Person

Tegbesu

r. 1740–1774 · 18th century

Tegbesu was king of Dahomey from 1740 to 1774, succeeding his father Agaja after a disputed succession. He consolidated royal control over the port of Ouidah and the slave trade, which became a royal monopoly and the main source of the kingdom's revenue, while Dahomey continued to pay tribute to Oyo. His reign strengthened the administration and the court at Abomey.

Tegbesu
Image: Adoscam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tegbesu. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tegbesu
MLA
“Tegbesu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tegbesu. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tegbesu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tegbesu.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tegbesu’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tegbesu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻