ABSTRACT
Royal women of the precolonial west African kingdom of Dahomey (circa 1645–1894) played significant roles in the kingdom’s politics, religion, and military endeavors. The eighteenth- and nineteenth-century kings each had thousands of wives, among whom were court ministers, warriors, and religious retainers. Visual and spatial indicators of their importance, in the forms of regalia, uniforms, and palace architecture, became signifiers of the kingdom within and without its borders. Beginning in the mid-eighteenth century, every male office in the royal court had a corresponding female position. Those wives who served as court ministers wore robes traditionally worn by men. Dahomey’s female military troops, known as the Amazon Warriors, were recognized by their uniforms and were famous for their fierceness in combat. In addition to representing the kingdom on the battlefield, these women became the face of Dahomey in French publications and exhibitions abroad. Royal women were also appointed to religious offices. These women were responsible for maintaining ties with the deceased kings through offerings and ceremony. While the king remained the symbolic head of the kingdom, the royal women played crucial roles in representing the kingdom within the palace, on the battlefield, in international media, and in religious ceremonies.
