Ashanti Empire (Asante) Vast territory that was controlled by the Ashanti, a subgroup of the AKAN people in present-day GHANA, beginning in the 17th century. The roots of the Ashanti Empire lay in the expansion of trade that began during the 14th century, as Dyula traders made their way across the savanna.
The Akan of the forest regions, who had long maintained trade in both GOLD and KOLA NUTS, seized on the opportunities this offered, and they soon were using slave labor to both mine additional gold and clear land for more farms. By the 15th century, permanent Akan settlements were developing in the forest that, when the Portuguese arrived in the latter part of the century, engaged in a lively trade with the Europeans. Gold was exchanged for cotton cloth, metals, and even captives from the area of BENIN, and in time the Akan even began farming MAIZE and other crops introduced to them by the Portuguese. By the 16th century several important and rival Akan states— including Denkyira, Akwamu, Fante, and Ashanti—had developed, and by the end of the century the competition between them began to give way to unification. And, it was the Ashanti who seized the opportunity to draw the groups together.
By the time they reached the West African coast, about 1600, the Ashanti had formed a kingdom around Lake Bosumtwe. This kingdom grew as neighboring peoples intermixed with the Ashanti. The Ashanti united under the leadership of their first three OYOKO chiefs: OBIRI YEBOA (d. c. 1660), OSEI TUTU (c. 1680–1717), and OPOKUWARE II (c. 1700–1750). These leaders cultivated the loyalty of local kings by including them in the new Ashanti government as commanders of the Ashanti army or as members of the king’s advisory council. New soldiers for the growing Ashanti army were provided by these individual kingdoms as well. Despite the centralized political system, village kings retained their power over everyday village affairs.
When Osei Tutu took the throne in the late 17th century, he was called the asantehene, or “king of the Ashanti.” His nation rapidly increased its power by forming alliances with the neighboring peoples, leading to the formation of the Ashanti Union, around 1700. Tutu also established his capital at KUMASI, located inland, in the central forests of present-day Ghana. During his reign he started the tradition of the GOLDEN STOOL. According to legend a golden stool fell into Tutu’s lap, thus establishing a divine royal lineage. The throne became the symbol of Ashanti authority.
In the 18th century the Ashanti conquered the neighboring kingdoms of DENKYIRA, Assin, Aowin, Amanahia, WASSAW, Twifo, and Wenchi. By 1740 they had added TEKYIMAN, BANDA, Gyama, and western GONJA to their territory. By the 19th century the Ashanti had conquered all of the neighboring kingdoms except the Fante. The Fante were spared only because they were under British protection. By this time the Ashanti kingdom had become the most powerful force on the GOLD COAST.
The Ashanti kingdom went into a decline about 1807 primarily because of conflict arose with British merchants and expeditionary forces, who were coming to the region in increasing numbers in hopes of monopolizing coastal trade. The Ashanti simultaneously were expanding their own trade networks from the interior. The two powers soon set to open warfare.
The situation was complicated by the continued efforts of the British to make allies of the smaller kingdoms, such as Fante and Denkyira, that were being dominated by the Ashanti during their campaigns of territorial expansion. A series of conflicts with the British, known as the Anglo-Ashanti Wars, included a crucial loss at Katamanso, in 1826. In the aftermath of their defeat at Katamanso, the Ashanti were forced to renounce claims of sovereignty over those groups that had allied with Britain.
The Anglo-Ashanti Wars would continue throughout the 19th century
