Kwaku Dua I Panyin

Kwaku Dua I
Asantehene of Asanteman; Kumasehene of Kumasi
King of the Kingdom of Ashanti
Reign 25 August 1834 – 27 April 1867
Coronation 25 August 1834
Predecessor Osei Yaw Akoto
Successor Kofi Karikari
Full name
Otumfuo Nana Kwaku Dua I Panyin
House House of Beretuo Dynasty
Born c. 1797
Kumasi, Kingdom of Ashanti
Died 27 April 1867 (aged 70)
Kumasi, Kingdom of Ashanti

Kwaku Dua I (Kwaku Dua I Panyin, or Barima Fredua Agyeman, c. 1797 – 27 April 1867), was the eighth King of the Kingdom of Ashanti (King of the Ashanti) from August 25, 1834 until King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I death in 1867.[1]

Biography

King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I of the Kingdom of Ashanti took part in the fighting against the Gyaman in 1818–19, and commanded an Ashanti division in the Battle of Katamanso in 1826 as a Prince.[1]

In 1834, King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I of the Kingdom of Ashanti succeeded Osei Yaw Akoto to throne as the King of the Kingdom of Ashanti. King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I wives included the Kingdom of Ashanti Princess Nana Takyiau and Princess Nana Konadu Somprema (sister of Princess Nana Takyiau).[1]

Reign as King of the Kingdom of Ashanti

On 18 March 1837, King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I of the Kingdom of Ashanti signed a contract between him and King William I of the Netherlands. These recruits would become known as Belanda Hitam. He would deliver 1,000 recruits for the Dutch East Indies Army within a year. He received 2,000 guns by way of advance payment, with the promise of 4,000 more to come. Moreover, the Dutch obtained permission from King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I to open a recruitment agency in the Ashanti capital Kumasi which, for the next few years, would be headed by Jacob Huydecoper, a mulatto born in Elmina. Witnessing the frequent human sacrifices in Ashanti, the Dutch were convinced that the King Asantahene of the Kingdom of Ashanti and his court controlled vast amounts of manpower, some of which could be made available to the Dutch army. As recruitment was still supposed to be voluntary, slaves offered to the recruiting agent received an advance payment to purchase their freedom. As part of the deal two Kingdom of Ashanti young Ashanti princes, Kwasi Boakye and Kwame Poku accompanied the Dutch back to The Netherlands, where they were to receive a Dutch education.[1]

Wars and succession

From 1841 to 1844, King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I of the Kingdom of Ashanti fought against the Gonja and Dagomba to the north. In 1863, King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I of the Kingdom of Ashanti occupied territory to the south, then under British protection, which soured his relations with the British.[2]

King Asantehene Kwaku Dua I died in 1867 and was succeeded by King Asantehene Kofi Karikari of the Kingdom of Ashanti.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 T. C. McCaskie, State and Society in Pre-Colonial Asante, Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 69-70
  2. ↑ Daniel Miles McFarland, Historical Dictionary of Ghana, Scarecrow Press, 1995, p. 112

External links