Kingdom of Koya
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Koya or Koya Temne or Temne Kingdom (1505-1896) was a pre-colonial African state in the north of present-day Sierra Leone
. Its capital was at Cape Mount in what is now modern Liberia
.
The kingdom was founded by the Temne ethnic group in or around 1505 by migrants from the north seeking trade with the coastal Portuguese
in the south.
The kingdom was ruled by a king called a Bai or Obai
. The sub-kingdoms within the state were ruled by nobles titled "Gbana". The Koya Kingdom kept and maintained diplomatic relations with the British
and French
in the 18th century
. Children of Temne nobles were allowed to seek western educations abroad. Koya also traded with Islamic states to its north and had Muslim
s within its borders.
Under Nembanga's reign (1775-1793) the Koya kingdom signed a treaty, which made it possible for the establishment of British colony on the peninsula of Sierra Leone in 1788.
Koya participated in the trans-atlantic slave trade, though sources state that such commerce was much more privatized than in other kingdoms. Subjects of Koya traded in slaves on the coast even against the wishes of the state at times.
From 1801 to 1807, Koya fought a war with British colonists and the Susu
. Koya lost the northern shoreline of Sierra Leone to the British and Port Loko
to the Susu. However, they remained a power in the region. In 1815, the Temne fought another war with the Susu and regained the port. In 1841, the Temne defeated the Loko tribe of Kasona on the Mabaole River dispersing many of the people. in response to a British bombardment, the kingdom expelled the Church Missionary Society missionaries operating at Magbela in 1860.
The kingdom became a British protectorate August 31, 1896 after which the Koya kings lost virtually all power. Revolts of the Temne and Mende in 1898 were fierce but futile. The British would govern the area of the former kingdom until 1961.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Its capital was at Cape Mount in what is now modern Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
.
The kingdom was founded by the Temne ethnic group in or around 1505 by migrants from the north seeking trade with the coastal Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
in the south.
The kingdom was ruled by a king called a Bai or Obai
Obai
The Obai or Bai was the ruler of the Temne people in the Kingdom of Koya, in what is now northwestern Sierra Leone. The kingdom became part of the British protectorate in Sierra Leone after 1898, and the Bai was then a king in title only....
. The sub-kingdoms within the state were ruled by nobles titled "Gbana". The Koya Kingdom kept and maintained diplomatic relations with the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the 18th century
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
. Children of Temne nobles were allowed to seek western educations abroad. Koya also traded with Islamic states to its north and had Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s within its borders.
Under Nembanga's reign (1775-1793) the Koya kingdom signed a treaty, which made it possible for the establishment of British colony on the peninsula of Sierra Leone in 1788.
Koya participated in the trans-atlantic slave trade, though sources state that such commerce was much more privatized than in other kingdoms. Subjects of Koya traded in slaves on the coast even against the wishes of the state at times.
From 1801 to 1807, Koya fought a war with British colonists and the Susu
Susu people
The Soso are a major Mande ethnic group living primarily in Guinea. Smaller communities are also located in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone, Senegal and Mali. The Susu are descendants of the thirteenth century Mali Empire...
. Koya lost the northern shoreline of Sierra Leone to the British and Port Loko
Port Loko
Port Loko is the capital and second largest city of Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The city lies about , as the crow flies, north-east of the nation's capital Freetown and had a population of 21,961 in the 2004 census Port Loko lies on Banka Soka River, which flows...
to the Susu. However, they remained a power in the region. In 1815, the Temne fought another war with the Susu and regained the port. In 1841, the Temne defeated the Loko tribe of Kasona on the Mabaole River dispersing many of the people. in response to a British bombardment, the kingdom expelled the Church Missionary Society missionaries operating at Magbela in 1860.
The kingdom became a British protectorate August 31, 1896 after which the Koya kings lost virtually all power. Revolts of the Temne and Mende in 1898 were fierce but futile. The British would govern the area of the former kingdom until 1961.