Africa has been described as a place where it is forbidden for a woman to lead the affairs of the society and most especially in royalty but history has left some African states with no choice than to forcefully accept the rule of a woman, one of them is orompoto.
Orompoto made history as the first and only female Alaafin of Oyo.
The Oyo Empire is one of the foremost empires in West Africa and rose through the outstanding organisational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people.
Established in the 12th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become the largest Yoruba state. It rose through the outstanding organizational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people, wealth gained from trade and its powerful cavalry.
Alaafin Ajiun Orompotoniyun, ruled the Oyo empire in the 16th century, speculatively from 1554 to 1562
During her reign Orompoto was responsible for leading the Oyo Empire between the years 1554 to 1562. She was the daughter of Alaafin Ofinran and the grand - daughter of Alaafin Onigbogi, both rulers of the Empire in their own time.
When her father died, her brother, Prince Eguguoju succeeded his father. It was during his reign that the capital city was moved from Oyo ile to Oyo Igboho (New Oyo), after a protracted battle with the Nupes and also as a result of internal fighting. However, he died at a young age without a male successor.
Her younger brothers, Prince Ajiboyede and Prince Tella were very young and as such couldn’t assume the throne at the time.
As a result, Orompoto would leave her role as a regent to assume the throne.
This decision didn’t sit well with the council of chiefs as there had been no female rulers in the history of the kingdom.
The chiefs and elders had started making plans on who to install as the next ruler of the Oyo Empire. For every plan they made, Orompoto was even more strong-willed and insistent that she was the only link to the dynasty and had to sit on the throne.
In a bid to defend her family rights, Princess Orompoto asked to prove to the elders and chiefs that she was a man, which was the only hindrance to her coronation.
The chiefs asked her to prove her masculinity and strip naked at the palace in seven days.
Princess Orompoto started wearing male clothing after the meeting and on the D-day, she mounted the podium and removed her cap to reveal her hair which had been cut low.
She also went ahead to show her chest which was flat and still, the elders were not impressed until shs finally removed her trousers and according to oral history, the chiefs not only saw a penis, but they also saw a scrotum sack drooping with two scrotum eggs in the sack.
At that point, everyone dropped on their chest in prostration and she got enthroned as Alaafin Orompotoniyun.
Orompotoniyun came to be popularly known as Ajiun, the custodian of the vagina that kills evil plots.
Orompoto was reportedly masterfully skilled on horseback, and devised an ingenious way of moving her warriors to attack enemies - foot soldiers in front and the calvarymen behind. Broad leaves were tied on the horses’ tails so that when they went a fighting, the leaves swept d ground after them to cover trails of d horses &men on foot.
Alaafin Ajiun died in the battle of Ilayi in 1562 fighting for her people. She’s the only one of the 40 Alaafin (39 men) who died in battle.
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