The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today Benin and North central Nigeria. Established in the 12th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states.
It rose through the outstanding organizational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people, wealth gained from trade and its powerful cavalry. The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from the mid-15th to the late 18th century,holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin to the west.
The origins of the Oyo Empire lie with Oranyan (also known as Oranmiyan), the last prince of the Yoruba Kingdom of Ile-Ife (Ife). Oranyan made an agreement with his brother to launch a punitive raid on their northern neighbors for insulting their father Oduduwa, the first Ooni of Ife. On the way to the battle, the brothers quarreled and the army split up. Oranyan’s force was too small to make a successful attack, so he wandered the southern shore until reaching Bussa. There the local chief entertained him and provided a large snake with a magic charm attached to its throat.
The chief instructed Oranyan to follow the snake until it stopped somewhere for seven days and disappeared into the ground. Oranyan followed the advice and founded Oyo where the serpent stopped. The site is remembered as Ajaka. Oranyan made Oyo his new kingdom and became the first “oba” (meaning ‘king’ or ‘ruler’ in the Yoruba language) with the title of “Alaafin of Oyo” (Alaafin means ‘owner of the palace’ in Yoruba). He left all his treasures in Ife and allowed another king to rule there.
At one time, Oyo-ile was at war with the Bariba of Borgu, who wanted to subjugate the new city still under construction. Orangun Ajagunla of Ila, Oranmiyan’s elder brother, stormed in with his men to assist. Not long after the war was won, Oranmiyan had a son, Ajuwon Ajaka; much later Arabambi was born by the woman from Tapa (Nupe). It is believed that the name “Sango” was given by his maternal grandfather or he adopted it from the local name for the God of Thunder. Either way the royal family was devoted to The Spirits of Thunder (Jakuta) and War (Ogun).
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