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Migration · c. 1531 (tradition)

Tsoede goes up the Niger

Nupe tradition makes Tsoede (Edegi) a son of an Attah of Idah and a Nupe mother.

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Overview

Nupe tradition makes Tsoede (Edegi) a son of an Attah of Idah and a Nupe mother. Threatened at the Igala court, he escaped up the Niger with regalia from Idah, bronze figures, chains and drums, and united the Nupe chiefdoms into one kingdom with its capital at Gbara.[1],[2],[3]Medium confidence

A founding tradition. Nupe king lists give 1531 for Tsoede; other writers place him in the 15th century.

Who took part

What happened

  1. c. 1531 · Idah

    Tsoede leaves Idah

    Raised at the Attah’s court, Tsoede flees upriver when his half-brothers turn against him, taking regalia that the Nupe still treat as sacred.

  2. c. 1531 · Gbara (Nupe court)

    The Nupe kingdom founded

    At Gbara (Nupeko) he unites the Nupe chiefdoms under one king, the Etsu. Tradition credits him with bringing kingship and bronze casting from Idah.

Kingdoms involved

Sources

Every claim carries a confidence level: high (well attested), medium (one source or approximate) or disputed (sources disagree).

  1. Nadel, S. F. (1942). A Black Byzantium: The Kingdom of Nupe in Nigeria. Oxford University Press for the International African Institute (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
  2. Wikipedia contributors. Tsoede (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
  3. 101 Last Tribes. Igala (tribal profile: extent at its height, vassals at Panda, Igu and Kakanda, the Tsoede tradition) (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
  4. HistoNaija owner. (2026). Owner's notes on the reach of Igala, Benin, Oyo and Aro, the British conquests, and migrations (hintsPrompts/doc1.md)