Dahomey was a West African kingdom of the Fon people, centred on the city of Abomey in what is now southern Benin. It grew from a small inland state into a regional power in the eighteenth century, when King Agaja conquered neighbouring coastal kingdoms and gained direct access to European traders. The kingdom's wealth came largely from the Atlantic slave trade and, later, from palm oil. Dahomey was known for its centralized administration, its royal palaces with decorated bas-reliefs, and an elite female military corps that European observers called Amazons. France fought two wars against the kingdom in the 1890s, and King Behanzin surrendered in January 1894. The territory was then absorbed into French colonial rule.
Before and after
- 22 March 1599Birth of Anthony van Dyck
- 25 April 1599Birth of Oliver Cromwell
- 1600Publication of A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 1600Publication of The Merchant of Venice
- from c. 1600s to 1890sDahomey
- from 1600 to 1611Polish–Swedish War of 1600–11
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 16th centuryRise of baroque architecture
- 17 January 1600Birth of Pedro Calderón de la Barca
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- 29 March 1693Founding of Curitiba
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.