Ajagbo

Ajagbo
Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́
Reign~1600 - 1659
PredecessorAláàfin Olúodò
SuccessorAláàfin Odarawu

Àjàgbó was a warlike Aláàfin of the West African Oyo Empire, who allegedly reigned for 140 years in the seventeenth century.[1][2]

He was reportedly born a twin to his brother Ajampati with his maternal town being Ikereku-were, which is said to have later been destroyed.[2]

Reign

Àjàgbó officially succeeded his grandfather Ọbalókun as Aláàfin.[1] This has been questioned by multiple scholars who believe the reign of other Aláàfins like Oluodo have been attributed to him. Àjàgbó concluded a lot of conquests that Ọbalókun started as well as subjugating the Òwu kingdom.[3] He employed a military strategy of sending out multiple armies at once with the aim that they would try to outcompete each other for glory[4].He was succeeded by his son Odarawu after he died of natural causes[4]

He is most known for introducing the title of Are ona Kakanfo, a role comparable to that of field marshal who was supposed to combat the power of the Oyomesi and the Bashorun as well as professionalizing the Oyo army.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Law, R. C. C. (1971). "The constitutional troubles of Ọyọ in the eighteenth century". The Journal of African History. 12 (1): 25–44. doi:10.1017/s0021853700000050. ISSN 0021-8537.
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (August 2011). The history of the Yorubas : from the earliest times to the beginning of the British Protectorate. ISBN 0948390891. OCLC 989713421.
  3. ^ Ogundiran, Akinwumi (2020). The Yorùbá: a new history. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-253-05150-9.
  4. ^ a b Akintoye, S. A. (2010). A History of the Yoruba People. Dakar, Senegal: Amalion Publishing. pp. 274–277. ISBN 978-2-35926-005-2. OCLC 609888714.
  5. ^ Ogundiran, Akinwumi (2020). The Yorùbá: a new history. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0-253-05150-9.
  • Samuel Johnson, Obadiah Johnson. The History of the Yorubas, From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. p 168


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