Egba

Overview

The Egba lived in a confederacy of forest towns, Orile Egba, founded by tradition when the first Alake and Eso Ikoyi chiefs left early Oyo. Under Oyo's overlordship they rose under Lisabi and drove its agents out. When the 19th-century wars destroyed their towns, refugees under Sodeke founded Abeokuta beneath Olumo Rock around 1830, a federation of townships inside one wall. Abeokuta beat Dahomey's armies in 1851 and 1864, fought Ibadan, Ijebu and Ijaye, expelled the missionaries in 1867, and as the Egba United Government kept its independence until 1914.^[1],[2],[6]High confidence

Through the centuries

1. c. 13th century–1780

   Orile Egba

   Samuel Johnson's history says the first Alake left the young Oyo kingdom with Eso Ikoyi chiefs and founded a confederacy of towns in the Egba forest, Orile Egba, which Oyo later ruled through its Ilari agents.^[1],[2],[3]Medium confidence

2. c. 1780s

   Lisabi frees the Egba

   The Egba war chief Lisabi organises the farmers' mutual-help societies into a secret army; they kill the Oyo Ilari stationed among them and drive off the punitive force Oyo sends.^[4],[5],[3]Medium confidence

3. 1830

   Abeokuta founded

   Oyo refugees and the armies of the Owu war destroy the Orile Egba towns. At the war camp of Ibadan the Egba chief Lamodi shoots the Ife chief Ege; fearing revenge, the Egba leave, choose Sodeke as leader, and around 1830 settle beneath Olumo Rock, founding Abeokuta. Owu refugees join them about 1834. Each township keeps its own chiefs inside the town wall. Abeokuta fights the Ijebu Remo (1832), Ibadan (1834), Ota (1842), Ado (1844) and Ibarapa (1849).^[4],[2],[1]High confidence

   Capital: Abeokuta

4. 1851

   Dahomey repulsed

   King Gezo's Dahomey, raiding for slaves, attacks Abeokuta in 1851 and is beaten; the Egba beat it again in 1864. Abeokuta, a key palm-oil market, welcomes missionaries from Sierra Leone, and returned Egba such as the family of Rev. William Allen come home. It fights Ijaye (1860–62) and the Makun war (1862–64), closes the trade roads in the 1860s and in 1867 expels the missionaries and European traders.^{[4],[2],[1],[6]}High confidence

   Capital: Abeokuta

5. 1898

   The Egba United Government

   In January 1893 a treaty with Governor Carter of Lagos recognises Egbaland as independent, and in 1898 the Egba United Government is formed, with the Alake at the head of a council and Lagos-educated Egba as its officials; it leases land for the Lagos–Abeokuta railway. From 1904 Britain takes over more and more of its work, and in 1914 the kingdom is folded into Nigeria.^{[4],[7],[6],[1]}Medium confidence

   Capital: Abeokuta

Wars, treaties and turning points

• Dahomey against AbeokutaWar · 1843–1864
• The Ijaye warWar · 1860–1862
• The Kiriji warWar · 1877–1886
• The Adubi warBritish conquest · June–July 1918

Today

Alake of Egbaland, Abeokuta

The Alake of Egbaland reigns at Abeokuta, Ogun State.^[4]High confidence

Its people

Yoruba

Living in its lands today

Peoples whose homelands lie inside its lands at its height, by number of LGAs.

Yoruba

Sources

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

1. Wikipedia contributors. Egba Ake
2. Wikipedia contributors. Abeokuta
3. Wikipedia contributors. Oyo Empire
4. Biobaku, Saburi O. (1957). The Egba and Their Neighbours, 1842–1872. Clarendon Press, Oxford (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
5. Johnson, Samuel. (1921). The History of the Yorubas. Routledge, London (CMS Lagos)
6. Wikipedia contributors. Egba United Government
7. Falola, Toyin; Heaton, Matthew M. (2008). A History of Nigeria. Cambridge University Press (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
8. Smith, Robert S. (1988). Kingdoms of the Yoruba (3rd edition). University of Wisconsin Press / James Currey (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)