Ajiboyede was a successful but autocratic ''

alaafin Alaafin, or ''The Owner of the Palace'' in the Yoruba language, is the title of the emperor of the medieval Oyo empire and present-day Oyo town of West Africa. He ruled the old Oyo Empire which extended from the present day Benin republic to Ni ...

'' of the

Oyo empire The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba language, ...

during the sixteenth century. He succeeded

Orompoto Orompoto (also spelled Oronpoto) was an Alaafin of the Yoruba Oyo Empire. The empire of which she ruled is located in what is modern day western and north-central Nigeria. History Orompoto was the sister of her predecessor, Eguguojo. She became t ...

Events of reign

According to Oyo tales, the empire was attacked by the King of

Nupe Nupe may refer to: *Nupe people, of Nigeria *Nupe language, their language *The Bida Emirate, also known as the Nupe Kingdom, their former state *A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African Amer ...

, Lajomo, during Ajiboyede's time in office. Originally, the battle was going in favor of the invaders until a bit of trickery and

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

ism by Ajanlapa, the Osi-wefa, changed the course and gave favor to the Oyos. To commemorate Ajanlapa's valor in war, the King created a special honor in the

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

for Ajanlapa's son. The son was given a full-time and rare permission to be a guest in the palace of the Alaafin and to take the stead in place of the king at some occasions. Unfortunately, this honor required that he had to become a eunuch, as this was the tradition for high court offices. Ajiboyede thought it would be ungrateful to have Ajanlapa's son castrated, but his advisers strongly recommended the procedure. The King agreed and the boy was castrated. Ajiboyede is credited with starting the three-year

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

known as Bebe, to celebrate peace after the victory over the Nupes and to celebrate Ajiboyede's long reign. During the peaceful period,

commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

and agriculture thrived, and the new capital of

Igboho Oyo Igboho is a large town in Oyo State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Orelope Local Government Area. It has an estimated population of 200,000. The town has a post office and a radio station. History Igboho was founded by Alaafin Eg ...

began to grow as a result of a favorable geographical location and population concentration. In the process, two major markets were established during his reign, and the city became a major trade route for acquiring horses from

Hausaland The Hausa ( autonyms for singular: Bahaushe ( m), Bahaushiya ( f); plural: Hausawa and general: Hausa; exonyms: Ausa; Ajami: ) are the largest native ethnic group in Africa. They speak the Hausa language, which is the second most spoken language ...

. Shortly after the Bebe festival began, Ajiboyede's firstborn son, the Arema Osemolu, died. Whilst Ajiboyede was mourning and fasting he reportedly had some chiefs visiting him executed for supposedly having eaten food, which nearly caused a rebellion. Ajiboyede was succeeded by

Abipa King Abipa, also known as Ogbolu or Oba M'oro, was an Alaafin of the Oyo empire. He is believed to have ruled during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Early life Abipa was the son of Egunoju and one of his queens. He was repo ...

References

*Samuel Johnson, Obadiah Johnson. ''The History of the Yorubas, From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate,'' p 162 - 163. Alaafins of Oyo Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{Africa-royal-stub