According to Bini and Itsekiri histories, Olu Ginuwa, a prince of Benin Kingdom founded the Warri kingdom about 1480.
In the 15th century, it was visited by Portuguese missionaries.[3]
At the beginning of the 17th century, a son of the reigning Olu was sent to Portugal and returned with a Portuguese wife.[3] Their son Antonio Domingo was Olu of Warri in the 1640s.[4]Olu Erejuwa, who reigned from about 1760 to 1800, expanded the kingdom politically and commercially, using the Portuguese to further its control of tributaries in river trade and to establish control over a wider area.[5]
Later, Warri served as the base for Portuguese and Dutch slave traders. Warri became a more important port city during the late 19th century,[6] when it became a centre for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, palm products, cocoa, groundnuts, hides, and skins.[7]
Warri was established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.[8]
The Size Of The Kingdom Of Warri
Warri Kingdom size
In the work of Jean-François Landolphe published from his diary described the size of Warri Kingdom “The sovereign of this state owns not only both banks of the Benin river but also all the rivers of these parts as far as the tributaries of the Calabar or are near to it."[9]
Military
In 1656, the equipment of the Warri military was dominated by arrows and javelins with the use of few muskets.[10] By the following century, Warri forces became accustomed to firearms.[11] In the late 18th century, the naval vessels of Warri were equipped with simple sails and primary sources documented that such vessels could carry some personnel of about 100. According to historian Thornton, the Warri navy was unfamiliar with tacking. Shields were built onto the vessels to provide protection for the personnel.[12] Warri vessels may have utilized artillery. Jean-François Landolphe provided a description of the King's canoes in the early 19th century which he mentions to have mounted 7 blunderbusses arranged in series on a swivel. As a result, these guns could fire simultaneously and Landolphe states they were rarely used.[13] Warri's military was largely naval as its armed forces seldom fought on land. A traveller estimated its naval and marine forces to number 60,000.[14]
The Warri Crisis was a series of conflicts in Delta State, Nigeria between 1997 and 2003 between the Itsekiri, the Ijaw ethnic groups.[15] Over 200,000 people were displaced by the Warri conflict between 1999 and 2006. Over 700,000 people were displaced during this period by violence in Delta State overall.[16][17]
The conflict broke out following a government decision that changed the location of the Warri South West Local Government Council (LGA) to the Itsekeri community of Ogidigben from the Ijaw town of Ogbe Ijoh.[18][19] The Council headquarters was eventually returned to Ogbe Ijoh, which restored a fragile peace in 2005.[20]
Scholars have warned that the conflict is complex and not amenable to "quick fixes".[22]
Kings of Warri Kingdom, 1480 to present
The Kingdom of Warri has remained predominantly Christian since the coronation of its first Christian King/Olu Atorongboye also known as King Sebastian I in 1570, within a century of the foundation of the Iwere Kingdom. Below is a list of the rulers of the Warri Kingdom from inception. Note that written records began with the coronation of Olu Atorongboye Sebastian I in 1570.
1st Olu. He was the eldest son of Oba Olua, the 14th Oba of Benin (r.1473–1480) and heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Benin until he migrated from Benin to Warri, where he was later crowned.
2nd Olu. He succeeded his father. He was the first King to reach Ode-Itsekiri (Big Warri) as his father settled down at Ijala community which became the burial place for all future Olu's.
3rd Olu. He succeeded his brother. It is stated that he banished the three gods (Ibirikimo, Otueke, and Ike) and their worshipers from Ode-Itsekiri-Olu (Big Warri) because of their incessant "noise-making". The gods and their worshipers moved to Orugbo which is a community about 3 km from Ode-Itsekiri-Olu.
4th Olu. He succeeded his father. During his reign, he commenced the process of integration of the Ekpen's/Ekpenede, descendants of Okere with the local population in the kingdom.
6th Olu. He succeeded his father. He was born Prince Eyomasan. He was the first Catholic Olu, in fact every king after him until 1848 was so. He had a strong tie with King Philip II of Spain, who ruled Portugal at the time. This relation led to him sending his son to study in Coimbra, Portugal from 1600 to 1611. He and all future kings were awarded the title of Dom (D.).
7th Olu. He succeeded his father. He was initially home schooled by his father and the Bishop in Ode-Itsekiri, which resulted in him being able to read and write in Portuguese. He was later educated in Coimbra, Portugal from 1600 to 1611. He returned as a graduate, making him the first graduate in Sub Saharan Africa. Olu Dom Domingos was the first to marry a noble Portuguese lady, that came with him in 1611.
8th Olu. He succeeded his father. On ascension to the throne he was named Obanighenren which translates to "Prince/King with the golden skin". He wrote a letter to Pope Clement X in 1652 which was delivered to the Pope successfully. He was educated at home and at an institute in Angola. Like his father, he married a Portuguese lady.
After the death of Olu Dom Eyeolusan João Akengbuwa there was a dynastic crisis following the death of all the potential successors which was followed by a period of political Interregnum. His son Prince Oritsemone left Ode-Itsekiri during the period of the crisis to form the Usele Community.
Queen Iye Idolorusan ruled the kingdom for a time in the nineteenth century, but seems to have never been formally designated a monarch.[23]
17th Olu. He was a Nigerian traditional title holder and paramount leader of the Itsekiri. He was born Emiko Ikengbuwa. He succeeded his grandfather Olu Akengbuwa as Olu of Warri after an interregnum that lasted 88 years when Warri's political leadership was dominated by merchant princes.
18th Olu. He succeeded his father. He attended a CMS missionary school at Ogbesse, thereafter he did business with United African Company rising to become a provincial cooperatives president. As Olu of Warri, he was appointed regional Minister without portfolio and president of the Warri Divisional Traditional Council.
19th Olu. He was born Godwin Toritseju Emiko. He succeeded his father. He was a lawyer by profession and was a recipient of the Commander of the Niger (CON) award from the Nigerian Government. Atuwatse II died in a hospital in Lagos in early September 2015, after suffering a domestic accident. He was 70 years old, and was preparing to fly abroad to receive intensive medical care before his condition worsened.
20th Olu. Ikenwoli Godfrey Emiko born to Olu Erejuwa II and Olori Eyinagboluwade Emiko. He succeeded his elder brother and was married to Olori Mary Emiko. They had three children.
21st Olu. Tsola Emiko born to Olu Atuwatse II and Olori Gladys Durorike Emiko on 2 April 1984. He succeeded his uncle and is married to Olori Ivie Emiko (née Okunbo). They have three children.
^Ekeh, Peter Palmer (2005). Warri City and British Colonial Rule in Western Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society. p. 31. ISBN978-064-924-7.
^Landolphe, Jean Francois, 1747-, and Jaques Salbigoton Quesne. Memoires Du Capitaine Landolpe, Contenant L'histoire De Ses Voyages Pendant Trente-six Ans, Aux Cotes D'Afrique Et Aux Deux Ameriques. Paris: A. Bertrand [etc.], 1823.
