Oyo Empire

c. 1300-1896Oranyan (traditional)

RegionWest Africa (Nigeria)

Periodc. 1300-1896

Founded ByOranyan (traditional)

About Oyo Empire

A Yoruba empire in what is now southwestern Nigeria and Benin. Its powerful cavalry dominated the savanna, and it received tribute from Dahomey. Power was balanced between the king, the Alaafin, and a council of nobles, the Oyo Mesi. Civil strife and the rise of the Sokoto Caliphate led to its collapse in the 19th century.

Related Empires

Kingdom of Benin

1180-1897Variable

A kingdom in the forest region of southern Nigeria ruled by the Oba from Benin City. Its city walls ...

Sokoto Caliphate

1804-1903Variable

An Islamic state founded after a jihad led by the Fulani scholar Usman dan Fodio against the Hausa k...