Talk:Ahenzae

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. Track your hook after promotion. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Zzz plant (talk) 03:01, 8 September 2026 (UTC)

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• ... that according to tradition, King Ahenzae of the Kingdom of Benin became king at sixteen after his childless predecessor left no eligible direct heir? Source: Egharevba 1968 p. 34.
  AHENZAE—about 1641 A.D. With the death of Oba Ohuan the throne was opened to rotation among different branches of the Royal Family for six reigns. Oba Ohuan died childless and Ahenzae, the great grandson of Oba Orhogbua, was made Oba. He was only sixteen years old when he was crowned.
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Khirbet el-Hammam (Narbata)

Improved to Good Article status by Vanderwaalforces (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 18 past nominations.

Vanderwaalforces (talk) 10:06, 1 August 2026 (UTC).

• I originally sent this message to WT:DYK until I was told I was to request it here: Hello there. Can I please ask for a two-day extension for Ahenzae as it is about 34 hours later than the seven-day rule, please? Vanderwaalforces (talk) 10:11, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

• • Don't know what to tell you about the extension, if it were after me you'd be fine. Newly promoted, finely written, no plagiarism, long enough. Hook is verified but, alas, not interesting. I'll try to objectivize this, so you don't think I'm being a dick: it is quite common for cadet branches to get to reign, even as children (well below the age of sixteen) when the main lines die out; it's also apparently entirely based on legend, which may be impinging on DYK rules about fiction-as-fact. The Capuchin story is much more striking in its details, so maybe consider picking out a fact from that. Dahn (talk) 18:31, 18 August 2026 (UTC)
    • @Dahn: Thank you for your message, here are some other hooks that might be interesting to you: ALT1 "... that according to tradition, King Ahenzae lost the Kingdom of Benin's royal coral beads to a palace priest through repeated games of dice?" (source: Egharevba 1968 p. 34, Ryder 1961 p.247), ALT2 "... that a 1651 account said an official used musicians and at least 500 concubines to make King Ahenzae accept palace seclusion?", ALT3 "... that Spanish Capuchins spent nearly ten months in the Kingdom of Benin but obtained only two formal audiences with King Ahenzae?", ALT4 "... that missionaries entered a ceremony attended by more than 2,000 senior men to confront King Ahenzae of the Kingdom of Benin about sacrifices?". I can still come up with some others if any of these are still boring, thanks! Vanderwaalforces (talk) 09:35, 19 August 2026 (UTC)
      • @Vanderwaalforces: Thank you, sir! They all seem interesting, in fact thrilling. One more request is that you add here a quote from the source for one of the hooks, or for all of them if should you want to, so that I can count this as fully verified. Dahn (talk) 18:54, 19 August 2026 (UTC)
        • ALT1 quote: Egharevba 1968 p.34 Oba Ohuan died childless and Ahenzae, the great grandson of Oba Orhogbua, was made Oba. He was only sixteen years old when he was crowned. Many took advantage of his youthfulness so that the long-stored treasures of the former Kings were wasted. The royal coral beads were gambled away in games of dice with Osuan.
        • ALT2 quote: Ryder 1969, p. 17–18 In these circumstances, it is not surprising that descriptions of the Benin system of government written in the seventeenth century by Dutch, Spanish and Italian observers all show the supposedly all-powerful Oba virtually confined to his palace, and hedged around by his chiefs. One of the Spanish Capuchins who went to Benin in1651 drew this picture of the Oba’s plight: One of these officials was an old man, and a great magician, who consulted the devil on all matters, and enjoyed so much favour with the king that the latter was entirely under his influence, and nothing what-soever was decided in the kingdom without his advice. In order that the king might not know what was happening among his subjects, he had been persuaded, on the pretext of enhancing his greatness, to leave his palace only once a year, and allow no-one to see him. But so that the king might be satisfied with this form of seclusion, and neither seek nor desire outside diversions, these had been provided within the palace itself—which was very large—by a variety of musicians, and by furnishing for his carnal pleasures and debaucheries five hundred concubines; some even affirm that their number exceeds three thou-sand. So great was the cunning and wickedness of the official, that he might not lose his favour with the king.
        • ALT3 quote: Ryder 1961, p. 243. The Oba appeared amiable and interested in what the priestshad to say. Moreover it was proved that he had never read the letterwhich the Vice-Prefect had given to the court official, because hereturned it to the Prefect saying that there had been no-one availableto translate it. A Portuguese was then found who knew enough of theEdo language to convey the contents which seemed to meet with theOba's approval for he offered them lodgings within the palace so thathe might talk with them more conveniently. The offer was never made good, nor did the Capuchins find it easy to renew contact withthe Oba : in all they contrived to see him only twice in ten months. On the second occasion they presented their gifts to the Oba, the Iy'Oba and the most important chiefs, while the Oba gave them to understand that he would build a church and provide them with interpreters so that they might explain to him the mysteries of their religion.
        • ALT4 quote: Ryder 1961, p. 244. Despite these frustrations and handicaps, the Spaniards managed with clandestine lessons from a Portuguese to learn enough of the language to make one final effort to speak to the Oba. They chose the occasion of a major ceremony involving human sacrifice when it would be possible for them to join the crowds flocking into the palace. From the indications of time given in their reports, this ceremony must have taken place in May 1652 and was probably the ugie-ivie ritual at which sacrifices were made over the Oba's coral regalia.1Two of the missionaries, the Prefect and Father Felipe de Hijar, went to the palace and waited by the main gate for an opportunity to enter. This is Father Felipe's account of what happened: The chief men of the city, who, the natives say, number more than two thousand, were entering the palace, all wearing the various costumes appropriate to the ceremony. They went in until they filled the four courtyards of the palace, and as it was now one o'clock and the palace was crowded, we entered the first courtyard. Among those who were watching us was a venerableold man who, by his outward appearance, seemed a veritable St. Peter. He made a sign to us that we should follow him. We wereamazed because we had never seen him before that moment, andalso because the negroes had always taken care that we should notsee the sacrifices. In the end we went with the old man from onecourtyard to another until we reached the last one where, of hisown accord, he told us to stand under the gallery of the courtyard. In the middle of the gallery we found a table on which lay the scimitars that were to be used to decapitate five men and five animals of every species found in that country. We waited for a favourable moment, and when it came we stepped out into the open courtyard which, like the others in the palace, was...
        • @Dahn: Ah, thank you, I have quoted the various sources above now. Vanderwaalforces (talk) 22:49, 20 August 2026 (UTC)
          • Good to go, slight preference for ALT2. Dahn (talk) 18:07, 21 August 2026 (UTC)