Thread by @tyewoolove

CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE ALAAFIN OF THE OYO EMPIRE (c.1210 to date)

The Alaafin was an absolute king; his word was law. He had the power of life and death.

He’s iku baba yeye, alase ekeji orisa (the almighty, the ruler and companion of the gods).

In the actual working of the government, however, the Alaafin was an absolute monarch.

He governed in conjunction with a council of state known as Oyo Mesi .

Below are the kings who had ruled one of the greatest empires in history.

c.1210– ORANYAN (Oranmiyan)

Oyo-Ile was founded. Oranmiyan was the first king and the founder of the Oyo empire.

He was the son of Oduduwa. Oranmiyan was a very brave and warlike king.

He was said to have headed his brothers (other Yoruba kings) on an abortive expedition to the east to avenge the death

Of their father.

After quarrelling at a place called Igangan, the brothers dispersed and Oranmiyan went ahead to found the city of Oyo known as Oyo Alaafin.

There are two accounts of his death. Some said he went further East, leaving his son, Ajaka in charge of Oyo,

And stopping at a town called Oko, from where he could not proceed and so, died and was buried there.

The second account seems more plausible.

It says that Oranmiyan left for Ile-Ife, the land of his father, leaving Ajaka to rule as regent at Oyo. Having stayed in Ile-Ife

longer than necessary, the king makers made Ajaka king in Oyo.

On returning, Oramiyan heard the kakaaki at the border (the kakaaki is only played for the king).

He immediately returned to Ile Ife, where he eventually died and was buried. An obelisk, called ‘Opa Oranmiyan’

was erected at the place where he was buried and is still there to this day.

c.1242– AJAKA

Ajaka was a calm and gentle king. Unlike his father, he was of a peaceful disposition, loved animal husbandry and encouraged it.

Being too mild to be warlike, and with the provincial

Kings encroaching on Oyo, he was deposed and replaced by his fearless and violent brother, Sango.

He went to Igboho where he remained in retirement for seven years. After the death of Sango, he returned to the throne.

c.1252– SANGO

He was the step brother of Ajaka.

Unlike his brother, he was of a wild and warlike disposition and he had a fiery temper.

He had a habit of emitting fire and smoke out of his mouth, by which he greatly increased the dread his subjects had of him.

Unlike his brother, he was of a wild and warlike disposition and

His mother was the daughter of Elempe, a Nupe king, who formed an alliance with Oranyan by giving him his daughter to wife.

Sango defeated many of the other Yoruba kings and expanded the Oyo kingdom.

His seven years of reign was marked by his restlessness. He fought many

battles and was fond of making charms.

He was said to have the knowledge of some preparation by which he could attract lightning. He eventually became tyrannical and was asked to abdicate by the king makers and the senior chiefs.

c.1259–AJAKA

Ajaka remains the only Alaafin to rule twice.

c.1277 – AGANJU SOLA

He was Ajaka’s son. He liked taming wild animals and he’s said to have kept a leopard.

His reign was long and prosperous. He liked aesthetics and he greatly beautified the palace.

Towards the end of his reign, he waged war on a king close-by for refusing to give him his daughter as bride.

The king and his allies were defeated and captured by Aganju and the bride, whose name was Iyayun, was forcibly taken. One of the messy scandals of his reign occurred

when his son had intercourse with his wife and was summarily executed.

c.1340– KORI

Osogbo and Ede town were founded during his reign.

Kori was the son of Aganju, by his captured bride, Iyayun. When he was still a child, his mother ruled as regent.

It was during Kori’s time that Timi was sent to Ede to fight the Ijeshas. Timi became too powerful for the king and made himself king at Ede (hence the title, Timi of Ede).

Gbonka, was sent to Ede to capture Timi. After Timi was defeated, the king, fearing the rise of a more

Powerful enemy decided to kill Gbonka. After the failure of the assassination, the king committed suicide.

c.1401– OLUASO

Oluaso, Kori’s son, was a handsome prince.

His reign was long and peaceful. He was wise and had many wives and children. He also built 54 palaces for

for the most influential princes. During his reign, Olofin led the Aworis to present-day Lagos.

c.1490–1542 ONIGBOGI

He was the son of an Ota woman. His mother tried to introduce Ifa (oracle) to the Oyo people.

The Oyo people rejected her advice and she left the town. She

Eventually settled in a town called Ado, where the people accepted her ideas.

During Onigbogi’s reign, a war broke out and the king of Nupe invaded Oyo and sacked the capital. The king fled to the land of the Ibariba and died there.

1542– OFINRAN

Saki was founded during his reign. His mother was an Ibariba woman.

The Ibaribas started ill-treating the refugees and the king set out for Oyo. Ifa spread to the Oyo people at this time.

The refugees camped at a place called Kusu.

There the king died before they could move. The next four kings ruled from a town called Igboho.

1550– EGUGUOJO

This Alaafin founded Igboho after the Nupe had occupied Oyo- Ile. He built Igboho, known as Oyo Igboho, and made it the new capital. Besides that, nothing remarkable

happened in his reign.

1554–1562 OROMPOTO

Orompoto was the first and only female Alaafin of Oyo.

She was the sister of her predecessor, Eguguojo. She assumed the throne in 1554 because there was no male successor from her elder brother at the time.

1562–1570 AJIBOYEDE

He was a successful and brave king but he was a tyrant. During his reign, the Tapas from Nupe invaded the country again but the king was victorious. The king’s favourite son, Osemolu died. Shortly after, king also died.

1570–1588 ABIPA

Abipa rebuilt Oyo-Ile after the destruction by the Nupe marauders. He decided to carry the seat of government back to Oyo-Ile, even though the nobles were against it.

However, he was successful and the king buried charms in strategic places in the city,

so that it would not be destroyed again.

1588–1599 OBALOKUN

Salt (Sodium Chloride) was introduced to Oyo-Ile by Portuguese explorers during his reign.

His mother was the daughter of the Alake, king of the Egbas.

He was also the first Alaafin to have had contact with an

European king, most likely King of Portugal, as the Portuguese were the only foreign power present in Yoruba land in the 16th Century.

1599–1658 AJAGBO

His reign was very long. He had a friend at Iwoye called Kokoro-igangan, whom he made the first Aare-Ona-Kankafo

He was a warlike king and he conquered many people in the West, including the Popos and the Sabes (in Benin Republic).

He destroyed Iweme in Popo country after sending four expeditions out at once; under the Basorun, Agbakin, Kankafo, and Asipa.

1658–1659 ODARAWU

His reign was very short. He had a bad temper. He ordered for the destruction of a town called Ojosegi. He was eventually rejected by the noblemen and ended up commiting suicide.

1659–1665 KARAN

He was a tyrant. He was cruel and harsh. He tortured and killed

many of his subjects for slight offences. He was so wicked that the proverb ‘as cruel as Kanran’ is being used by the Yoruba to describe anyone perceived of extreme cruelty. The people eventually rebelled against him. He was killed in a coup by the army, backed by the noble men.

1665–1676 JAYIN

Jayin was Kanran’s son and was made king after his father’s horrible death. He was of a gentler disposition than his father but he was effeminate and his son fell in love with one of his wives. In rage, he killed the boy. He was eventually deposed and tragically

committed suicide.

1665–1676 JAYIN

1676–1690 AYIBI

1690–1692 OSIYAGO

1728–1732 OJIGI

1732–1738 GBERU

He was a wicked king, who liked making charms.

He fought a bitter conflict with his Basorun who was his friend and both of them were deposed. Just like his predecessor

he committed suicide.

1738–1742 AMUNIWAYE

He was a good king initially but soon became weak because of his low morals.

He had a affair with the wife of his medicine man. He died of magun while having intercourse with the woman.

1742–1750 ONISILE

1750– LABISI

1750– AWONBIOJU

He spent just 130 days on the throne. Installed by Gaha after Labisi, Awonbioju was killed by Gaa when he refused to prostrate for him.

1750–1770 AGBOLUAJE

1770–1772 MAJEOGBE

He tried to defend himself against Gaha whose sons were now too powerful.

They collected all the tributes and were cruel. The king eventually died in frustration.

1772-1789 ABIODUN

1789-1796 AWOLE AROGANGAN

1796-1797 ADEBO

1797- MAKUA

1801-1830 MAJEOTU

1830-1833 AMODO

1833-1835 OLUEWU

1838-1858 ATIBA ATOBATELE

1859-1875 ADELU AGUNLOYE ***one of the Ruling Houses in Oyo Alaafin today.

1876-1905 ALOWOLODU ADEYEMI I ***the second Ruling house in Oyo Alaafin today. In fact the current Ruling House.

1905-1911 LAWANI AGOJOGA

He was a vassal of the British. He reigned from 1905 to 1911

1911-1944 SIYANBOLA ONIKEPE OLADIGBOLU I

He became king after Lawani. He ruled from 1911 to 1944. He was also a vassal king. The amalgamation of Nigeria happened during his time.

1945-1955 ADENIRAN ADEYEMI II

The Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, deposed

And sent him on exile with his Aremo (Crown Prince) for sympathizing with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC).

He had also come into conflict with Bode Thomas, deputy leader of the Action Group. They both died in exile.

1956-1968 BELLO GBADEGESIN OLADIGBOLU II.

He was the Alaafin when Nigeria gained independence

November 19, 1970- Date LAMIDI OLAYIWOLA ADEYEMI III

Lamidi Adeyemi succeeded Alaafin Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II in 1970, during the governorship of Colonel Robert Adeyinka Adebayo, after the end of the Nigerian Civil War.

In 1975, the Head-of-State, General Murtala Ramat

Mohammed included Oba Adeyemi in his entourage for the hajj.

He was chancellor of Uthman dan Fodiyo University in Sokoto from 1980 to 1992.

In 1990 President Ibrahim Babangida appointed him Amir-ul-Hajj in recognition of his commitment to the consolidation of Islam in

In Nigeria.

Adeyemi is a lover of boxing, as he was a boxer before becoming Alaafin. He remains the only educated Alaafin till date.

Story credit; Ayomide Akinbode and Ayo Ojeniyi .

Story credit; Ayomide Akinbode and Ayo Ojeniyi .

Note;I intentionally omitted some write up about some Past Alaafin, incase you need them,indicate in the comment section.