Introduction
The history of the Yoruba people of present-day southwestern Nigeria is deeply tied to the concepts of origin, kingship, and legitimacy. While the Oyo Empire is often celebrated in historical accounts as one of the most powerful precolonial states in West Africa, its foundation cannot be understood outside of the Ife Empire, which predates Oyo both historically and mythologically. Ile-Ife is not only regarded as the spiritual nucleus of the Yoruba world but also the birthplace of dynastic kingship, from which virtually all Yoruba rulers trace their legitimacy. This essay examines the precedence of the Ife Empire before Oyo, highlighting the fact that no paramount ruler of Yorubaland originated from Oyo, but rather from Ile-Ife including Oranmiyan, the first Alaafin of Oyo.
Ile-Ife and the Origin of Kingship
According to Yoruba traditions, preserved in oral accounts and recorded by early historians such as Samuel Johnson (1921) in The History of the Yorubas, Ile-Ife is considered the cradle of humanity and the source of Yoruba civilization. The myth of Odùduwà places him as the progenitor of the Yoruba, whose descendants established kingdoms across the region. Ife therefore functioned as the original “empire” of the Yoruba, where spiritual and political authority was first institutionalized.
The centrality of Ile-Ife in Yoruba kingship is reinforced by the position of the Ooni of Ife, who is regarded not merely as a local ruler but as the custodian of Yoruba tradition and the spiritual father of all Yoruba monarchs. Toyin Falola and Matthew Heaton (2008), in A History of Nigeria, emphasize that “Ife provided the ideological and religious framework for kingship across Yorubaland, even when political power shifted to other centers.”
The Oyo Empire: A Political but Derivative Power
The rise of the Oyo Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries marked a new era in Yoruba political history. Oyo, with its highly organized cavalry, centralized administration, and extensive trade networks, became the dominant power in the region, extending its influence as far as Dahomey (present-day Benin) and the Niger Valley. However, despite its military and political dominance, Oyo could not claim independence from the Ife legacy.
The office of the Alaafin of Oyo, though powerful, was legitimized by descent from Odùduwà through Oranmiyan, one of Odùduwà’s sons (or grandson, depending on variant traditions). This underscores the derivative nature of Oyo’s kingship. Oranmiyan had earlier ruled in Benin, where he established the dynasty of the Obas, before returning to found Oyo. His authority as the first Alaafin thus rested on his Ife origin, not on any indigenous Oyo tradition.
Ife’s Enduring Primacy over Oyo
Even at the height of Oyo’s imperial expansion between the 17th and 18th centuries, the symbolic and spiritual supremacy of Ife was never eclipsed. While the Alaafin wielded immense temporal power, the Ooni of Ife retained ritual authority as the spiritual head of the Yoruba. This duality is reflective of what Ade Ajayi and Crowder (1971) describe as the “separation of spiritual primacy from political hegemony” in Yoruba history.
The claim that “no paramount ruler in Yoruba land came from Oyo” is thus historically valid. The rulers of Oyo, like those of Owo, Ila-Orangun, Ketu, Ijebu, Ekiti, Ondo and Benin, traced their legitimacy back to Ile-Ife. This enduring Ife connection explains why even in contemporary Yoruba consciousness, the Ooni of Ife is regarded as the custodian of Yoruba unity and heritage, regardless of Oyo’s historical dominance.
Conclusion
The precedence of Ile-Ife over Oyo reflects the distinction between cultural primacy and political power in Yoruba history. Ile-Ife represents the cradle of kingship and spiritual authority, while Oyo exemplifies the height of Yoruba political and military expansion. Oranmiyan, the founder of Oyo, derived his authority from Ile-Ife, underscoring the fact that Oyo’s greatness was an extension, rather than a replacement, of Ife’s legacy.
In sum, before the Oyo Empire, there was the Ife Empire; and while Oyo rose to military supremacy, the legitimacy of Yoruba kingship, past and present remains rooted in the sacred soil of Ile-Ife.
References
- Johnson, Samuel (1921). The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate.
- Falola, Toyin & Heaton, Matthew (2008). A History of Nigeria. Cambridge University Press.
- Ajayi, J. F. Ade & Crowder, Michael (1971). History of West Africa, Vol. 1. Longman.
