ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the kingdom of Dahomey's complex history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is recorded in the physical features of the royal palace in Abomey. It begins with a discussion of the reigns of the eighteenth-century kings: Tegbesu, Kpengla, Agonglo, and Adandozan. Though this period was marked with famine, foreign and internal conflicts, and economic instability, these kings made distinct contributions to the palace. King Tegbesu (r. 1740–1774) founded a gender-balanced court. Agonglo (r. 1789–1797) encouraged innovations in bas-relief sculptures which became a defining feature of the palace. Adandozan (r. 1797–1818), however, was so despised that he was eventually removed from the dynastic list and palace architecture alike. The reigns of the nineteenth-century kings Guezo (r. 1818–1858) and Glele (r.1858–1889) saw an increase in stability and a renewed engagement with international trade facilitating economic growth and diplomatic relations with foreigners. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Royal Palace of Dahomey covered 108 acres. The palace functions as an architecture record to be examined in conjunction with oral and written histories. It physically manifests the tumultuous eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through its expansions, erasures, and incorporation of relief sculptures both in medium and subject matter.
