The opulent palaces built by the 12 rulers of the kingdom within the cloistered site of Abomey, functioned along in the midst of 1695 and 1900, as the acclaimed cultural hub of the empire. The first ruler to initiate the building of palaces was King Houegbadja who had founded the city.
According to folklore, the descendents of the royal intimates of Abomey who built the 12 Royal Palaces of Abomey are the progeny of Princess Aligbonon of Tado and a panther. Their kingdom existed in the southern portion of the completion day Republic of Benin in Abomey. Recorded records is, however, traced to the 17th century to two of their descendants, namely Do-Aklin and Dakodonou. Houegbadja (16451685) was the king who conventional the kingdom upon the Abomey plateau and set the authentic framework for the kingdoms light, political role, appointment rules and as a upshot forth.
King Agaja (17181740) defeated the kingdom of Allada in 1724 and the Kingdom of Whydah in 1727. This resulted in killing of several prisoners. Many of the prisoners were in addition to sold as slaves at Ouidah, later called Glw. These wars marked the beginning of the dominance of Dahomey's slave trade (which was carried out through the harbor of Whydah considering than the Europeans.
In the 19th century, however, in the middle of the rise of the antislavery enthusiasm in Great Britain, King Guzo (18181858) initiated agricultural loan in the country, which resulted in adding economic wealth of the kingdom achieved through exports of agricultural products such as corn and palm oil.
In 1892-1894, France invaded Dahomey. Initially, Dahomey won many battles gone even the chief of the French army was killed. However, Dahomey finally succumbed to the forces of the French Army. It became a colony of France. King Bhanzin, the last independent reigning king of Dahomey, after getting defeated by the French colonial forces, set flare to Abomey. The French eventually deported him to Martinique. His successor King Agooli Agbo could go accompanied by single-handedly till his deportation to Gabon in 1900. In 1960, following the market day Bnin attained independence from France, it originally bore the reveal Dahomey.
The acclaimed archives of the kingdom were recorded and followed through a series of polychrome earthen bas-reliefs.
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