Why did the Kingdom of Oyo collapse?
- Created by: NoahRobinson
- Created on: 25-02-21 14:09
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- Why did the Kingdom of Oyo collapse?
- Fulani jihad
- 1810 - spread into Nupe
- 1817 - reached Ilorin where Majotu's government was no longer in control of the provinical military
- Afonja invited al-Salih into his ranks in the hope of receiving more support for independence of Ilorin
- 1823 - Afonja was overthrown and Ilorin was used as a base for future attacks
- the jihadists were better trained, had a unity of command, excellent horsemen and skilled at using a policy of sending intelligence agents to spread dissension amongst the Yoruba people
- 1835 - the last resistance to the Fulani was broken in the war of Eleduwe where Oluweu was killed and Oyo-Ile was razed
- Ikoyi and Ede offered little resistance as they were concerned for power amongst themselves
- 1836 - Oyo collapsed
- Atanda: the coincidence of external aid from the Fulani and the breakdown of central authority can explain the collapse
- Divisions between the provinces and the centre
- 1754 – Gaha took control and the provinical towns were drawn into the disputes between the alafin and Oyo mesi
- 1796 - Awole was ousted by the government in an Illorin-centred revolt initiated by Afonja, the provinical towns were used by the basorun against the alafin
- post-1774 - Ojo Agunbamburu escaped the massacre and saw this an opportunity to recover by raising the army from loyal provincial towns but was defeated
- post-1818 - Gezo, rejected Oyo's hegemony over Dahomey and beheaded four envoys sent from Oyo and hence gained independence for Dahomey
- Military weakness
- the army had become weak and less effective under Abiodun
- 1783 and 1791 - lost battles against the Borgu and the Nupe
- Atanda: due to the fact that the military were not used for expansionist purposes, they could not resist the forces of the Fulani
- Weak constitution
- there was a tension between the basorun and the alafin
- frequent transference of the title to new lineages
- 1830s – the last alafin was Oluweu who used military assistance to murder the basorun, he was then murdered by his lineage to avoid disgrace
- the position of the basorun was too powerful with the prerogative to reject the alafin, acted as regent, this paved the way for them to subvert the constitution
- 1754 - Gaha took control
- 1797-1802 - the basorun ruled as regent until the election of Majotu
- the Are Ona Kakamfo in his capacity as head of the provinical army
could stage a coup e’etat
- 1796 – Awole was ousted by the government in a Illorin-centred revolt initiated by Afonja, the provinical towns were used by the basorun against the alafin
- Law: “an uneasy balance which was bound to give rise to recurrent tensions”
- there was a tension between the basorun and the alafin
- Civil strife
- Lloyd: since Oyo was not centralised, conflict would develop between the alafin and his councils of chiefs and other groups
- Lockhart and Lovejoy: "a constitutional crisis which ultimately pitted Ilorin against the capital"
- Akinjogbin: the breakdown of central authority was caused by an economic crisis which led to a political crisis, brought around by the failing slave trade
- Awole fell out with three key figures in sectors of his administration
- Basorun Asamu
- Lafianu, holding an Eso title of the Owota
- Afonja, the Are Ona Kakamfo
- Afonja encouraged others to campaign against the alafin like Adegun of Ikoyi, a provincial chief
- Johnson: Awole's successor, Adebo was "without the...power of a King"
- Afonja refused to recgonised Adebo's authority and he was only on the throne for 130 days
- Fulani jihad
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