The most influential African kingdom is no doubt just one, as Africa, given its very wide landscape and geographical diversity, is naturally splattered with kingdoms which according to history are landmarks. Thus, they remain to this date very influential and unforgettable.
As Africa in the past operated rulership based on the monarchical form government, and the African society based on communalism, many African kingdoms became famous for their different ruling systems which by nature may turn out to be despotic, incorporative, oligarchic, aristocratic, democratic, etc. Following this unique systems, African kingdoms became popular and at the same time influential.
The Most Influential African Kingdom.
The following list of the most influential African kingdom does not really follow the order of seniority or supremacy when it comes to how much each wields influence over the present world.
1. The Kingdom of Dagbon
The Dagbon Kingdom should be included as the most influential African kingdom and one of the oldest and most organized traditional kingdoms in Ghana. The Dagomba people (Dagbamba) founded it in the 11th century. A warrior named Tohazie around 1250 arrived in present-day northern Ghana with his cavalry men from east of Lake Chad, stopping in Zamfara, present-day northern Nigeria, and in the Mali Empire, before settling in northern Ghana to start this African kingdom.
It was this kingdom that formed the present-day Ghana and since the independence of Ghana in 1957, the Kingdom like all of Africa’s other kingdoms and ethnic states has assumed a traditional, customary role.
2. Zulu Empire
The Zulu kingdom was a monarchy and it extended to the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north. It forms the most influential African kingdom in Southern Africa to date. That is because of its glorious historical encounter with the British which it conquered in 1879e in the Anglo-Zulu War.
Today, the Zulu kingdom has grown to dominate much of what is now KwaZulu-Natal where a large portion of the territory is made up of wildlife reserves and a major contributing source of income is derived from tourism – the area is known for its savanna covered hills.
3. Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria.
It grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking state and rose through the outstanding organizational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people, wealth gained from trade, and a powerful cavalry.
The Oyo Empire was one of the most politically important states in the entirety of Western Africa from the mid-7th to the late 18th century, and held sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin on its west.
It is also home to, Ibadan, the largest city in all of West Africa.
The origins of the Oyo Empire lie with Oranyan also known as Oranmiyan, the last prince of the Yoruba Kingdom of Ile-Ife.
It can be said to be the Most Influential African Kingdom.
4. Kongo Kingdom
This is also the most influential African kingdom in terms of its expanse of land and very large domination of many African territories. Kongo Kingdom was a kingdom located in central Africa in present-day northern Angola, taking the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and extending it to the Republic of the Congo as well as the southernmost part of Gabon. It also reached from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south.
It remained as an independent state from c. 1390 to 1862, even to date it is still one of the most respected and influential African kingdom around that northern and southern regions of the continent.
Other Kingdoms to be considered as the most influential African Kingdoms are:
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Kingdom of Mapungubwe
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Wagadu Empire
