Kingdom Of Benin Essay, Research Paper
Benin was an influential city-state in northwest Africa generally from the
15th to 17th century. It was founded by the Edo or Bini people in the 13th
century, and by the early 14th century a royal court was in place. It was
always ruled by a powerful king who was usually a former war leader. The
kings, however, later became a more religious figure. The kingdom has been
though to extend throughout what is presently southern Nigeria.
One of its most successful kings was Ozoula. During his reign, from about
1480 to 1504, Benin established many commercial and diplomatic relations with
Portugal. The kingdom participated in a lot of trade with Europe. Some of
the goods they traded included palm oil, ivory, pepper, and textiles. Another
industry Benin took place in was the slave trade. Mostly POW’s and women were
traded, but in the early years, men of the tribe were also given away.
Gradually, the power of the kingdom decreased as the 18th and 19th centuries
passed. Eventually, in 1897, the area was annexed to British Nigeria. While
tribesmen still led the area, the real control was in the hands of the
Europeans.
One of the richest arts that originated in Africa are some of the hand cast
bronzes that came out of the kingdom of Benin. These became known as the
Benin Bronzes. The casting of brass was strictly a royal art and anyone found
casting brass without royal permission was faced with execution. Whenever a
king or a major figure died, a beautiful commemorative head was cast out of
bronze in his honor. These heads were displayed at shrines found all
throughout the royal palace. Also found in the royal palace were eight wall-
sized bronze plaques. Each plaque depicted kings, chiefs, and great warriors
in battle. They each depict a different event in Benin’s history. Many
things including utensils and weapons have also been found, each hand cast
with brass. As you can see, the Beninian people were very gifted in this fine
art and it is one of the richest parts of their culture.