The Queen Dahomey Erased

I bet you didn’t know West Africa erased a queen from history. Her name was Hangbe.

In the early 1700s, the Kingdom of Dahomey lost its king. Rival factions moved. Power was up for

grabs. That’s when Hangbe stepped in. She was the sister of King Akaba,

and after his sudden death, she took control of the throne. Not as a caretaker.

As a ruler. She stabilized the kingdom when it was on the edge of fracture.

She enforced order over chiefs who questioned her right to rule. She secured loyalty

through authority, not ceremony. Dahomey didn’t descend into civil war. Trade continued.

The army stayed intact. The throne did not collapse. That wasn’t luck.