Akwamu was a state set up by the Akwamu people in present-day Ghana.[1] After migrating from Bono state, the Akan founders of Akwamu settled in Twifo-Heman. The Akwamu led an expansionist empire in the 17th and 18th centuries. At the peak of their empire, Akwamu extended 400 kilometres (250 mi) along the coast from Ouidah, Benin in the East to Winneba, Ghana in the West.[1][2]
Kingdom of Akwamu
Total population
Unknown
Regions with significant populations
Accra, Bono Region, Eastern Region, Ashanti Region, Volta Region of Ghana
The Akwamu are one of the oldest Akan states along with the Fante and Akyem states. The Akwamu were ruled by the king of all the Aduana abusua (maternal clan). The Aduana along with the Asona are the only groups where intermarriage between the same clan members are allowed amongst Royals.[3] Akwamu expansion started between 1629 and 1710. They expanded into the Akuapem area, including Kyerepon and Larteh, Denkyera, Ga-Adangbe; and the Ladoku states of Agona, Winneba and Afram plains. The powerful King Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku I annexed the Guan and took over the traditional areas of the Kyerepon. He ruled over them until Asonaba Nana Ofori Kuma and his followers, after a succession dispute in an effort to form their own State, engaged them in a fierce war. The Akwamu were driven away from the mountains. These Asona family members and their followers were given a piece of land by the Guan and Kyerepon, the original settlers, to form the Akuapem state. Most of the present Akuapem still have their roots at Akwamufie, especially those bearing the names Addo and Akoto, who are from the Aduana family.[4]
According to Akwamu tradition, Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku I, also played an important role in the life of King Osei Kofi Tutu I of Ashanti by protecting him from Denkyira. It was at Akwamu that Osei Tutu met Okomfo Anokye. With the aid of Akwamu, Ashanti embarked on a series of campaigns which led to the defeat of the Denkyira. The Akwamu empire fell after it was subgjudicated by the Akyem in the 18th century.[5] During the third and fourth Anglo-Ashanti wars, Akwamu tried to help the Ashanti but withdrew their aid, because a diplomatic agreement with British government signed in 1867. Despite this, Akwamu and the Ashanti Empire were still strong allies. They fought in many wars as allies, such as in the "Krepi war" in 1869.
After the death of Nana Ansa Sasraku, he was succeeded by two kings collectively, Nana Addo Panin and Nana Basua. It was during this time that the Akwamu took over the possession of the trading Danish Castle at Christianborg at Osu, in present-day Accra. At the peak of their power, the Akwamu state encompassed much of the eastern part of the present-day Ghana.[4] The Akwamu also conquered the Ga people and occupied the old Ga Kingdom.[4]
In 1693, the Asimani of Akwamu led a raid and seized Osu Castle from the Danish colonists.[6] The Akwamu thus controlled many of the trade routes from the interior to the coast in the eastern half of what is now Ghana and created a capital at Nyanoase.[7]
In the 1720s a civil war in the Akwamu state caused great hardship. The victors sold most of the King's allies as slaves and they were transported to the Caribbean island of St. John. In 1733 they fomented a slave revolt on the island.[8] In 1734 the Akwamus were defeated by the Akyem, Ga, Kyerepong, and the Dutch forces, and lost half of their empire. The Akwamus were pushed to Akwamufie, the location of their current capital.
Organization
Asamankese and Nyanoase served as the main capitals of Akwamu.[5] The seat of the Akwamu government was located at Nyanoase.[9] Between 1681 and 1701, it was from Nyanoase that the government administered over several ports across the Gold and Slave Coasts. Aside from the coast, Akwamu established trade networks with Dagbon and Gonja up north, Akyem northwest, while eastward, they traded with Adra and Whydah.[10] Akwamu generated wealth through commodity circulation, fines, taxes and tributes.[10] An account of the city in 1684 is the oldest recorded description of the city which Swartz and Dumett quote as;
The King [Ansa Sasraku (d.1689)] lives twelve leagues from the sea; he is one of the greatest rulers of Guinea. The place where he lives is well-policed, and the Frenchmen whom I sent there assured me that they have never seen a place of greater beauty; the streets of the town, which are thirty feet wide, are lined up for a distance of three leagues with trees. He has 600 officers at his court with numerous soldiers and much gold.[11]
Erik Tileman documented in the late seventeenth century that the capital was two Danish miles long and 160 feet wide as there was a single major street that contained the royal residence at the center of the city. The street was flanked with state buildings, courts, council buildings, stool and treasury houses as well as shrines.[11] Nyanoase along with other metropolitan cities, contained large plantations; some of which were royal or state plantations.[12] Taxes or tributes were paid occasionally by the towns and villages within the jurisdiction of the empire.[13] European forts on the Accra coast paid rents for their forts and lodges in the form of gold, cowries or imported merchandise.[14]
Military
According to Wilks, “Akwamu possessed such an array of cannon that Sir Dalby Thomas thought the days of European forts might well be over.”[5] Despite possessing artillery, the bulk of the army was centred on the musketeers, bowmen and spearmen.[15] Akwamu might have influenced the military organization and civil administration of the Ashanti Empire. Akwamu and the founder of the Ashanti Empire had formed an alliance since the late 17th century.[5] Akwamu also formed an alliance with some Fante westwards. During the reign of King Akwonno, the Dutch signed a treaty with Akwamu on 3 April 1702 which saw the Dutch bound themselves to assist Akwamu in any justified war, with a force of 100 fully armed men, 3000 pounds of gunpowder as well as 300 pounds of bullets.[5]
^Ivor Wilks (2001). Akwamu 1640-1750: A Study of the Rise and Fall of a West African Empire. Department of History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. p. 49. ISBN9788277650364.
Bibliography
Swartz, Henri B.K.; Dumett, Raymond E. (2011). West African Culture Dynamics: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN9783110800685.
April 19, 2023
akwamu, state, people, present, ghana, after, migrating, from, bono, state, akan, founders, settled, twifo, heman, expansionist, empire, 17th, 18th, centuries, peak, their, empire, extended, kilometres, along, coast, from, ouidah, benin, east, winneba, ghana, . Akwamu was a state set up by the Akwamu people in present day Ghana 1 After migrating from Bono state the Akan founders of Akwamu settled in Twifo Heman The Akwamu led an expansionist empire in the 17th and 18th centuries At the peak of their empire Akwamu extended 400 kilometres 250 mi along the coast from Ouidah Benin in the East to Winneba Ghana in the West 1 2 Kingdom of AkwamuTotal populationUnknownRegions with significant populationsAccra Bono Region Eastern Region Ashanti Region Volta Region of GhanaLanguagesTwi English FrenchReligionChristianity African Traditional ReligionRelated ethnic groupsAkan Contents 1 History of the Akwamu state 2 Organization 2 1 Military 3 List of rulers of the state of Akwamu 4 References 4 1 BibliographyHistory of the Akwamu state Edit Akwamu National State Symbol The Akwamu are one of the oldest Akan states along with the Fante and Akyem states The Akwamu were ruled by the king of all the Aduana abusua maternal clan The Aduana along with the Asona are the only groups where intermarriage between the same clan members are allowed amongst Royals 3 Akwamu expansion started between 1629 and 1710 They expanded into the Akuapem area including Kyerepon and Larteh Denkyera Ga Adangbe and the Ladoku states of Agona Winneba and Afram plains The powerful King Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku I annexed the Guan and took over the traditional areas of the Kyerepon He ruled over them until Asonaba Nana Ofori Kuma and his followers after a succession dispute in an effort to form their own State engaged them in a fierce war The Akwamu were driven away from the mountains These Asona family members and their followers were given a piece of land by the Guan and Kyerepon the original settlers to form the Akuapem state Most of the present Akuapem still have their roots at Akwamufie especially those bearing the names Addo and Akoto who are from the Aduana family 4 According to Akwamu tradition Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku I also played an important role in the life of King Osei Kofi Tutu I of Ashanti by protecting him from Denkyira It was at Akwamu that Osei Tutu met Okomfo Anokye With the aid of Akwamu Ashanti embarked on a series of campaigns which led to the defeat of the Denkyira The Akwamu empire fell after it was subgjudicated by the Akyem in the 18th century 5 During the third and fourth Anglo Ashanti wars Akwamu tried to help the Ashanti but withdrew their aid because a diplomatic agreement with British government signed in 1867 Despite this Akwamu and the Ashanti Empire were still strong allies They fought in many wars as allies such as in the Krepi war in 1869 After the death of Nana Ansa Sasraku he was succeeded by two kings collectively Nana Addo Panin and Nana Basua It was during this time that the Akwamu took over the possession of the trading Danish Castle at Christianborg at Osu in present day Accra At the peak of their power the Akwamu state encompassed much of the eastern part of the present day Ghana 4 The Akwamu also conquered the Ga people and occupied the old Ga Kingdom 4 In 1693 the Asimani of Akwamu led a raid and seized Osu Castle from the Danish colonists 6 The Akwamu thus controlled many of the trade routes from the interior to the coast in the eastern half of what is now Ghana and created a capital at Nyanoase 7 In the 1720s a civil war in the Akwamu state caused great hardship The victors sold most of the King s allies as slaves and they were transported to the Caribbean island of St John In 1733 they fomented a slave revolt on the island 8 In 1734 the Akwamus were defeated by the Akyem Ga Kyerepong and the Dutch forces and lost half of their empire The Akwamus were pushed to Akwamufie the location of their current capital Organization EditAsamankese and Nyanoase served as the main capitals of Akwamu 5 The seat of the Akwamu government was located at Nyanoase 9 Between 1681 and 1701 it was from Nyanoase that the government administered over several ports across the Gold and Slave Coasts Aside from the coast Akwamu established trade networks with Dagbon and Gonja up north Akyem northwest while eastward they traded with Adra and Whydah 10 Akwamu generated wealth through commodity circulation fines taxes and tributes 10 An account of the city in 1684 is the oldest recorded description of the city which Swartz and Dumett quote as The King Ansa Sasraku d 1689 lives twelve leagues from the sea he is one of the greatest rulers of Guinea The place where he lives is well policed and the Frenchmen whom I sent there assured me that they have never seen a place of greater beauty the streets of the town which are thirty feet wide are lined up for a distance of three leagues with trees He has 600 officers at his court with numerous soldiers and much gold 11 Erik Tileman documented in the late seventeenth century that the capital was two Danish miles long and 160 feet wide as there was a single major street that contained the royal residence at the center of the city The street was flanked with state buildings courts council buildings stool and treasury houses as well as shrines 11 Nyanoase along with other metropolitan cities contained large plantations some of which were royal or state plantations 12 Taxes or tributes were paid occasionally by the towns and villages within the jurisdiction of the empire 13 European forts on the Accra coast paid rents for their forts and lodges in the form of gold cowries or imported merchandise 14 Military Edit According to Wilks Akwamu possessed such an array of cannon that Sir Dalby Thomas thought the days of European forts might well be over 5 Despite possessing artillery the bulk of the army was centred on the musketeers bowmen and spearmen 15 Akwamu might have influenced the military organization and civil administration of the Ashanti Empire Akwamu and the founder of the Ashanti Empire had formed an alliance since the late 17th century 5 Akwamu also formed an alliance with some Fante westwards During the reign of King Akwonno the Dutch signed a treaty with Akwamu on 3 April 1702 which saw the Dutch bound themselves to assist Akwamu in any justified war with a force of 100 fully armed men 3000 pounds of gunpowder as well as 300 pounds of bullets 5 List of rulers of the state of Akwamu EditAkwamu rulers Period of reignOtumfuo Agyen Kokobo 1505 1520Otumfuo Ofosu Kwabi 1520 1535Otumfuo Oduro 1535 1550Otumfuo Addow 1550 1565Otumfuo Akoto I 1565 1580Otumfuo Asare 1580 1595Otumfuo Akotia 1595 1610Otumfuo Obuoko Dako 1610 1625Ohemmaa Afrakoma 1625 1640Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku I 1640 1674Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku II 1674 1689Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku III 1689 1699Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku IV 1699 1702Otumfuo Akonno Panyin 1702 1725Otumfuo Ansa Kwao 1725 1730Otumfuo Akonno Kuma Regent 1730 1744Otumfuo Opoku Kuma 1744 1747Otumfuo Darko Yaw Panyin 1747 1781Otumfuo Akoto Panyin 1781 1835Otumfuo Darko Yaw Kuma 1835 1866Otumfuo Kwafo Akoto I 1866 1882Otumfuo Akoto Ababio 1882 1887Otumfuo Akoto Ababio II 1887 1909Otumfuo Akoto Kwadwo 1909 1910Otumfuo Akoto Ababio III 1910 1917Otumfuo Ansa Sasraku V 1917 1921Otumfuo Akoto Ababio IV 1921 1937Odeneho Kwafo Akoto II 1937 1992Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III 2011 PresentReferences Edit a b Akwamu Britannica Online Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc Retrieved 28 March 2007 The Akwamu Ghana co uk Archived from the original on 13 December 2006 Retrieved 28 March 2007 Akan Abusua a b c Muḥammad Zuhdi Yakan Almanac of African Peoples amp Nations p 161 a b c d e Wilks Ivor 1957 The Rise of The Akwamu Empire 1650 1710 Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana 3 2 25 62 JSTOR 41405705 Ghana Castle ghanacastle gov gh Government of Ghana Archived from the original on 3 April 2007 Retrieved 28 March 2007 Kwamina B Dickson A Historical Geography of Ghana p 23 Hartman Saidiya Lose Your Mother A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route New York Farrar Straus and Giroux 2007 pp 91 93 Swartz amp Dumett 2011 pp 371 372 a b Swartz amp Dumett 2011 p 373 a b Swartz amp Dumett 2011 p 374 Swartz amp Dumett 2011 p 375 Swartz amp Dumett 2011 p 379 Swartz amp Dumett 2011 pp 381 382 Ivor Wilks 2001 Akwamu 1640 1750 A Study of the Rise and Fall of a West African Empire Department of History Norwegian University of Science and Technology p 49 ISBN 9788277650364 Bibliography Edit Swartz Henri B K Dumett Raymond E 2011 West African Culture Dynamics Archaeological and Historical Perspectives Walter de Gruyter ISBN 9783110800685 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Akwamu amp oldid 1144607729, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
