wars historicalRegion Kingdom of Dahomey
Abeokuta wars belligerent Dahomey kings
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Rada lwa geographicOriginRegion Dahomey area of West Africa
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
The Woman King setIn Kingdom of Dahomey
King Ghezo country Kingdom of Dahomey
King Ghezo dynasty Dahomey royal dynasty
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
King Béhanzin countryOfCitizenship Kingdom of Dahomey
King Béhanzin ruledOver Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Whydah laterPartOf Kingdom of Dahomey
Whydah conqueredBy Kingdom of Dahomey
Dahomey Amazons country Kingdom of Dahomey
Fon people historicalState Kingdom of Dahomey
Second Franco-Dahomean War location Kingdom of Dahomey
Second Franco-Dahomean War belligerent Kingdom of Dahomey
Second Franco-Dahomean War combatant Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Colony of Dahomey precededBy Kingdom of Dahomey
Colony of Dahomey modernNameDerivedFrom historic Kingdom of Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
Slave Coast associatedPolity Kingdom of Dahomey
Mino country Kingdom of Dahomey
Mino languageContext Fon-speaking Kingdom of Dahomey
linked to: Kingdom of Dahomey
King Agaja countryRuled Kingdom of Dahomey
King Glele country Kingdom of Dahomey