King Kobina of Elmina, Ghana, 1890s
King Kobina of Elmina, holding mace, and members of tribe in traditional dress, Ghana. The Ashanti Empire was an Akan empire and kingdom in what is now modern-day Ghana from 1670 to 1957. Due to the empire's military prowess, wealth, architecture, sophisticated hierarchy and culture, the Ashanti Kingdom has been extensively studied. Starting in the late 17th century, the Ashanti king Osei Tutu established the Ashanti Kingdom, with the Golden Stool of Asante as a sole unifying symbol, overseeing a massive Ashanti territorial expansion, building up the army by introducing new organization and turning a disciplined royal and paramilitary army into an effective fighting machine. In 1896, the British expeditionary force, under the command of Robert Baden-Powell, arrived in Kumasi. The Asantehene (king) directed the Ashanti to not resist, as he feared a genocide. Britain annexed the territories of the Ashanti and the Fanti. Asantehene was deposed and arrested, and he and other Ashanti leaders were sent into exile in the Seychelles. The Asante Union was dissolved. The British formally declared the state of the Ashanti Kingdom and the coastal regions to be the Gold Coast colony. No photographer credited, 1895-96
