CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CURRENT CHALLENGES __________________________________________________________________________ the Allada Kingdom resulted in the formation of the Adjatché Kingdom in the south-east. Further north, under the direction of Houegbadja (1645-1689), the Dahomey Kingdom was formed. Abomey became its capital. 50. However, it was Agadja the Conqueror (1708-1732), one of the sons of Houegbadja, and his successors, including Guézo (1818-1858), who succeeded in transforming Danxomé into a powerful pro-slavery kingdom that prospered through international trade. Besides his warrior campaigns, Guézo also successfully modernised the kingdom: the monarchy was reorganised by improving provincial structures and instituting a fiscal administration, while the army was strengthened by modern arms and the establishment of a permanent military corps (including a special ‘brigade’ known as the Amazones). 51. Finally, Guézo also succeeded in transforming the kingdom’s political economy, in the middle of the 19th Century, by abolishing the slave trade. Gradually, the export of palm oil replaced that of ebony wood (black slaves), resulting in profound socioeconomic changes in the kingdom. His successor, Glélé (1858-1889), continued with the work of centralising policy and modernising the economy. 52. Colonisation profoundly disrupted this modernising process. At the end of a protracted war of resistance, King Béhanzin (1889-1894), the son of Glélé, was dethroned and Dahomey became a French protectorate. Relying on the rivalry between Abomey and King Toffa of Porto-Novo, France conquered the rebel kingdom without any difficulty. 53. In 1851, France signed a trade and friendship treaty with King Guézo. Under the treaties signed in 1868 and 1878, King Glélé transferred the Cotonou region, situated between Ouidah and Porto-Novo, to France. In 1883 King Toffa, of Porto-Novo, who wanted to protect himself against the expansionist aims of Dahomey, signed a protectorate treaty with France. 54. In 1899, Dahomey was integrated into the AOF. Its borders were determined in agreement with Great Britain and Germany. They were originally established in Nigeria but are presently in Togo. In Dahomey, thanks to the religious missions, education was considered important, particularly in the south. Thus, in the period between the two wars, Dahomey was one of the main political and intellectual centres of the AOF. 55. Political activities developed quite early and political parties were soon born, while a press opposed to the colonial system arose. Aligned with free France during World War II, Dahomey became an autonomous state within the French community in 1958. The country attained independence on 1 August 1960 and entered the UN the following month. 45