Battle of Feyiase

Last updated
Battle of Feyiase
Date1701
Location
Result Asante victory; Fall of Denkyira kingdom and establishment of Asante Union
Belligerents
Ashanti Empire Kingdom of Denkyira
Commanders and leaders
Asantehene Osei Tutu Denkyirahene Ntim Gyakari

The Battle of Feyiase was the decisive battle in the struggle that led to the Ashanti Empire replacing Denkyira as the dominant power among the Twi-speaking Akan peoples.

During the battle, the Denkyira army deployed 2 or 3 Dutch cannons while the Ashanti had limited access to firearms. [1] Prior to this battle the Denkyirahene Ntim Gyakari believed he was doing well in the war, having driven the Ashanti forces from Adunku, Abuontem and Aputuogya. However, this was all part of Osei Tutu's plan to ambush the Denkyira troops at Feyiase.

At Feyiase, the full force of the Asante fell upon the Denkyiran army, and they were routed. Ntim Gyakari was killed by the people of Adunku from Asante Feyiase and Denkyira's cannons were captured by the Ashanti. [2] Denkyira's hegemony was broken at Feyiase Akoyem. Feyiase Akoyem is now a part of Bosomtwe District which lies between Aputuogya and Esereso where the war ended. [3]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military of the Ashanti Empire</span> Armed forces of the Ashanti Empire

The Ashanti Empire was an Akan empire and kingdom from 1701 to 1957, in modern-day Ghana. The military of the Ashanti Empire first came into formation around the 17th century AD in response to subjugation by the Denkyira Kingdom. It served as the main armed forces of the empire until it was dissolved when the Ashanti became a British crown colony in 1901. In 1701, King Osei Kofi Tutu I won Ashanti independence from Denkyira at the Battle of Feyiase and carried out an expansionist policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of the Ashanti Empire</span> Pre-colonial Ashanti culture

The Ashanti Empire was governed by an elected monarch with its political power centralised. The entire government was a federation. By the 19th century, the Empire had a total population of 3 million. The Ashanti society was matrilineal as most families were extended and were headed by a male elder who was assisted by a female elder. Asante twi was the most common and official language. At its peak from the 18th–19th centuries, the Empire extended from the Komoé River in the West to the Togo Mountains in the East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the Ashanti Empire</span>

The Economy of the Ashanti Empire was largely a pre-industrial and agrarian economy. The Ashanti established different procedures for mobilizing state revenue and utilizing public finance. Ashanti trade extended upon two main trade routes; one at the North and the other at the South. The Northern trade route was dominated by the trade in Kola nuts and at the South, the Ashanti engaged in the Atlantic Slave Trade. A variety of economic industries such as cloth-weaving and metal working industries existed. The Ashanti originally farmed in subsistence until agriculture became extensive during the 19th century.

References

  1. Mbogoni, Lawrence E.Y. (2013). Human Sacrifice and the Supernatural in African History. Mkuki na Nyota. p. 33. ISBN   978-9987082421.
  2. T.C. McCaskie (2003). State and Society in Pre-colonial Asante. Cambridge University Press. p. 205. ISBN   9780521894326.
  3. "Feyiase Akoyem gets new police station | Regional News 2013-10-29". www.ghanaweb.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-19.