kingdom · West Africa

Kingdom of Ouagadougou

1495 CE – 1896 CE (approx.) · capital Ouagadougou

The leading Mossi kingdom, whose ruler the Mogho Naaba still holds court in the capital of Burkina Faso.

Origins

Mossi tradition credits Oubri, a grandson of Ouedraogo, with founding the kingdom of Ouagadougou around 1495 by subduing the local farming peoples of the White Volta basin. Successive rulers extended its authority, and it became the largest of the Mossi states alongside the Kingdom of Yatenga and the Kingdom of Tenkodogo.

Rule and society

The Mogho Naaba, 'ruler of the world', governed through ministers, provincial chiefs and a court of pages and royal servants. Mossi cavalry resisted the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire, whose ruler Askia Muhammad attacked them in 1497. Mossi religion and earth-priests remained strong, and Islam made only limited progress before the 19th century.

Decline and legacy

In 1896 French forces took Ouagadougou, and Mogho Naaba Wobgo fled. The kingdom became part of French West Africa, and Ouagadougou the capital of French Upper Volta and later Burkina Faso. The Mogho Naaba still reigns as a respected traditional ruler.

Lineage

Kingdom of Tenkodogo 1450 CE – 1897 CEKingdom of Ouagadougou

Connections (3)

More states of West Africa →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻