File:Oyo_Empire_at_Its_Greatest_Extent,_c._1780_(5).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- 1680
- 150,000 km (58,000 sq mi)
- Status
- Empire
- Capital
- Oyo-Igboho (c. 1535–1615) Oyo-Ile (c. 1615–1835)
- Common languages
- Yoruba
- Religion
- Yoruba religion , Islam , Christianity
- Government
- Constitutional Hereditary Monarchy with Elective features.
- C 13th 14th century ce
- Ọranyan
- 1876 1905
- Adeyemi I Alowolodu
- 2025 present
- Abimbola Owoade
- Legislature
- Oyo Mesi and Ogboni
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- African empire
- Religion
- Yoruba religion
- Continent
- Africa
- Image
- Palace of Alaafin of Oyo circa mid-1900s.jpg
Show 6 more facts
- topic's main category
- Category:Oyo Empire
- dissolved, abolished or demolished date
- 1905-01-01
- Commons category
- Oyo Empire
- inception
- 1400-00-00
- different from
- Oyo State
- on focus list of Wikimedia project
- Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Today part ofYorubaland · Nigeria · Benin ^ A: Now a non-sovereign monarchy within Nigeria
Oyo Empire and surrounding states, c. 1625. The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day western Nigeria (including the South West zone and the western half of the North Central zone) and Benin. It grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking state through the organizational and administrative efforts of the Yoruba people, trade, as well as the military use of cavalry. The Oyo Empire was one of the most politically important states in Western Africa from the late-16th to the early 18th century and held sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in modern Benin to its west.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Oyo Empire” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.