kingdom · West Africa

Ijesha Kingdom

1500 CE – 1893 CE (approx.) · capital Ilesa

Yoruba kingdom of the eastern uplands centred on Ilesa, whose war leader Ogedengbe led the Ekiti Parapo against Ibadan.

Origins

Ijesha tradition holds that the kingdom was founded by Ajibogun, called Obokun, a son of Oduduwa who fetched sea water to cure his father's blindness and was rewarded with a crown. His title, Owa Obokun, became that of the kings of Ijesha, who later fixed their capital at Ilesa.

Rule and society

The Owa ruled with a council of town chiefs and war chiefs over farming communities in a fertile hill country. Ijesha was a regional power among the eastern Yoruba, trading kola and cloth. In the 19th century Ibadan's expansion brought defeat and occupation, and the Ijesha warlord Ogedengbe rose to lead resistance.

Decline and legacy

Ijesha joined the Ekiti Parapo alliance in the long Kiriji war against Ibadan from 1877, until a British-brokered treaty of 1886 halted the fighting and the war camps were dispersed in 1893. It then came under British control within Southern Nigeria, and the Owa Obokun still reigns at Ilesa in Osun State.

Connections (2)

  • Ijesha Kingdom was conquered by Ibadan1870 CE
  • Ijesha Kingdom was part of Ekiti Parapo1878 CE – 1886 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ijesha Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ijesha-kingdom
MLA
“Ijesha Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ijesha-kingdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ijesha Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ijesha-kingdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ijesha Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ijesha-kingdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻