Kanran, or Karan, was an

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-speaking s ...

. He succeeded Oba Odarawu. He was considered a fierce and tempestuous leader, and is said to have subjected his subjects to severe punishments. He inspired the Oyo proverb, 'O nika ninu ju Karan lo' ('He is more cruel than Karan'). As a result of his propensity to

harm Harm is a moral and legal concept. Bernard Gert construes harm as any of the following: * pain * death * disability * mortality * loss of abil ity or freedom * loss of pleasure. Joel Feinberg gives an account of harm as setbacks to inte ...

his own people, a plot to terminate him or get him to

abdicate Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

the throne was entered into by his nobles. He was rejected by the Oyo Mesi (the principal counselors of the state) but defied the subsequent pressure to commit suicide. When the army entered his city, Kanran reportedly climbed onto the roof of his palace and shot arrows at them until the building was set on fire. He was succeeded by his son Jayin.

A Series Of Excerpts From The Oral Records Of Oyo

References

*Samuel Johnson, Obadiah Johnson. The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. p 170 Alaafins of Oyo {{Africa-royal-stub