Akito ( Eng. Akitoye ) - Both Lagos from 1841 to 1845, and from 1851 to 1853 [1] .
| Akito | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Akitoye | |||||||
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| Predecessor | Oluvolje | ||||||
| Successor | Kosoko | ||||||
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| Predecessor | Kosoko | ||||||
| Successor | Dosunmu | ||||||
| Birth | Lagos | ||||||
| Death | 1853 Lagos | ||||||
| Burial place | Lagos | ||||||
| Father | |||||||
| Religion | Ifa | ||||||
Content
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Both Oluvola died in 1841, when lightning struck his throne. The Yoruba leaders wanted to invite Prince Kosoko to become Oba, but his whereabouts were unknown. In addition, the feud between counselor Eleta Odibo and Kosoko prevented Eletta from guaranteeing that Kosoko would be king. Consequently, Akito (uncle Kosoko) was appointed king of Lagos [2] [3] . Madame Tinubu, an influential slaver , Oba Adel Ajosun's widow , supported Akito [4] [5] .
Concession
In an attempt to reconcile (met with fierce resistance from the leaders, not least Eleta Odibo) with his nephew, Ob Akitoe naively withdrew Kosoko to Lagos. Kosoko returned to Lagos on the ship of the famous slave trader Jose Domingo Martinez . Akito to try to appease Kosoko with gifts, conferred on him the title of Oloya Ereko . Kosoko quickly strengthened his position and found support among many military and among the Muslim community . Eleta Odibo was worried about the consolidation of power in Kosoko’s hands and went to Badagri . Akito asked him to return, but Kosoko said that if Eletta Odibo returned to Lagos, he would “ make himself king ” [3] .
Kosoko sent his servant to shout: "Tell this little child at the court to be careful, because if he is not careful he will be punished ." Akito, in turn, replied: " I like a pin, hard embedded in the ground, which is always difficult to eradicate, but it always remains solid ." Kosoko objected to this: “ I am a digger, who always uproots a pin ” [3] .
Tensions led to an uprising called Ogun Olomiro, which occurred in July 1845. The Kosoko faction has besieged Oba’s palace for three weeks. Ultimately, Akito to defeat, fled up the lagoon to the north and received a safe passage through the bay of Agboi from Oshodi Tapa, Kosoko’s military commander. The fact of escape Akita Tapa explained by the fact that the king led the army in a trance. After that, Akito to Abeokuta , where he was granted asylum [2] . Recognizing Akito’s escape as a threat, Kosoko demanded Akitoto’s head from the townspeople, but was refused. In December 1845, the king arrived in Badagry , where he rallied his followers and established partnerships with European missionaries and with the British through consul John Beacroft [6] .
Madame Tinubu and the other allies of Akito went to Badagry after Kosoko entered the throne [7] .
Exile in Badagry
After an unsuccessful attempt to seize Lagos Akito, he turned to the British, in particular to the Cape Coast Governor, with a request for intervention in exchange for compliance with British trade rules, including the abolition of the slave trade [8] .
In December 1850, Akito declared again for help to Great Britain:
My humble prayer ... that you take Lagos under your protection, that you set up the English flag there, and that you restore me to my rightful throne in Lagos and protect me under my flag; and with your help, I promise to conclude an agreement ... to abolish the slave trade ... and to establish and conduct legal trade, especially with the English merchants.
- [8]
British intervention
The merging of interests in Lagos by the now-overthrown Akito, who joined the fight against slavery in order to receive British support, Anglican missionaries in Badagry, who were in contact with Akito, and European traders who wanted freer movement of goods, ensured British intervention in Lagos. It seems that Akito’s position in the fight against slavery is based on personal interests, given his connection with the well-known slave trader Domingo Martinez, who supported Akito’s unsuccessful attack on Lagos in 1846 [9] .
On December 26, 1851, during the bombing of Lagos, HMS Bloodhound , HMS Teazer and a flotilla of boats attacked the Oba Palace. Kosoko defended himself energetically, but by December 28, 1851, the battle was over, and Kosoko and his supporters fled to Ijeba, and Akito was enthroned. On January 1, 1852, Aquito signed an agreement between Great Britain and Lagos to abolish the slave trade, which became fertile ground for the annexation of the British Empire of Lagos a decade later, in August 1861 [10] .
Death
Akitoy died on September 2, 1853, and was succeeded by his son Dosunmu [11] . Dosunmu believed that Akito was poisoned by Kosoko's loyal friends: Oshodi Tapa, Agenia and Ipossa [12] . Jean Herskowitz talks about the likelihood that Akito is likely to have committed ritual suicide , matching the traditional pattern of rulers who deprive themselves of life after they did not live up to expectations; Akito may have realized that his deal with the British had significantly reduced his influence in Lagos [13] .
In commemoration of his death, the first ever procession (festival) of Ayo [14] was held in Lagos.
Notes
- ↑ Mann, Kristin. Slavery and the Birth of an African City: Lagos, 1760-1900. - Indiana University Press, 2007. - P. 45. - ISBN 9780253348845 .
- ↑ 1 2 Smith, Robert. The Lagos Consulate, 1851-1861. - University of California Press, 1979. P. 14–17. - ISBN 9780520037465 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Mann, Kristin. Slavery and the Birth of an African City: Lagos, 1760--1900. - Indiana University Press, 2007. p. 47–48. - ISBN 9780253117083 .
- ↑ Kaplan, Flora S. Queens, queen mothers, priestesses, and power: case studies in African gender. - New York Academy of Sciences, 1997. - P. 8. - ISBN 9781573310543 .
- ↑ Nelson. Order and disorder in Africa: papers of the ASAUK Biennial Conference, hosted by the Center for Commonwealth Studies, University of Stirling, 8-10 September 1992, Volume 1. - SOAS, University of London, 1992. - P. 26.
- ↑ [ [1] in Google Books , The Church Missionary Record, Volume 17]. - P. 225.
- ↑ Akioye, Seun. Madam Tinubu: The 19th century heroine.
- ↑ 1 2 Kopytoff, Jean Herskovits. A preface to modern Nigeria: the "Sierra Leonians" in Yoruba, 1830-1890. - University of Wisconsin Press, 1965. - P. 73–74.
- ↑ Smith, Robert. The Lagos Consulate, 1851-1861. - University of California Press, 1979. - P. 21. - ISBN 9780520037465 .
- ↑ Smith, Robert. The Lagos Consulate 1851-1861. - University of California Press. - P. 26–31. - ISBN 9780520037465 .
- ↑ Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku. Dictionary of African Biography / Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Henry Louis Gates. - OUP USA, 2012. - Vol. 6. - P. 148. - ISBN 9780195382075 .
- ↑ Mann, Kristin. Slavery and the Birth of an African City: Lagos, 1760-1900. - Indiana University Press, 2007. - P. 97. - ISBN 9780253348845 .
- ↑ Kopytoff, Jean Herskovits. A preface to modern Nigeria: the "Sierra Leonians" in Yoruba, 1830-1890. - University of Wisconsin Press, 1965. - P. 82.
- ↑ Williams, Lizzie. Nigeria . - New. - Chalfont St. Peter: Bradt Travel Guides, 2008. - P. 148. - ISBN 978-1-84162-239-2 .
Links
- Akito on CAjay2a.htm