Benin and Europe
I can explain how contact with Europeans led to the Benin Bronzes being looted.
Benin and Europe
I can explain how contact with Europeans led to the Benin Bronzes being looted.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- In the 1500s CE Portugese merchants began to trade goods like guns with Benin in exchange for enslaved people.
- The Dutch, French and English entered this trade in the 1600s CE, making Benin rich and powerful.
- However, by the 1800s CE, the power of Benin had weakened, and the British wanted to control trade in the region.
- In 1897 they invaded the kingdom of Benin, burning Benin City to the ground and making it part of British Nigeria.
- During the invasion thousands of pieces of Edo artwork, including some of those in the British Museum, were looted.
Common misconception
The Kingdom of Benin's trade with Europe solely revolved around the transatlantic slave trade.
While the Kingdom of Benin did participate in the slave trade to some extent, it also engaged in other forms of trade, including the exchange of goods such as ivory, pepper, cloth, and brassware.
Keywords
Enslaved - when a person is enslaved it means that they are forced to be a slave
Transatlantic - transatlantic means crossing the Atlantic Ocean
British Nigeria - British Nigeria refers to the time when Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when they achieved independence
Loot - to loot means to steal items from a place during a war but and can also mean the stolen items
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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