The history of Nigeria is full of many kingdoms and empires. Historically, the Yoruba ancestry originated from this region. With that in mind, we will talk about the Oyo Kingdom that was the most successful, largest, and powerful Yoruba state, and the complex legacy of Abiodun, who was a ruler in Oyo state.
Mythical Origins of the Empire
The roots of the Oyo Kingdom lie with Oranyan, the last prince of the Yoruba Empire of Ife. Oranyan agreed with his sibling to start a raid on their neighbors to the North for insulting Oduduwa, their father. On the way, the siblings had a misunderstanding, and the army separated.
The force of Oranyan was too small to attempt an attack, and hence he went southward and reached a place called Bussa. There, the native chief welcomed him and provided a large magical snake. The chief told Oranyan to follow the snake until it halted for a week and vanish into the ground. Oranyan followed what the chief had told him and established Oyo where the snake halted. Oranyan made Oyo his new Empire and became the 1st king or oba with the title of Alaafin.
The Imperial Period of the Empire
In this subheading, we will discuss the organization, political and military structures of the Empire.
The Yoruba went through an interregnum of about a century as a banished empire after Nupe defeated them. They reformed Oyo as more unified and extensive than ever. The people formed an authority that created its power over a wide Kingdom. During the 17th century, Oyo became a principal Kingdom.
The Organization and Political Structure
At the start, the people converged in the metropolitan. With grand development and growth, Oyo re-organized to better control its great holdings in and out of the Yorubaland. It was divided into 4 layers. The layers were Ajaland, Metropolitan Oyo, the Egbado Corridor, and the southern region of Yorubaland. The Kingdom established a highly unique political structure to control its regional domains.
The Military of the Empire
There was a high level of expertise in the military of the Oyo Kingdom. Its army prosperity was because of the enormous section of its cavalry and the bravery of Oyo fighters. There was a military culture in the Empire where victory was compulsory, and failure or defeat carried the burden of committing suicide.
The Oyo Kingdom was the only Yoruba nation to adopt cavalry. It did so because most of its area was in the northern savannah. The origin of the cavalry is debatable or controversial. However, the Borgu, Nupe, and Hausa in neighboring regions also employed cavalry and had similar historical sources. The Oyo state could buy horses from the northern part and maintain them in metropolitan Oyo due to partial liberation from the tsetse fly. Cavalry was the long arm of the Kingdom of Oyo. The late 16th century and the 17th-century expeditions comprised wholly of cavalry. However, there were challenges to this. The state couldn’t maintain its cavalry army in the southern region but could raid at will. Cavalry in Oyo was divided into 2; heavy and light. Heavy cavalry on larger horses had heavy thrusting lances with swords. Light cavalry on smaller local horses had spears or bows.
Infantry in the area around the Oyo Kingdom was uniform in armor and armament. All infantry in the area carried swords, shields, and different types of lances. Shields were 2-feet wide and 4-feet tall and made of ox hide. A 0.91 m heavy sword was the principal armament for close fight or combat. The Yoruba and their neighbors employed Tripple barbed javelins.
The Oyo Kingdom used both native and tributary forces to increase its domains. Before its imperial era, the Oyo military structure was straightforward and in affiliation to the central government in metropolitan Oyo.
Who are the llari?
The ruler of Oyo selected religious and government officials who were mostly eunuchs. These officers were called the llari (half-heads). The junior participants of the llari performed basic jobs while seniors acted as royal messengers.
All the sub-courts of the Oyo Empire had llari who acted as secret agents or spies and taxmen.
According to the history of the Oyo Empire, many believed that the collapse and decline of the Kingdom had begun as early as 1754.
The Councils of the Empire (Oyo Mesi and the Ogboni)
While the Alaafin of the state was the ultimate or the supreme overlord of the people, he was not without safeguards on his ability. The Mesi and the Yoruba cult religion called the Ogboni kept the King’s power in place. The Oyo Mesi spoke on behalf of the politicians while the Ogboni spoke on behalf of the people, and the power of religion supported them. The might of the ruler of the Oyo Empire concerning the Ogboni and the Oyo Mesi relied on his personality and political astuteness.
The Oyo Mesi were seven chief councilors of the nation. They comprised the Electoral Council and had legislative abilities or powers. The Bashorun, who acted as the PM (Prime Minister), led the councilors. The Oyo Mesi represented the nation’s voice or state and had the principal responsibility of defending, fighting, and protecting the Kingdom’s interests. People required the Alaafin to take advice from them whenever any vital issue affecting the nation happened.
The Oyo Mesi grew as a safeguard or check on the might or power of the Alaafin, hindering the Alaafin from being autocratic. The Oyo Mesi forced many Alaafins to kill themselves during the 17th century and the 18th century.
The Bashorun, the leader of Oyo Mesi’s council, talked to the Ifa oracle before the noble succession for approval from the deities, specifically the gods. The people believed that the new Alaafins were god-chosen. They also regarded them as Ekeji Orisa that meant assistant or deputy of the gods. The leader of the Oyo Mesi council had the final say on the selection of the new Alaafin. The Bashorun arranged several religious activities and festivals. He did this in addition to being the commander-in-chief of the military or the army.
The Oyo Mesi did not have the advantage of enjoying absolute power. While the Oyo Mesi exercised political influence, the Ogboni symbolized the popular opinion that religion’s authority supported. Hence, the Ogboni could moderate the views of the Oyo Mesi. There were balances and safeguards or checks on the Alaafin and the Oyo Mesi’s power, and hence no one had absolute power. The Ogboni was a very mighty private society comprising aristocratic freemen famous for their wisdom, intelligence, age, and significance in political and religious matters. Its members enjoyed great power over ordinary people because of their religious station. The Oluwo, the leader or the ruler of the Ogboni, had the definite right of direct access to the Oyo state’s ruler on any issue or matter.
The Reign of Abiodun
After learning a bit of history about the Oyo Empire, it is important to note one of Oyo’s rulers who had a very complex legacy (politically and economically). His name was Abiodun. He was an 18th-century king of the Oyo.
Just as Gaha, the army leader in the Oyo Kingdom during the 16th century, played a role in changing Oyo’s history by killing 3 rulers, Abiodun too changed Oyo’s history.
For Abiodun, it all started when elites faced a dilemma to continue expanding the kingdom or focus on the economy. Gaha continued expanding and conquering weak neighbors. However, Abiodun did not agree with some elites’ decision. Later on, when Gaha became old and weak, Abiodun wrested power from the king and became the Alaafin.
Afterward, Abiodun disempowered the army of Oyo. According to history, the Empire of Oyo had peace and prosperity under Abiodun despite being surrounded by civil wars. We later see more of Abiodun’s success when his victory weakens the military families as he got his power elsewhere. Before Abiodun came to power, Oyo’s power was only amongst the military families who throned and dethroned rulers, however.
However, the dismantling of the military families’ power and the army had serious consequences. The Empire could not suppress rebellions as they did before. This is where we witness Abiodun changing the history of the state.
Economically, Abiodun somehow failed, and the economic growth in the state was complex. This is because he turned to the slave trade as a source of quick wealth at the wrong time. Economic growth complexity comes in at the point he was accumulating wealth through the unequal trade with the Europeans.
Abiodun advanced humans’ depopulation in Oyo’s history, which created national insecurity in the Empire. The slave trade act weakened the agricultural sector since there were no machines, and the laborers working in the fields were less. The complexity is that yes, the state was accumulating wealth through the slave trade, and it was economically growing, but on the other hand, it posed dangers to the state.
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