African History: The Rise and Fall of the Dahomey Kingdom

Students will learn about the History of the Dahomey kingdom. Interaction will happen via zoom and class time will be structured based on the outline provided.
 The topics covered would be the rise of the Dahomey Kingdom, what led to its continued successes, the wars with its neighbors, the society of Amazons and eventually the wars with the French Empire. This class will also take a look at the surrounding factors that influenced how things in the Empire turned out, such as references to the Fulani Empires and the infamous Asante Empire. There will also be a quick look at the Amazons themselves and their legacy.
My class will be structured along the history of the Empire, from its pre-imperial days, to discussing the last Amazon to die in 1979
My teaching style can be described as interactive, I will have slides, and images but this will mostly be discussion based.
No required experience or knowledge needed, I will discuss the history topics and introduce them myself.

The class outline is as follows below:
Week 1: Foundation and the first 2 Kings
•	Who are the Fon people
•	The Dominance of the Oyo Empire
•	The rise of the Ardra 
•	Agassu-Prince of Tado
o	Do-Aklin and Dakodonou 
•	Abomey-Gedevi conflict
•	Dakodonou’s early rule
•	Wegbaja the 2nd King 
Week 2: The First Amazons & Trouble in the royal family
•	Gbeto Huntresses
•	Ahangbe, Akaba & Agaja
•	Wegbaja and Dahomey expansion
•	Akaba and Ahangbe: Twin rulers
•	The Mino in Battle
•	Trial of Ahangbe
•	Agaja becomes King
•	The British Empire joins the fray
Week 3: Trouble for Agaja
•	The Oyo declare war
•	Scorched earth tactics against the Oyo
•	Agaja loses Whydah
•	Retaking Whydah 
•	Deceiving the enemy forces
•	Godomey attacks
•	Portugal enforces the peace
•	Agaja defeats his enemies
Week 4: Economic Monopolies and rebellion
•	The economics of the Dahomey slave trade
•	Agaja tries to steal control
•	Europe gets mad
•	Dahomey-Badagry war
•	Tegbessou saves the kingdom
•	Vodun: The hot new religion
•	Death of Agaja, a troubled throne for Tegbessou
Week 5: Civil Wars & Fall from grace
•	Attempted fratricide
•	Civil War
•	Tegbessou the diplomat
•	Problems with the Ashanti
•	Surprising allies. Oyo and Dahomey team up
•	Kpengla the administrator
•	Tegbessou passes away
•	Civil war part 2
Week 6: Depleting coffers and fighting grandkids
•	Building public works
•	Tariffs on the Oyo
•	Oyo gunboat diplomacy
•	Kpengla dies
•	Civil war part 3
•	Buying loyalty
•	Smallpox attack
•	Agonglo loses the fleet
•	Europeans lose interest
•	Entreaty to Maria I of Portugal
•	Forced Catholicism
Week 7: Dead kings and Child Kings
•	Adandozan the child king
•	Not so innocent child, mass executions
•	Friendship with the Portuguese ended
•	Trying peace with the British
•	Stealing British wives
•	The British end the slave trade
•	The new players Ghezo, and De Sousa
Week 8: An old enemy grows ill
•	Civil War Part 4
•	The industrial revolution comes to Dahomey
•	Revisionist history of Adandozan
•	The Fulani clear the Oyo from the board
•	Dahomey finally beasts Oyo
•	Dahomey-Mahi war
•	Angering the Egba
Week 9: Stronger Apart, the Yoruba factions cause trouble
•	Dahomey-Abomey war
•	Amazons save the day
•	Loss of the royal Umbrella
•	The fires of Okeadon 
•	The Egba crush the Dahomey
•	Ghezo dies
•	Glele the overconfident leader
•	Dahomey loses again
•	Fighting with Ketu
•	The French get interested
Week 10: The First Franco-Dahomey War
•	France and Dahomey eye each other
•	Murder of the Senegalese 
•	Dahomey the landlord
•	Prince Kondo angers the French
•	Glele dies
•	Kondo is gone, I am now Behanzin 
•	Senegal and Gabon join the action
•	Tirailleurs vs Amazons
•	A tense peace
Week 11: The Second Franco-Dahomey War
•	Mobilizing for hostilities
•	The bloody French advance
•	Trench warfare before WW1
•	Final Battle at the Palace
•	Viceroy Rule under France
•	Colonial Benin
Week 12: A quick look at the Amazons
•	Why women warriors
•	Recruitment
•	Special regiments
•	Social Status
•	Military Attire
•	Arsenal
•	Training
•	Out of combat
•	Tactics
•	Pop culture
•	Class conclusion