Yaa Akyaa (1847–1917) was a

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...

of 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 ...

in 1884-1896. She had great influence during the reign of her son, and acted as his de facto co-regent.

Early life

Yaa Akyaa was born in the Ashanti empire circa 1847. She is the daughter of

Afua Kobi Afua Kobi ( fl. 1834–1884) was an ''asantehemaa'' of the Ashanti Empire. Afua Kobi, an Asante ruler in the Asante Kingdom in present day Ghana, was an "''asantehemaa"'', that refers to a "queen mother". She informed the Asante royal council to a ...

, born into Oyoko royalty. Shortly after her birth it was decided that she would become the successor to Queen

as the Asantehemaa, known as the Queen Mother. Yaa Akyaa went on to marry Akyebiakyerehene Kwasi Gyambibi, who served as an adviser to the Queen Mother and other important chiefs of the empire. During their marriage they had thirteen children.

Political career

Yaa Akyaa became Queen Mother in 1884 after ousting her brother

Mensa Bonsu Mensa Bonsu ( – ) was the tenth king of the Ashanti Empire, from 1874 until his forced abdication on 8 March 1883. Biography Accession to the Asante throne Mensa Bonsu was the son of Afua Kobi. He became Asantehene (king of the Asante) afte ...

in 1884, in which year she exiled both him and their mother; her son Kwaku Dua II became king, but died after 44 days in office of chicken pox, after which she engineered the accession of her son

Prempeh I Prempeh I (Otumfuo Nana Prempeh I; 18 December 1870 – 12 May 1931) was the thirteenth king ruler of the Ashanti Empire and the Oyoko Abohyen Dynasty. King Prempeh I ruled from March 26, 1888 until his death in 1931, and fought an Ashanti war ag ...

to the

Golden Stool The Golden Stool ( Ashanti- tw, Sika dwa; full title, Sika Dwa Kofi "the Golden Stool born on a Friday") is the royal and divine throne of kings of the Ashanti people and the ultimate symbol of power in Asante. According to legend, Okomfo Anok ...

. As he was only 15, she was able to wield a great deal of influence over him while remaining in power herself. However, after he was claimed to be the heir to the throne, another person rivaled him causing strife in Ashanti. During the constant civil war, the neighboring Adansis took advantage of the weakened state of the Ashanti. The Adansis in turn called on the British to start war with the Ashanti, and the British agreed. She was severely anti-

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, and would stop at nothing to neutralize or eliminate enemies, though she was otherwise intelligent in matters concerning royal politics. Her hatred for the British stemmed from the disease they were bringing to the Ashanti people and the strife it was causing.

Later life

In 1896 the British succeeded in subjugating the Ashanti and exiled her to the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

, along with her son and other chiefs; there she remained until her death. She remains a controversial figure in Ghana due to her habit of using violence against her opponents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akyaa, Yaa 1840s births 1917 deaths Ashanti royalty African queen mothers 19th-century African people