Ntim Gyakari (died in1701) was the last fully independent ruler of

Denkyira Denkyira was a powerful nation of Akan people that existed before the 1620s, in what is now modern-day Ghana. Like all Akans, they originated from Bono state. Before 1620, Denkyira was called Agona. The ruler of the Denkyira was called Denkyirah ...

, a state in the boundaries of the modern nation of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. He was the brother of Owusu Akoto who later took the family to the Ebrosa Kingdom as exile, which would eventually form a variation of the Agni dialect, Indenie-Djuablin. One of his early actions was to increase his demands of tribute on his northern neighbors. These were led by

Osei Tutu Osei Kofi Tutu I ( – ) was one of the founders of the Ashanti Empire, assisted by Okomfo Anokye. The Asante are an Akan ethnic group of West Africa. Osei Tutu led an alliance of Asante states against the regional hegemon, the Denkyira, comple ...

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

who was at that point a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...

in Denkyira, and Komfo Anokye. These forces began an insurrection against his rule. Ntim Gyakari and his wife were killed at the

Battle of Feyiase The Battle of Feyiase was the decisive battle in the struggle that led to the Ashanti Empire replacing Denkyira as the dominant power among the Twi-speaking Akan peoples. During the battle, the Denkyira army deployed 2 or 3 Dutch cannons while th ...

in 1701. This was after he had granted Osei Tutu pardon and released him from jail. He later thought of conquering the Asantes again so he led an army to do that. He is historically referred to, by some, as the king who gifted his land to his enemies due to his poor judgement call during the battle of Feyiase.

Sources

*McCaskie, T. C. "Denkyira in the making of Asante" in ''The Journal of African History'' Vol. 48 (2007) no. 1, p. 3. 1701 deaths 17th-century Ghanaian people 17th-century births Ghanaian royalty {{Africa-royal-stub