Odarawu
Ódárawu was an Aláàfin of the Oyo Empire, who ruled briefly during the seventeenth century.[1] He was the first Aláàfin recorded to be dethroned by the Oyo Mesi[1]
| Odarawu | |
|---|---|
| Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́ | |
| Reign | 1620s - 1630s |
| Predecessor | Aláàfin Ajagbo |
| Successor | Aláàfin Kanran |
Ódárawu was the son of Àjàgbó and ruled for a short period of time. He was considered a man of bad temperament. According to Oyo legend his bad temper led him to being removed as king and also served as a warning and lesson to future kings on character development.
Before Ódárawu was crowned, he was a great trader.[2] In the market of Ojo-Sẹgi he expected a discount for being a royal and did not pay the full sum for his purchase. The trader, not knowing he was a royal, accused him of being a thief and slapped him. After he ascended the throne he ordered the destruction of Ojo-Sẹgi. This was seen as tyrannical and he was therefore dethroned and killed by the Oyo Mesi through ritual suicide.[3]
References
- ^ a b Law, R. C. C. (1971). "The constitutional troubles of Ọyọ in the eighteenth century". The Journal of African History. 12 (1): 25–44. doi:10.1017/s0021853700000050. ISSN 0021-8537.
- ^ Ogundiran, Akinwumi (2020). The Yorùbá: a new history. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-253-05150-9.
- ^ Johnson, Samuel (2010), "Origin and Early History", The History of the Yorubas, Cambridge University Press, pp. 3–14, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511702617.006, ISBN 9780511702617
- Samuel Johnson, Obadiah Johnson. The History of the Yorubas, From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. P 169