The great kingdom of the Edos started as a small city-state on the River Benin. Its early history, like that of Oyo, is not clear. But according to Chief Jacob Egharevbas's version narrated in his book 'short story of Benin', the kingdom in its earliest history (900-1300 A.D.) was ruled by a line of kings called Ogisos. There were altogether about ten Ogisos in this Ogiso dynasty including two women. The rule of the Ogisos later became unsatisfactory and tyrannical. So the dynasty was overthrown about 1300 A.D., after which the state passed through a period of republican rule.
Unfortunately, republican rule proved equally unsatisfactory. So the people appealed to the Oni of Ife for a prince to rule over them. Consequently, Oduduwa sent his grandson Oranmiyan to rule overr the Bini. Oranmiyan found the task of ruling the Edos a difficult one probably because he could not understand Edo ways of life. It is said he gave Benin its present name 'Ile Ibinu' (The land of vexation). This was later reduced to 'Ubini' , and lastly to 'Benin'. Oranmiyan came to the conclusion that only a prince of Edo blood could rule his people. So he married the daughter of a Bini Chief and this woman gave birth to a son. Oranmiyan left his son to rule Bini, and returning to Yorubaland, founded antother kingdom at Oyo.

It is interesting to note that Yoruba andBenin traditions agree in the matter of the foundation of the Ife dynasty of Benin.
Oranmiyan's son was crowned Oba Eweka I, about 1300. He was the first king of the Ife dynasty in Benin which has survived till this day and has given the kingdom thirthy-five Obas.

By about the begining of the 15th century however, the Ife dynasty of Benin had ben strongly established and became politically-independent of Ife. Nevertheless, the religious and cultural influence of Ife continued in Benin, For instance, the art of casting bras figures supposed to have been introduced from Ife still went on.
In time, the Obas became strong and began to expand the frontiers of the kingdom by conquest of neighbouring villages. Under Ewuare the Great (1440-1473), the kingdom entered its Golden Age and its influence and power were widely extended. Ewuare raised Benin to the status of a metropolitan city, and built roads and towns in different parts of the kingdom.
It has been said that Ewuare's rule was unpopular and tyrannical.
As a result many citizens of Benin emigrated to areas outside the empire. Some have suggestedthat the origin of the Urhobo, the Western Ijaw, Western Igbo and Onitsha Igbo whose cultures are somewhat similar to that of the Bini, may be traced to this emigration.
But even so, Ewuare deserved to be called the Great. It was he who extended the empire to the west banks of theniger. He did not only built up the city of Benin but also increased its wealth by encouraging carving in ivory and wood and brass casting for which Benin has ever remained famous. Again, under him, the kingdom acquirwd an intensive area of the coast and extended its sway north to Idah and west to Lagos which was a Benin colony when the Portuguese first visited it in 1472. Ewuare's success, no doubt, depended upon the possession of an efficient army and a well organised administration.

Wuare was succeeded probably by Oba Ozolua. It was he who received the first European visitor to Benin, Jao Affonso d' Aveiro, in 1486. He established trade and diplomatic relations with Portugal and sent an ambassador to Portugal in the reign of King JohnII (1481-95). The Benin ambassador returned with Portuguese missionaries and trading agents, and many rich presents for the Oba.
The King governed the state with the assistance of a state Council which is supposed to have come into during Ewuare's reign. The states Council consisted of six nobles called the Usama who formed hereditary class. They were the Benin counterpart of theOyomesi. The Usama, at one time, grew powerful and in effect became kingmakers like the Oyomesi of Oyo and could even elect a new Oba from among themselves. A struggle for powe ensued between the Oba and the Usama. The power of the Oba derived from the fact that he could not be unseated by the Usama as the Oyomesi could unseat the Alafin.

@Op yuh-r frm edo state i guess

The kingdom of Benin had no standing army, but the king could raise 100,000 men in twenty four hours" from among his subjects.There was however a permanent war-Captain or field Marshall next in the rank to the Oba.
The decline of Benin trade eas one of the cause of the fall of the empire. After 1520, the Portuguese cam less frequently to Benin owing to the growth of the Asian trade and the creation of better bases at fernando Po and Sao Thome islands. Finally, the rise of the Oyo empire meant that the trade of Yorubaland began to reach the coast through new outlets such as Lagos and Badagri and no longer through Benin.
Though the old Benin empire disappeared in the 18th century, the Benin state has survived into modern times. Today, the Benin state has a population of over a million Edo-speaking people, about 50,000 of whom live in Benin city. This miracle of survival is one of the great achievements of the Bini. Of course you should also remember their other achievements. They built an empire of immense size and influence which embraced the Ekos, Ishans, Kukurukus, Ekitis, Owos, Itsekiris, Urhobos, Ijaws and Ondos. They attained a high artistic excellence of which the Benin 'bronzes' are an abiding evidence. They were the first people in Nigeria to exchange ambassadors with a European power as far back as the 15th century.

Sheenor: @Op yuh-r frm edo state i guess

lol i'm not i'm from Oyo state but my mum is from cross river so they have a little ties with edos.

this OP sha......