Oyo Empire

House of Oranyan
House of Oranyan
Nigerian royal dynasty The Elephant (Ajanaku), totem of the kings and emperors of Oyo prior to Abiodun The veve of Ogun, war god of the Yoruba and totem of both the emperors and kings that have followed Abiodun and the various members of the Bashorun chieftaincy family that have served the state throughout its history
Parent house	Oodua
Current region	Yorubaland
Founded	c. 17th century
Current head	Interregnum
Titles	Oba Alaafin of Oyo ; ; Oba Obirin of Oyo; Iba Bashorun of Oyo; Iba Aare Ona Kakanfo of Oyo; Iba of Oyo; Oloye of Oyo; Omoba of Oyo; Oloori of Oyo;
Style(s)	Kabiyesi ; Majesty ; Imperial Highness
Members	Abiodun ; ; Oluyole; Candido da Fonseca Galvao;
Connected families	Ife royal family ; Bini royal family
Traditions	Ifá ; Christianity ; Islam
Motto	A ki ro'ba fi la le de Oyo, o ya e je a lo ree Alaafin (Yoruba for "Oyo, Descendants of the Alaafin")
Cadet branches	Alowolodu (Oyo) ; ; Agunloye (Oyo); Oluyole (Ibadan); Ona Aka (Oyo); Afonja (Ilorin);

Oyo Empire
**Orílẹ̀ Ọba Ọ̀yọ́** (Yoruba)
Oyo Empire Orílẹ̀ Ọba Ọ̀yọ́ (Yoruba)
c. 1600 – c. 1836
	Oyo Empire during the 17th–18th centuries
Status	Empire
Capital	Oyo-Ile (1600–1835); Oyo-Igboho (1600);
Common languages	Yoruba
Religion	Yoruba religion, Islam, Christianity
Government	Constitutional Hereditary Monarchy with Elective features.
Alaafin
• ????–1896	Adeyemi I Alowolodu
Legislature	Oyo Mesi and Ogboni
Area
1680	150,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi)
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Ife Empire
Ibadan
Egba United Government
Ilorin Emirate
Today part of	Yorubaland · Nigeria · Benin

Oyo Empire and surrounding states, c. 1625.

The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day southern Benin and western Nigeria (including the South West zone and the western half of the North Central zone). The empire 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 mid-17th to the late 18th century^[3] 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 the modern Republic of Benin on its west.

^ Law, Robin (1977). The Oyo Empire, c.1600-c.1836: a West African imperialism in the era of the Atlantic slave trade. United Kingdom: Clarendon Press. p. 77.
^ Cite error: The named reference Thornton104 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Forde,1967, p. 36

[1] Law, Robin (1977). The Oyo Empire, c.1600-c.1836: a West African imperialism in the era of the Atlantic slave trade. United Kingdom: Clarendon Press. p. 77.

[Thornton104-2] Cite error: The named reference Thornton104 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] Forde,1967, p. 36

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