XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Dahomey, West Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Behanzin was the king of Dahomey who defended the sovereignty and independence of his state against French expansion in the 1890s. After France declared a protectorate over Porto Novo, he mobilized Dahomey’s permanent army and the female warriors known as the Amazons. A treaty in 1890 recognized French control of Cotonou, but renewed war followed. French forces conquered Abomey and northern Dahomey, and Behanzin was arrested in January 1894 after refusing terms that threatened the political dignity of his kingdom.
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Behanzin, originally Prince Kondo, began his reign in December 1889. He confronted France after the declaration of a French protectorate over Porto Novo, a vassal of Abomey whose loss threatened Dahomey’s economic interests. In 1889 he warned Bayol, the governor of the Rivières de Sud, that the Fon people would not accept the new arrangement. His response was not limited to protest: he mobilized the state’s military resources and prepared to resist French occupation.
Dahomey maintained a permanent army of about 4,000 men and women in peacetime, while wartime service was compulsory for all males. The army was supported by the Amazons, female warriors who were feared by their opponents. After French forces occupied Cotonou in February 1890, Fon troops attacked the garrison and helped force negotiations. The resulting treaty, signed at Abomey on 3 October 1890, recognized Cotonou as a French possession and granted France customs and garrison rights in return for an annual payment of 20,000 francs.
Behanzin used the brief settlement to modernize his army. Between January 1891 and August 1892, he purchased rapid-firing rifles, Krupp cannon, machine-guns, cartridges and shells from German firms operating in Lomé. War resumed after Fon soldiers fired on the gunboat Topaz on the Werne River on 27 March 1892. Colonel Dodds then assembled a French force at Porto Novo and began the march toward Abomey in October.
The Fon army united approximately 12,000 men and employed surprise dawn attacks, unexpected strikes, defensive positions, harassment and guerrilla tactics. These methods failed to stop the French advance, and Fon losses were estimated at 2,000 dead and 3,000 wounded, including virtually all the Amazons. The destruction of the harvest by Yoruba slaves released by Dodds’s army caused severe shortages, prompting some soldiers to leave the campaign to search for food and defend their villages.
Behanzin rejected peace terms requiring a heavy indemnity and the surrender of all weapons. When Dodds entered Abomey in November 1892, Behanzin had already burned the city and withdrawn northward. He reorganized his army and continued raids, while his notables offered to cede the southern part of the kingdom but refused his deposition. A new French expedition conquered northern Dahomey; Goutchilli was crowned on 15 January 1894, and Behanzin was arrested after a betrayal on 29 January.
XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Dahomey, West Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Behanzin was the king of Dahomey who defended the sovereignty and independence of his state against French expansion in the 1890s. After France declared a protectorate over Porto Novo, he mobilized Dahomey’s permanent army and the female warriors known as the Amazons. A treaty in 1890 recognized French control of Cotonou, but renewed war followed. French forces conquered Abomey and northern Dahomey, and Behanzin was arrested in January 1894 after refusing terms that threatened the political dignity of his kingdom.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Behanzin, originally Prince Kondo, began his reign in December 1889. He confronted France after the declaration of a French protectorate over Porto Novo, a vassal of Abomey whose loss threatened Dahomey’s economic interests. In 1889 he warned Bayol, the governor of the Rivières de Sud, that the Fon people would not accept the new arrangement. His response was not limited to protest: he mobilized the state’s military resources and prepared to resist French occupation.
Dahomey maintained a permanent army of about 4,000 men and women in peacetime, while wartime service was compulsory for all males. The army was supported by the Amazons, female warriors who were feared by their opponents. After French forces occupied Cotonou in February 1890, Fon troops attacked the garrison and helped force negotiations. The resulting treaty, signed at Abomey on 3 October 1890, recognized Cotonou as a French possession and granted France customs and garrison rights in return for an annual payment of 20,000 francs.
Behanzin used the brief settlement to modernize his army. Between January 1891 and August 1892, he purchased rapid-firing rifles, Krupp cannon, machine-guns, cartridges and shells from German firms operating in Lomé. War resumed after Fon soldiers fired on the gunboat Topaz on the Werne River on 27 March 1892. Colonel Dodds then assembled a French force at Porto Novo and began the march toward Abomey in October.
The Fon army united approximately 12,000 men and employed surprise dawn attacks, unexpected strikes, defensive positions, harassment and guerrilla tactics. These methods failed to stop the French advance, and Fon losses were estimated at 2,000 dead and 3,000 wounded, including virtually all the Amazons. The destruction of the harvest by Yoruba slaves released by Dodds’s army caused severe shortages, prompting some soldiers to leave the campaign to search for food and defend their villages.
Behanzin rejected peace terms requiring a heavy indemnity and the surrender of all weapons. When Dodds entered Abomey in November 1892, Behanzin had already burned the city and withdrawn northward. He reorganized his army and continued raids, while his notables offered to cede the southern part of the kingdom but refused his deposition. A new French expedition conquered northern Dahomey; Goutchilli was crowned on 15 January 1894, and Behanzin was arrested after a betrayal on 29 January.