Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
Fall of the Old Oyo Empire: 5 Decisive Crises Behind Ilorin’s Rise and Oyo-Ile’s Abandonment
The Fall of the Old Oyo Empire was not the result of one betrayal, one invasion or one battle. By the time the inhabitants...
Battle of Osogbo: The Powerful Midnight Assault That Broke Ilorin’s Cavalry Advantage
The Battle of Osogbo was one of the most important military encounters in nineteenth-century Yorubaland. Usually dated to 1840, although an important Ilorin historical...
Battle of Osogbo: The Decisive Clash That Checked Ilorin’s Southward Advance
The Battle of Osogbo was more than an isolated clash between two armies. Fought around 1840, during a period of profound political upheaval, it...
Battle of Osogbo: The Decisive Night Attack That Checked Ilorin’s Advance
The Battle of Osogbo stands among the most consequential military encounters of nineteenth-century Yorubaland. Conventionally dated to about 1840, although historian R. C. C....
Afonja and the Rise of Ilorin Emirate: 5 Decisive Forces That Reshaped Yorubaland
The story of Afonja and the Rise of Ilorin Emirate stands at one of the major turning points in nineteenth-century Yoruba history. Afonja, the...
Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III and Jesse Jackson
Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III and Jesse Jackson came together in Oyo at a significant moment in the political history of the African diaspora. In...
Ekumeku Movement: The Powerful Western Igbo Resistance to British Conquest
The Ekumeku Movement was a network of resistance among communities west of the River Niger, particularly in the Asaba hinterland, that challenged expanding European...
Battle of Abeokuta 1851: The Decisive Egba Victory That Broke Dahomey’s Assault
The Battle of Abeokuta 1851 was one of the defining military confrontations of nineteenth-century Yorubaland. On 3 March, a large army from the Kingdom...
Igi Ose in Yoruba History: The Enduring Sacred Baobab Legacy of Yorubaland
Igi Ose in Yoruba History reaches beyond the remarkable appearance and longevity of the African baobab. Historical ethnobotanical records identify Adansonia digitata as the...
Who is Edidem Bassey Eyo Ephraim Adam III?
Edidem Bassey Eyo Ephraim Adam III was crowned at Duke Town Presbyterian Church in Calabar on Saturday, 27 November 1982, in an elaborate ceremony...