Yorubaland is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 (54,871 sq mi). Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Nigeria, 18.9% in Benin, and the remaining 6.5% is in Togo. Prior to European colonization, a portion of this area was known as Yoruba country. The geo-cultural space contains an estimated 55 million people, the majority of this population being ethnic Yoruba.
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day southern Benin and western Nigeria. 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 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.
The Rev. Samuel Johnson was an Anglican priest and historian of the Yoruba.
Obadiah Johnson was a Saro who was both the second Nigerian to qualify as a medical doctor and the co-author, with his brother the Reverend Samuel Johnson, of A History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate.
Àjàgbó was a warlike Aláàfin of the West African Oyo Empire, who allegedly reigned for 140 years in the seventeenth century.
Bashorun Gaha was a notable nobleman and leader of the military in the old Oyo Empire during the 18th century. From 1650 to 1750, Oyo Empire was at the pinnacle of its greatness, peace, prosperity and wealth. The Empire had expanded to the utmost part covering the river Niger in the north; part of Tapa and Bariba kingdoms in the East of the lower Niger; towards the South by the seacoast and the West including Popos and Dahomey. Thousands of provincial officials were appointed to administer all the conquered kingdoms and report to the Alafin who glory in his majesty and power. Women, men, young and old sang his praises. Then internal struggles for power began the rapid acceleration of the Empire disintegration and total collapse.
Gbedu literally means "big drum" and is a percussion instrument traditionally used in ceremonial Yoruba music in Nigeria and Benin. More recently, the word has come to be used to describe forms of Nigerian Afrobeats music.
The Ilorin Emirate is a traditional state based in the city of Ilorin in Kwara State, Nigeria. It is largely populated by the Yoruba-speaking people, though the kingdom is a hybrid state due to the influence of the many other tribes that make up the city.
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centred on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 under the threat of force by Commander Beddingfield of HMS Prometheus who was accompanied by the Acting British Consul, William McCoskry. Oba Dosunmu of Lagos resisted the cession for 11 days while facing the threat of violence on Lagos and its people, but capitulated and signed the Lagos Treaty of Cession. Lagos was declared a colony on 5 March 1862. By 1872, Lagos was a cosmopolitan trading centre with a population over 60,000. In the aftermath of prolonged wars between the mainland Yoruba states, the colony established a protectorate over most of Yorubaland between 1890 and 1897. The protectorate was incorporated into the new Southern Nigeria Protectorate in February 1906, and Lagos became the capital of the Protectorate of Nigeria in January 1914. Since then, Lagos has grown to become the largest city in West Africa, with an estimated metropolitan population of over 9,000,000 as of 2011.
Afonja of Ilorin was the "Are-Ona-Kakanfo", or chief military leader, of the Oyo Empire. Laderin, the great-grandfather of Afonja, was the founder of Ilorin city. He was succeeded by his son, Pasin, a powerful warrior who became a threat and target to, Basorun Gaha, because of his rising profile. He was driven into exile and killed. Alagbin, his son was made Baale. After the death of Alagbin, his son, Afonja, took over. These were the only four Yoruba baale in Ilorin.
The Jalumi War, also called the Battle of Inisa, was a battle that took place on 1 November 1878 in the northeast of present-day Osun State, Nigeria. It was part of the larger conflict named the Ibadan War. The forces of Ibadan were victorious in detail over a force of rebellious Yorubas including soldiers from Ilorin, Ekiti, Ila and Ijesha. Despite the victory, fighting continued in the years that followed until the Ilorins were finally defeated in 1897.
The Yoruba Revolutionary Wars, also known as the Yoruba Civil Wars, were a series of conflicts that engulfed the Yoruba-speaking areas of West Africa from approximately 1789 to 1893. These wars were characterized by intense and prolonged struggles among various Yoruba city-states and kingdoms, leading to significant political, social, and economic changes in the region.
The Oyo Mesi is the privy council of Oyo, a Yoruba traditional state in Southwestern Nigeria. It dates to the medieval period, when it served as the government of a powerful pre-colonial state that was known as the Oyo empire.
The Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti–Parapo War, was a 16-year-long civil war between the subethnic kingdoms of the Yoruba people, specifically divided between the Western Yoruba, which was mainly the Ibadan and Oyo-speaking Yorubas, and the Eastern Yoruba, who were the Ekiti people, Ijesha, Ijebu people, and others.
Alaafin Atiba Atobatele was a king of the Oyo Empire. He was the son of King Abiodun of Oyo, and Eni-olufan from Akeitan.
Orile Ijaye is a small town located in Akinyele local government, Oyo state, Nigeria. It is about 18 miles from Ibadan, Oyo state capital. This town was re-inhabited in 1895, 32 years after it was destroyed due to an intra-ethnic and supremacy war with Ibadan; another military power at that time. The name of the town came from the original name, Ijaye, the name meaning Ijaye city-town.
The Battle of Ogbomosho was a battle between the Ilorin Emirate of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Yoruba Oyo Empire in modern day Ogele. This battle was narrated, and written down by the accredited Yoruba historian, Samuel Johnson in the book The History of the Yorubas.
The Battle of Òsogbo took place in 1838 and was a major battle of the Fula jihads of Yorubaland.
The Mugbamugba war was the second attempt of Yoruba's to expel the Fulanis and recover Ilorin.
The Battle of Pamo took place in Nigeria in the 1830's, when the Fulani under Solagberu defeated the Yoruba.
