History of Africa

By the 1810s, the militant stage of the Sokoto Revolution was coming to an end. The Commander of the Believers, Usman Dan Fodio, had vanquished his enemies. What had started as a s…

Just as tensions are heating to a fever pitch between Usman Dan Fodio and the Gobirawa Monarchy, the sudden death of Sarki Nafata seems like a sign of future relief. The young prin…

In this episode we trace the beginnings of the empire of Gobir, the early life of Usman Dan Fodio, his intellectual and political influences, and the beginning of his rise to promi…

In the early 19th century, Northern Nigeria underwent a dramatic social, political, economic, and religious transformation. The cause: a revolution. Led by the charismatic Shehu Us…

As the War of the Golden Stool intensifies, the British suffer their biggest defeat in Ghana since Nsamankow at the Battle of Kokofu. Despite this unexpected defeat, the British re…

In 1900, the War for the Golden Stool began when Ashanti militia companies attacked the occupying British garrisons and pushed them out of Asanteman. The few that remained were tra…

Outside of Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa is the most famous Ashanti historical figure by a wide margin. The queen-mother of Ejisu is widely cited as the pre-eminent symbol of Afro-feminism,…

After finally putting an end to the gruelling Ashanti Civil War, Agyeman Prempeh I goes to work trying to repair his country's economy through the importation of new industries. Bu…

Tired of his despotic abuse, a coalition of disgruntled Ashanti elites overthrows Asantehene Mensa Bonsu. Rather than ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity, Mensa Bonsu's i…

As the dust settles from the bloody war against Juaben, Asantehene Mensa Bonsu begins the hard work of trying to bring his crumbling empire back to a state of relative repair. Aidi…

In the aftermath of the catastrophic Third Anglo-Ashanti War, Asantehene Kofi Kakari desperately tries to bring Ashanti finances into a state of normalcy and gets impeached for his…

As the Ashanti armies retreated back across the Pra River, Kofi Kakari and the Ashanti legislature were forced to admit defeat. They offered to concede on all of the British demand…

In 1873, Ashanti crowds celebrated as the nation's army marched through the streets of Kumasi. This army was en route to leave the city in a southern direction, where they would in…

When the British annexed the Dutch Gold Coast in 1872, a new conflict kicked off between the Ashanti and British Empires. Allowing the British to possess a complete monopoly on the…

In 1867, Asantehene Kwaku Dua passed away suddenly after four decades of ruling the Ashanti Empire. Shortly after, roving gangs of royal executioners would begin massacring thousan…

Much more obscure than its earlier and later wars, the second Anglo-Ashanti war is certainly a fascinating topic. This brief conflict almost ended the British colonial project in G…

Following the disastrous rule of Osei Yaw Akoto, the Ashanti Empire was not in its best spot. The refugee crisis of the people of Juaben was on the verge of boiling over into a ful…

After his humiliating defeat at Katamanso, the asantehene Osei Yaw Akoto attempts to drown his sorrows in Akpeteshie. However, as the king's behaviors become increasingly unhinged,…

After decimating a British invasion force at the Battle of Nsamankow, the asantehene Osei Bonsu passed away. The responsibility to finish his war fell to his younger brother Osei Y…

In 1822, two empires clashed in the coastal forests of southern Ghana. When the British Empire dissolved their West African trade company, the previous treaties signed between the…