Oba Oduduwa – Oyo Empire (Yorubaland, Nigeria) N/A 700-AD? Oduduwa is considered the progenitor of the Yorubaland and Yoruba Dynasty. He is a national folk-hero and considered a primordial God in Yoruba culture. There is much debate on where Oduduwa originally came from or when exactly he founded the Yorubaland and language; however, he and his clan descended on the lower region of Nigeria and defeated several existing settlements to establish Yorubaland. Legend has it that he had 16 sons and daughters, and before he died, he sent each one to the centers of his conquered territories to rule autonomously, where they founded the kingdoms of Ila Orangun, Owu, Ketu, Sabe, Popo and Oyo. Oranmiyan thus established the Yoruba dynastic family line.

Oba Ewuare (also Ewuare the Great) Benin Empire (Edo, Nigeria) 1440 -1473. Oba Ewuare is known as the first king of the Benin Empire, the reformer of Benin City and one of the first warrior kings of West Africa. It’s chronicled that during his reign, he conquered and absorbed at least 201 surrounding towns and villages. Together, Ewuare and his son and successor, Oba Ozolua, were responsible for establishing a viable foreign trade in Benin, building substantial palaces and creating several strategic policies, one of which removed the conquered town’s chieftains from absolute power but allowed them power in a congressional committee. He also created a patrimonial bureaucracy in which freemen served as military and administrative chiefs. Outside of war and politics, Ewuare is described as a charismatic leader. He established several cultural traditions, communal events and festivals. Under Ewuare, the tradition of Beninese arts flourished.