The Battle of Atakpamé (1764) was an armed confrontation between the

Ashanti Empire The Asante Empire (Asante Twi: ), today commonly called the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted between 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana as well as parts of Iv ...

and neighboring

Akan Akan may refer to: People and languages *Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire *Akan language, a language spoken by the Akan people *Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan *Central Tano languages, a language group w ...

Allies under the leadership of the Kingdom of

Akyem The Akyem are an Akan people. The term Akyem (Akem, Akim or Aki) is used to describe a group of four states: Asante Akyem, Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku and Akyem Bosome. These nations are located primarily in the eastern region in south Ghana. ...

who joined up with 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, ...

and the

Kingdom of Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

in and around

Atakpamé Atakpamé is the fifth largest city in Togo by population (84,979 inhabitants in 2006), located in the Plateaux Region, Togo, Plateaux Region of Togo. It is an industrial centre and lies on the main north-south highway, 161 km north of the ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

Prelude

During the 18th century, the Ashanti Empire was beset by a host of rebellions. This was due in large part, to the empire's policy of allowing conquered rulers a fair amount of autonomy as long as they paid tribute and provided military contingents when ordered.Fage, page 315 The asantethene during this period was Kusi Oboadum, who had ascended the throne in 1750. During his reign, the southern states under Asante's influence such as Denkyira, Wassa, Twifo and Akyem became openly hostile and threatened the empire's commercial routes to the coast. This was not only a threat to Asante's commercial interests but to its national security, since its supply of firearms came from the coast.Pescheux, page 449

''Casus belli''

In 1763, the Asante vassal kingdom of

under its King Pobi Asomaning II, the Okyenhene, made contact with the

while planning a rebellion with other dissidents within the empire, including the Kwahu and Brong. Meanwhile, the bantamahene, one of the major Asante military officers, had been relentlessly pressuring Asantehene Kusi Oboadum for war. Bantamahene Adu Gyamera had even gone so far as to threaten the ruler's impeachment. The asantehene did not order an invasion, however, until learning that the Akyem had sought out aid from the

The battle

Sometime in 1764, the Ashanti army marched out to invade the Dahomey. The exact size of either force is known. What historians are sure of is that the Ashanti army was ambushed in or near

in what is now Togo. A force of Dahomean infantry, including the kingdom's elite

Ahosi The Dahomey Mino ( Fon: Agojie, Agoji, Mino, or Minon) were a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey (in today's Benin, West Africa) that existed from the 17th century until the late 19th century. They are one of the few do ...

corps of female soldiers, as well as levies from the Oyo Empire, were able to hold the Ashanti army to a standstill. During the battle, the Juabenhene (head of the royal clan of Oyoko) was killed. The Ashanti army never reached Dahomey and was forced to retreat.

Aftermath

News reached European merchants trading with the alliance had inflicted a severe defeat on the Ashanti. The consequences were far reaching in that the unpopular asantethene was removed and replaced by the more youthful

Osei Kwadwo Osei Kwadwo was an Ashanti people, Ashanti king who ruled from c. 1764 to 1777. He was succeeded by Osei Kwame Panyin. See also *List of rulers of Asante References

*Adu Boahen. "A New Look at the History of Ghana." ''African Affairs'', Vol. ...

. There were fewer documented confrontations between Ashanti and Dahomey in the early 19th century, but peace was the norm between them. This particular battle caused Asanteman to refocus its foreign policy back to its original goals rather than spreading itself too thin.Thornton, page 79

Footnotes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Atakpame Military history of Africa

Ashanti Empire Kingdom of Dahomey Military history of Togo

1764 in Africa Oyo Empire