Fante Confederacy

Fante Confederacy
15th century
Capital	Mankessim
Common languages	Fante
Religion	Worship at the sacred grove of Nananom Mpow
Government	Commonwealth
Brafo
Legislature	Mfanise Ahernfo Nbyiamu
History
• Founding of Mankessim	15th century
• Subjugation by the Ashanti Empire	1816
• Independence re-established	1831
• Proclamation of the Fante Confederacy	1868
• Proclamation of the Protectorate of the Gold Coast	1873
Currency	Cowries
Preceded by Succeeded by Fetu Kingdom Gold Coast (British Colony)

The Fante Confederacy (also called a confederation, federation, and other similar terms) was a coalition of small kingdoms and city-states in what is now coastal Ghana, mostly inhabited by the Fante people. The core of the confederacy was centered around the town of Mankessim, and expanded in the late 17th and early 18th century to include several neighboring states. In 1807, the Fante were defeated by and incorporated into the Ashanti Empire. The growing power of the British initially helped the Fante re-establish their independence, and they re-formed an official Confederation in 1868, with a ground-breaking democratic constitution. Nevertheless, the confederation was incorporated into the Gold Coast in 1873.

First Fante Confederacy (15th cent.-1816)

History

Origin

According to local oral tradition, the Mfantefo (Fante people) descend from either Adansi or Bono Manso. ^[1] It was from there that their three revered warriors and leaders, Oson, Odapagyan and Obonomankoma (meaning the whale, the eagle, and the elephant respectively) led them further south to their current location in the Central Region of Ghana. Obrumankoma and Odapagyan died during the exodus and were embalmed and carried along. ^[2] Oson led the people to what would become Mankessim. They buried Obrumakankoma and Odapagyan in a sacred grove called Nana-nom-pow. ^[3]

The Fante settled Mankessim in five quarters: Kurentsi Aman, Anaafo, Bentsi, Edumadze, and Nkusukum. ^[4] In the beginning, Mankessim may have been under the power of the Fetu Kingdom, with a viceroy holding the title of Brafo. ^[5] By the mid 15th century at the latest, however, the Fante had established an independent government led by an elected Brafo, rather than a monarchy like most of their neighbors. ^{[4] [6]}

17th century

Fanti was the scene of regular conflict throughout the 17th century, with the Brafo and the ruling council leading the member states to war against neighboring kingdoms but also repeatedly falling into civil strife attempting to establish their control. Circa 1645 Acron (Gomoa) seceded from the Agona kingdom to the east, likely with Fante backing, and by the 1680s was functionally a vassal. Fante fought a series of wars with Asebu to the west, eventually forcing the kingdom into their sphere of influence by the 1680s. ^[7]

The 1690s were a pivotal decade in Fante history. In 1693-4 they defeated the Fetu Kingdom in a war, after which the longtime rival became a mostly loyal ally. The Komenda Wars saw Fante largely on the sidelines, though Fetu was weakened and meddling by the British and Dutch prompted the Asihene of Abora to overthrow the Brafo. Fante's alliance with Assin gave them an opportunity to control the Etsi kingdom in 1696, but when a Denkyiran invasion threatened their northern ally and the new Brafo refused to send help, a constitutional crisis broke out. ^[7] By the early 1700s the Brafo and the council were able to re-establish a measure of internal control. ^[8]

18th century

In 1706, the Fante launched a new series of military campaigns to re-establish their military supremacy on the coast. In nearly two decades of almost constant warfare, the confederacy permanently extended its control to Asebu and Agona, and may have conquered Fetu as well before losing it by mid-century. ^[7] This was the period when the slave trade overtook the export of gold as the region's primary economic activity, and captives taken in these wars were often sold to European slavers at Anomabo, Cape Coast, and other ports. ^[9] Neighboring kingdoms who were not conquered often allied with the Fante confederacy - Assin and Akwamu in the early 1700s; and Wassa, Twifo, Denkyira, Nzima, and Akyem by the 1730s as the Ashanti threat to the north grew. ^[10]

The 1740s saw a period of domestic political instability, as the priest-oracle of Nananom Mpow ordered five Brafos executed for corruption in three years, leaving no one eligible to fill the office. The office's importance and power therefore declined, and the Asahin (war chief or captain) of the militarily powerful province of Abura stepped into the void. ^[8] In the 1750s when the French Compagnie du Senegal tried to establish itself in Anomabo, the Nananom Mpow rejected their overtures. ^[9]

For the first half of the eighteenth century, the Ashanti were pre-occupied with expanding their confederacy to the north rather than against the stronger coastal groups. The next few decades saw internal disputes within Ashanti. The Fante subsequently intervened, lending material support to rebel groups in Ashanti and offering safe harbour to refugees and dissidents fleeing the Ashanti Confederacy. The Fante introduced laws forbidding the selling of firearms to the Ashanti and curtailing the amount of trade that could pass between over Fante lands, cutting off supplies to the empire.^{[ citation needed ]}

From 1742 to 1752 this alliance successfully blocked Ashanti trade on the coast, but at a great cost to the Fante economy. An alliance between the two rival powers lasted only a few years, before they resumed diplomatic quarrelling, with Fante supporting rebellious Ashanti vassals and benefiting from British support. ^[11]

Ashanti Dominance

In 1806 the Ashanti invaded Fanteland seeking to control all of the coastal trade. The British largely confined their role in the conflict to supplying the Fante with military equipment and supplies, continuing a decades-long tradition. ^[12] The result was a humiliating defeat for the Fante. Subsequent campaigns in 1809, 1810, 1811, and 1814-16 firmly established Ashanti domination on the coast, where they replaced the chiefs who led the resistance with loyalists. ^{[13] [14]}

Despite the Ashanti victory, Fante resistance to the occupation continued. British policy towards their new neighbors was confused and inconsistent, encouraging the Fante and enfuriating the Ashanti. The new British governor, Sir Charles MacCarthy, provoked a conflict and was killed at the Battle of Nsamankow in 1824. At the 1826 Battle of Dodowa, however, a Fante-European coalition decisively defeated the Ashanti. An 1831 treaty ending the war recognized the independence of the Fante states. ^{[13] [14]}

Organization

King's house, Mankissim

The Fante confederacy was structured as a commonwealth, without a high king, although some of the non-Borbor Fante states had kings. ^[15] The head of state was the Brafo, who led the Fante army in war and represented the state in negotiations with external powers. He was elected by the council of chiefs, the Mfanise Ahernfo Nbyiamu, which was composed of the heads of the various quarters of Mankessim. Each one of these 'Curranteers' also represented the interests of one of the Fante provinces. ^[8]

The chiefs and kings of other states in the confederation, called 'Caboceers' in European sources, came to Mankessim at least once a year for the Ahoba Kuma festival, where they formed a body that served as a parliament to make important decisions. ^[8] The Nananom Mpow shrine grew into a regionally important site, enforcing oaths, providing oracles, and advising the ruling council. ^{[7] [10]}

Modern Confederacy (1868-1873)

History

Background

Increasing trade in Fanteland following the defeat of the Ashantis led to the formation of a wealthy, educated class of African merchants. In 1844, some Fante states placed themselves under British protection through the Bond of 1844. ^[16] The 1850s, however, saw the British impose increasingly onerous taxes on the Fante at the same time as competition from European traders was putting many locals out of business. ^[14]

The Fante leaders were displeased and felt the British were only interested in their trade. The most controversial action was an 1868 agreement between the British and Dutch to trade forts along the coast. Previously the entire coast had been a mix of British and Dutch forts. The British and Dutch governments agreed to exchange forts: the British would control all the forts east of the Kakum River, and the Dutch would get all the forts to the west, including most of those in the Fante areas.

These factors annoyed people throughout the region. Legally the local rulers saw the Europeans as tenants, and they demanded the right to approve the fort exchanges. The local rulers were not even consulted before the agreement was announced. The Fante also worried about the close relations between the Ashanti and the Dutch after fighting both on different flanks for years.

Establishment

This led to an 1868 meeting of the leading Fante Paramount Chiefs and also representatives of their Akan allies Denkyira, Wassa, Twifu and Assin, who met in Mankessim, the traditional Fante Capital Town and formed a Confederation. The Confederate States, due to war with the Dutch and Danish, became allies of the British, but also demanded the right to self-government. They also promised to prevent the Dutch from assuming control of the forts in the area.

Amfo Otu the Paramount Chief of Abura Dunkwa and the de facto Defense Secretary and Supreme Commander of the Fante Army, marched the union forces to Komenda to join that city in its effort to prevent the Dutch from taking control of the fort vacated by the British. This effort was successful and the Dutch were rebuffed. Amfo Otu, one of the Great Fante War Lords, next turned to trying to take Elmina, the centre of Dutch power on the coast. The attempt to storm the city failed and the Fante forces became bogged down in a long war.

In 1871 the constitution was rewritten and a new Executive Council was created. Amfo Otu and Edu of Mankessim were elected co-King-Presidents, but shortly afterward Amfo Otu's role was switched to the General Field Marshal and Edu became the sole King-President.

Weakening of the Confederacy

The Fante Confederacy was substantially weakened by European powers including the British, Dutch and Danish. They saw it as a threat to their control and dominance of Africa. The long fighting around Elmina soon began to drain the resources of the state. It proved unable to collect much of the poll tax, and the British refused to allow the Confederacy to tax lucrative trade in the region. For a time the Ghartey brothers funded the state out-of-pocket, but soon the Confederacy's coffers dwindled. Moreover, the fighting with the Dutch and its allies had left the northern part of the Confederacy, on the border with the Ashanti, undefended and these regions felt the Confederation was failing to provide the needed protection.

While the confederacy waged war against the Dutch in the south-west, they also waged war on their northern Flank with the Ashantis in protecting their vast territory. This proved to be a stretch too far for the state.

British reaction to the Confederacy was mixed. Originally, the British had little interest in directly administering the region themselves and some felt a self-governing European style state was a positive development. However, other British representatives in the region and in London saw the Confederacy as a dangerous precedent that was anti-British and doomed to failure. The Dutch, while winning militarily against the Fante, could little afford to fight a war in West Africa and decided to abandon the entire Gold Coast. The British, now in control of the entire region, approached the leaders of the Confederation and offered them money and also sowed distrust among the Fante paramount chiefs. This infighting led to the Fante being amalgamated into the Gold Coast around 1873.

Government

The new state had a King-President as its head and below him a council of kings and elders and a national assembly representing a larger portion of the population. King Ghartey IV (c. 1820–1897) ^[17] of Winneba was elected as the first King-President, while King Nana Amfo Otu Gyandoh I of Abura was placed in charge of the United armed forces. The new government created a standing army of some 15,000 men, introduced a poll tax covering the region, and most importantly a judicial system that asserted the right of the Confederation, not the British, to mete out justice. This Confederation was paralleled in the east by the Ga-led Accra Native Confederation.

Economy

The Fante established long-distance maritime trade links with the Kingdom of Kongo around the Congo-Angola region. This was accomplished with dugout canoes powered by sails of woven palm fronds. ^[18]

See also

• List of rulers of the Fante Confederation
• Constitution of the New Fante Confederacy.

References

1. Law 2018, p. 125.
2. "Fante confederacy | African history [late 17th century-1824] | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
3. Shumway, Rebecca (2011). The Fante and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora. Vol. 52. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN   978-1-58046-391-1. JSTOR   10.7722/j.ctt1x72ng.
4. Boahen, A. Adu (2005). "Akan States: Bono, Dankyira, Wassa, Akyem, Akwamu, Fante, Fifteenth to Seventeenth Centuries". In Shillington, Kevin (ed.). Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge. p. 33-34. ISBN   978-1-135-45670-2.
5. Law 2018, p. 126.
6. Fynn 1987, p. 112.
7. Law, Robin (2012). "Fante Expansion Reconsidered: Seventeenth-Century Origins". Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana. 14: 41–78. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
8. Law, Robin (March 2013). "The Government of Fante in the Seventeenth Century". The Journal of African History. 54 (1): 31–51. doi:10.1017/S0021853713000054. S2CID   158660952 . Retrieved 30 January 2025.
9. Shumway, Rebecca (2011). "The Fante Shrine of Nananom Mpow and the Atlantic Slave Trade in Southern Ghana". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 44 (1): 27–44. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
10. Fynn 1987, p. 114.
11. Boahen, A. Adu (2005). "Akan States: Eighteenth Century". In Shillington, Kevin (ed.). Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge. p. 35-6. ISBN   978-1-135-45670-2.
12. Adu Boahen: Politics in Ghana, 1800–1874. In: History of West Africa, London 1974, ISBN   0-582-64552-2.
13. Gocking, Roger (2005). The History of Ghana. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 30-31. ISBN   0-313-31894-8.
14. Reynolds, Edward (2005). "Ghana (Republic of): 1800-1874". In Shillington, Kevin (ed.). Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge. p. 565-6. ISBN   978-1-135-45670-2.
15. Fynn 1987, p. 109-110.
16. "March 6, 1844: Bond of 1844 signed by Fanti Chiefs and Britain". Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
17. "King Ghartey IV of Winneba", Magnus Sampson, Makers of Modern Ghana: From Philip Quarcoo to Aggrey. Volume One, Accra: Anowuo Educational Publications, 1969, pp. 52–67.
18. V. Tarikhu, Farrar (2020). Precolonial African Material Culture: Combatting Stereotypes of Technological Backwardness. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 243. ISBN   9781793606433.

Sources

• Fynn, J. K. (1987). "The political system of the Fante of Ghana during the pre-colonial period". Unwersitas. 9.
• Law, Robin (2018). "Fante 'Origins': The Problematic Evidence of 'Tradition'". In Green, Toby; Rossi, Benedetta (eds.). Landscapes, Sources and Intellectual Projects of the West African Past: Essays in Honour of Paulo Fernando de Moraes Farias. Brill.
• Laumann, Dennis Heinz (1993). "'Compradores-in-Arms': The Fante Confederation Project (1868-1872)". Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies. 21 (1–2): 120–136. doi: 10.5070/F7211-2016747 .
• Sanders, James, "The Expansion of the Fante and the Emergence of Asante in the Eighteenth Century", in Journal of African History, 1979.