French Dahomey

Benin, 1904–1958. Draft, not yet reviewed

French Dahomey, officially the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies, was a French colony and part of French West Africa. The Second Franco-Dahomean War resulted in it becoming a French protectorate in 1894. A decree dated 22 June 1894 created the Colonie de Dahomey et dépendances, which was to be incorporated into French West Africa in 1904. On 4 December 1958, it became the Republic of Dahomey, self-governing within the French Community.

Seat of power: Porto-Novo

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• Under the French, a port was constructed at Cotonou, and railroads were built.
• School facilities were expanded by Roman Catholic missions.
• In 1946, Dahomey became an overseas territory, part of the French Union, with its own parliament and representation in the French national assembly.

Picture

In 1863, following British bombardment, Porto-Novo accepted French protection, and by 1900, it became the capital of French Dahomey.

Image: GBETONGNINOUGBO JOSEPH HERVE AHISSOU, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

• French Dahomey (Wikipedia)
• French Dahomey (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.