The politics of commercial transition: Factional conflict in Dahomey in the context of the ending of the Atlantic slave trade

Abstract

In 1858, after a reign of forty years, King Gezo of Dahomey died and was succeeded by one of his sons called Badahun, who took the royal name of Glele by which he is more generally known. Badahun had been Gezo's designated heir apparent for at least nine years prior to this but his accession to the throne was nevertheless challenged. The name Glele which he adopted alludes to these challenges, being according to Dahomian tradition abbreviated from the aphorism Glelile ma nh oh n ze, `You cannot take away a farm [gle] ', meaning that he would not allow anyone to appropriate the fruits of his labours, which is explained as expressing `his contempt for the attacks to which he had been exposed as heir apparent'.