Denkyira

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Denkyira
←
1500–1701 →
Capital Dunkwa-on-Offin
Languages Twi
Religion Ancestor worship
Government Monarchy
King
 -  1637 to 1695 Boa Amponsem
 - 1695 to 1701(last of indep. Denkyira) Ntim Gyakari
History
 -  Established 1500
 - Incorporation into Ghana 1957
 -  Dissolved 1701

Denkyira was a powerful nation of Akan people that existed in southern present-day Ghana from 1620. Like all Akans they originated from Bono state. Before 1620 Denkyira was called Agona. The ruler of the Denkyira was called Denkyirahene and the capital was Jukwaa. The first Denkyirahene was Mumunumfi.[1]

Later the capital of Denkyira moved to Abankeseso.[2] The capital is now Dunkwa-on-Offin. Denkyira became powerful through gold production and trade with Europe.

In the 1690s, wars took place between Denkyira and the Asen and Twifo. The goal of these struggles was to keep open the trade routes to the coast.[3]

The Denkyira state dominated the trade with Europeans on the Western part of what is now Ghana while the Akwamu dominated trade with Europeans on the Eastern part. It dominated the neighboring states apart from the Akwamu and Akyem[4] and Ashanti was a tributary to Denkyira until 1701, when it was defeated by the Ashanti in the Battle of Feyiase, and became a tributary to the Ashanti empire.[5]This was led by Ntim Gyakari the then Denkyirahene.He was a friend of Osei Tutu who was then a prisoner when the Asantes were under the Denkyira.On fleeing Osei Tutu he also allowed him to go with Okomfo Anokye who became the chief priest for the Asantes.

In 1868 Denkyira entered the Fante Confederacy to fight for Great Britain against the Ashanti and the Dutch. When the confederacy proved unable to defeat the Ashanti, it became a part of the British colony Gold Coast in 1874. In 1957 Gold Coast became independent as Ghana.

The present-day ruler of the Denkyira is Odeefuo Boa Amponsem III.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt, Michel Abitbol, Naomi Chazan (1988). The Early State in African Perspective: Culture, Power and Division of Labor. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-08355-3. 
  2. ↑ McCaskie, T. C. "Denkyira in the Making of Asante" in Journal of African History Vol 48 (2007) no. 1, p. 1
  3. ↑ McCaskie. "Denkyira". p. 1.
  4. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=Y3U9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA3&dq=akim++Gold+coast&hl=en&ei=FnxZTZv2CYT58AbIn9ixBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDkQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=akim%20%20Gold%20coast&f=false
  5. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=DRc4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA23&dq=Adansi&hl=en&ei=E7F5TdnsEZPzrAHBxMjCBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Adansi&f=false

External links

Akan states of Gold Coast

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.