kingdom · West Africa

Kingdom of Allada

1440 CE – 1724 CE (approx.) · capital Allada

Aja kingdom of the Slave Coast, the leading slave-trading state of the area in the 17th century and the ancestral seat of Dahomey's kings.

Origins

Allada was founded by Aja migrants from Tado, west of the Mono river, traditionally in the 15th century. Tradition links its royal line, descended from the founding ancestor Agassu, to the later rulers of the Kingdom of Dahomey and the Kingdom of Porto-Novo, which branched off from Allada in the 17th century.

Rule and society

Allada's king, known to Europeans as the king of Ardra, controlled the coast through the port of Offra and dealt with Portuguese, Dutch, English and French traders, becoming a major source of enslaved people by the 1640s. In 1670 Allada sent an ambassador to the court of Louis XIV. Vodun cults and royal ancestor worship underpinned kingship.

Decline and legacy

In 1724 Agaja of Dahomey conquered Allada, which was absorbed into his kingdom. The town remains a ritual centre, and the Allada dynasty is recognised as the ancestor of Benin's royal houses.

Connections (3)

More states of West Africa →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻