<P> The Dahomey Kingdom was founded in the early 17th century CE when the Aja people of the Allada kingdom moved northward and settled among the Fon . They began to assert their power a few years later . In so doing they established the Kingdom of Dahomey, with its capital at Agbome . King Houegbadja (c. 1645--1685) organised Dahomey into a powerful centralised state . He declared all lands to be owned of the king and subject to taxation . Primogeniture in the kingship was established, neutralising all input from village chiefs . A "cult of kingship" was established . A captive slave would be sacrificed annually to honour the royal ancestors . During the 1720s, the slave - trading states of Whydah and Allada were taken, giving Dahomey direct access to the slave coast and trade with Europeans . King Agadja (1708--1740) attempted to end the slave trade by keeping the slaves on plantations producing palm oil, but the European profits on slaves and Dahomey's dependency on firearms were too great . In 1730, under king Agaja, Dahomey was conquered by the Oyo Empire, and Dahomey had to pay tribute . Taxes on slaves were mostly paid in cowrie shells . During the 19th century, palm oil was the main trading commodity . France conquered Dahomey during the Second Franco - Dahomean War (1892--1894) and established a colonial government there . Most of the troops who fought against Dahomey were native Africans . </P> <P> Traditionally, the Yoruba people viewed themselves as the inhabitants of a united empire, in contrast to the situation today, in which "Yoruba" is the cultural - linguistic designation for speakers of a language in the Niger--Congo family . The name comes from a Hausa word to refer to the Oyo Empire . The first Yoruba state was Ile - Ife, said to have been founded around 1000 CE by a supernatural figure, the first oni Oduduwa . Oduduwa's sons would be the founders of the different city - states of the Yoruba, and his daughters would become the mothers of the various Yoruba obas, or kings . Yoruba city - states were usually governed by an oba and an iwarefa, a council of chiefs who advised the oba . By the 18th century, the Yoruba city - states formed a loose confederation, with the Oni of Ife as the head and Ife as the capital . As time went on, the individual city - states became more powerful with their obas assuming more powerful spiritual positions and diluting the authority of the Oni of Ife . Rivalry became intense among the city - states . </P> <P> The Oyo Empire rose in the 16th century . The Oyo state had been conquered in 1550 by the kingdom of Nupe, which was in possession of cavalry, an important tactical advantage . The alafin (king) of Oyo was sent into exile . After returning, Alafin Orompoto (c. 1560--1580) built up an army based on heavily armed cavalry and long - service troops . This made them invincible in combat on the northern grasslands and in the thinly wooded forests . By the end of the 16th century, Oyo had added the western region of the Niger to the hills of Togo, the Yoruba of Ketu, Dahomey, and the Fon nation . </P> <P> A governing council served the empire, with clear executive divisions . Each acquired region was assigned a local administrator . Families served in king - making capacities . Oyo, as a northern Yoruba kingdom, served as middle - man in the north - south trade and connecting the eastern forest of Guinea with the western and central Sudan, the Sahara, and North Africa . The Yoruba manufactured cloth, ironware, and pottery, which were exchanged for salt, leather, and most importantly horses from the Sudan to maintain the cavalry . Oyo remained strong for two hundred years . It became a protectorate of Great Britain in 1888, before further fragmenting into warring factions . The Oyo state ceased to exist as any sort of power in 1896 . </P>

The major source of wealth of the west african kingdoms was copper