Asante-European Wars 1

Asante-European Wars

Asante-European Wars

Part of Black Chattelization Wars

Asante warriors, about 1960

Date 1824 - 1902

Location Asanteland, West Afrika

Result Partial european victory, Asanteland becomes a territory of the british empire. The Golden Stool remained hidden fromthe British

Belligerents  Asante Empire  british Empire

Commanders and leadersYaa Asantewaa,Nana Kofi Kakari,Antwi Panin,Nana Boaten,Osei Tutu Kwame Asibe Bonsu

Sir Garnet Woseley,Frederick Mitchell Hodgson,Charles McCarthy

The Asante-European wars are a series of wars that were instigated by the British and fought for control over theland and resources of present day Ghana between the early 1800's and early 1900's.

Early HostilitiesThe wars began in the late 1700's when the Asante defeated the Fanti peoples in the Asante-Fanti Wars. After theend of hostilities between the Fanti and Asante, the Asante were granted the "papers" to the cape coast castle. Afterwhich, the Asante nation controlled from the middle of Ghana to the sea. Because the British has some control overthe coastal areas, and some influence over the coastal kings, the Asantehene and the British Governor often workedtogether to solve political issues. There was a point that they created a treaty that stated "Should any coastal state actin a way st to cause annoyance in the Asante Nation, or to show disrespect toward the Asantehene, the Governorwould reprimand the state. One of these times came after one of the coastal states, the Fanti began to act as if theyweren't under a part of the Asanti nation anymore. The Governor failed to reprimand the Fanti, and from then on theWhite man was known to not keep promises. After some years there was no word from the British Governor so theAsantehene disregarded the treaty, and advised his people to stop trading with the British. In the following years, theBritish began to empower the coastal states, using divide and conquer tactics against the Afrikans of the area. someof the divide and conquer tactics were

•• The British Governor began to influence the Fanti and other peoples to hoot at Asante messengers, and chasethem out of coastal lands

• The British began training Ga militias and equipping them with weapons to fight the Asanti•• Their influence was causing coastal nations to break alliances with the Asanti

Asante-European Wars 2

•• The British eventually publicly renounced their policy of 'non interference' in order to crush the Asanti power inthe region.

Opening ShotsAfter the Asanti realized the British could not be trusted, they wanted nothing to do with them. They cut all ties, andbegan to deal with only other Afrikans. In 1822 a fight broke out between a British Policeman and and AsanteTrader. The British police man uttered "abusive words" and the trader told the Asantihene. Messengers were sent tocapture the policeman and behead him for his transgression against the Asanti Nation. Because the Fanti, and othercoastal states harbored resentment to the Asanti nation still, they sided with the British on this issue, and the situationdescended into war with the Asanti nation on one side, and the british empire and coastal states on the other.

Second Asante-British and Allied Forces WarMain article: Battle of Nsamanko

Fanti houses surrounding cape coast castle

Notice the Cape Coast cannons facing inner Afrika,rather than the Atlantic ocean

After the British Policeman was beheaded, the Governor, SirCharles McCarthy rushed troops to Asantiland to capture themessengers. They could not find them, so they returned to CapeCoast. The Governor then called a Ga militia force from Accranumbering 1600 men to join his soldiers numbering 500 men atCaps Coast. All these british soldiers met the Asante army. Therewas fierce fighting, but the governor's army ran out of firepowerearly. The Governor was badly wounded, and killed himself inorder to avoid capture and decapitation. Although he committedsuicide, his body was captured, and the head was sent to theAsantihene. The victory would not be celebrated for long, as theAsantehene, Nana Osei Tutu Kwame Asibe Bonsu died on thesame day that the governor was decapitated. [1]

Third Asante-British and Allied Forces War

Main article: War of Coastal SeparationAfter the death of Nana Osei Tutu Kwame Asibe Bonsu, hisbrother Osei Yaa Okoto came to power. He noticed that the britishwere making the Afrikans in the southern part of the countrybecome confident, and begin to send threats to Kumasi hintingthey would soon break away from the kingdom. Therefore he

decided to march to the coast to see if the threats were true. When he got there, he saw that there was no rebellion,and so he called to his troops to stay calm. In order to make sure that everything was in order, he decided to staythere for 7 months. For all the months, no one acted out, and thus the king realized there was going to be nosuccession. With all these troops, it was decided that they would march east to Ga territory and punish them forbreaking the old alliance with the Asante on account of the british. When the rest of the coastal states (Fanti,Denkyra, Akyem, Akwapim, and Akwamu) heard of the Asantehene's intentions they gathered courage, and rushedto Galand to defend the Ga's. The Coastal states, plus some british West Afrikan soldiers outnumbered the AsanteForces. A great battle was fought at Dodowa and the Asante forces were routed by their massive opponents, and theyalmost lost their greatest treasure the Golden Stool which was carried into the battlefield. The Kontanasehene at the

Asante-European Wars 3

time, Nana Antwi Panin and Dwabenhene, Nana Boaten courageously rushed back to the site of battle and reclaimedit. Had they not returned to the battle, it would have been taken away by the british or the Coastal States.

Fourth Asante-British and Allied Forces WarThe Fourth war began because of many aggravations suffered by the Asante on account of the British, but mainlybecause in 1862 an old Asante man named, Kwasi Gyani broke the law, and rather that facing trial in Kumasi, he ranto Cape Coast to seek protection from the British governor. The British, under an earlier treaty were supposed to giveany law breakers to the Asantehene, but the govenor refused out of fear that the man would be put to death. TheAsante protested, to no avail, and after the protests, they sent troop to Cape Coast to sort everything out. After heavyfighting, the allied forces' encampment was destroyed and the Asante were victorious. After the destruction of thecamp, the surviving allied forces retreated and regrouped at Bokikuma they were met by more British troops butafter that second defeat at the hands of the Asante people, the governor called them back to the castle. There were nomore wars during the Asantehene's (Nana Kwaku Dua I) reign.

Fifth Asante-British and Allied Forces WarThis war commenced because the New Asantehene (Kofi Kakari) that was enstooled after Nana Kwaku Dua Idecided to devote his reign to war against the enemies of the Asante. After the Krepi war, Nana Kofi Kakari decidedto subdue the coastal states once and for all. He therefore took arms for his expedition in December, 1872. His forcesattacked the forces of Assin in February, 1873 at Assin Nyakomase. The Assin forces were no match for the Asantiwarriors. They retreated to Fante Nyankomase where they combined forces with the other coastal states, and werestill defeated. After the second defeat, they retreated to Jukwa for a final stand and were finally defeated. This defeatwas a big blow to the British because apart from diminishing the confidence the coastal states had in the government,constant raids by the Asante were retarding British development in trade and administration.

Sixth Asante-British and Allied Forces WarMain article: Serengeti WarAfter the defeat in the previous war, the British government decided to pacify the Asante people once and for all. Sothey sent for a new British general named sir Garnet Wolseley. Immediately upon arriving in the Gold CoastWoseleley called for soldiers from Nigeria, Jamaica, Sierra Leonand Gambia. He wasn't happy with the number ofsoldiers who came, so he sent for some more soldiers from Britain. When Woseleley amassed these troops, it'sestimated that he had around 4,000 men, and he still didn't think that was enough, so he sent for more from Britain.Britain then send three battalions of men. To rebuild the confidence of the Fanti people Woseleley sent the Fanti mento attack the Asante forces occupying the town of Elmina. The Fanti made a surprise attack there and defeated theAsante. Eventually the Asante soldiers escaped and returned to Kumasi. It's thought that from the fighting, andsmallpox, they lost many thousand of people. While the Asante were discussing the losses incurred on them back atElmina, Woseley was advancing on Kumasi. Because they were still weakened from the last battle, the Asantehenedecided to try to make peace. For peace, Wosleley demanded the freedom of all European troops, all Coastal Afrikantroops and 50,000 ounces of gold, the Asantehemaa, one royal to the Golden Stool and four other royals from theAsante states to be sent to him as hostages. Kofi Kakari found these demands to be too great and prepared for war. Afierce battle was fought all the way up into the outskirts of Kumasi, but Wolseley and his men, using superiorweapons were able to fight their way through to Kumasi. When they reached the town center, they found that theAsantehene and the people of Kumasi had abandoned their city. Enraged, he sent his troops to loot the city, and thenset it on fire. The Asantehene sent his men to sign the Treaty of Fomena on Febuary 2nd, 1874 at Fomena. NanaKofi Kakari was deposed seven months later on the charge of misuse of stool property.

Asante-European Wars 4

Seventh Asante-British and Allied Forces WarMain article: Yaa Asantewaa WarNear the end of the 19th century, the British exiled King Prempeh from the hinterlands of the gold coast (present dayGhana), in an attempt to take over the entire country. By 1900, still not gaining control, the British sent a governor tothe city of Kumasi, the capital of the Asante, to demand the Golden Stool, the Ark of the covenant of the Asantepeople. The Golden Stool was the supreme symbol of the sovereignty and the independence of the Asante, a fierceand warlike people who inhabit dense rain forests of what is now the Central portion of Ghana. The Governor in noway understood the sacred significance of the Stool, which according to tradition, contained the soul of the Asante.Yaa Asantewaa was present at the meeting with the governor and chiefs. When the meeting ended, and she wasalone with the Asante Chiefs, she said,"Now I have seen that some of you fear to fight for our King. If it were in the brave days of old, the days of Osei Tutu, OkomfoAnoyke and Opulu Ware, Asante Chiefs would not sit down to see their King taken away without firing a shot. No white man couldhave dared speak to Asante Chiefs in the way the Governor spoke to you chiefs this morning. If you men will not go forward, thenwe the women will. I will call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men until the last of us falls in the battlefields."

Yaa Asantewaa's speech stirred up the men, and the Asantes, led by Yaa Asantewaa, fought very bravely. TheBritish sent 1400 soldiers with guns to Kumasi, capturing Yaa Asantewaa and other leaders and sent them into exile.The war with the British started in 1805 and ended some 100 years later. Yaa Asantewaa's War was the last majorwar led by an African woman in the era of colonialism.

OutcomesThe British fort in Kumasi still stands today as a Military Museum. The Yaa Asantewaa War represented the finalwar in the Asante-European Wars that lasted throughout the 19th Century. On January 1, 1902, the British werefinally able to accomplish what the Asante army had denied them for almost a century, and the Asante empire wasmade a protectorate of the British crown. Yaa Asantewaa died in exile on October 17, 1921. Three years after herdeath, on December 27, 1924, Prempeh I and the other remaining members of the exiled Asante court were allowedto return to Asante. Prempeh I made sure that the remains of Yaa Asantewaa and the other exiled Asantes werereturned for a proper royal burial. Yaa Asantewaa's dream for an Asante free of British rule was realized on March 6,1957, when the Asante protectorate gained independence as part of Ghana, the first Afrikan nation to achieve thisfeat.

Nana Prempeh I, Ohemmaa Yaa Akyaa,Ohemmaa YaaAsantewaa and some of the deported people at the

SeychellesEuropeans in the Kumasi Fort during the Yaa

Asantewaa War

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Kumase Fort-1990

Notes[1][1] Kwado 1990

ReferencesKwado, Osei (1985). An Outline of Asante History Part 1. Kumasi: Cita Press LTD. ISBN 9988-8240-3-3.

Article Sources and Contributors 6

Article Sources and ContributorsAsante-European Wars  Source: http://www.worldafropedia.com/wiki/index.php?oldid=34765  Contributors: Kofi

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