The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dahomey). The Benin kingdom has continued to be mostly populated by the Edo (also known as Benin ethnic group). In 1897, a British military force, of approximately 1,200 men, under the command of Sir Harry Rawson, mounted the Benin punitive Expedition. The force dispatched in retaliation to the ambush of a British party, at Ugbine village near Gwato, on the 4th January 1897, by a group of Benin soldiers, acting without orders from the Oba; the ambush had led to the deaths of all but two of the British party. The British force captured the capital of the Kingdom of Benin, sacking and burning the city while forcing the Oba of Benin, Ovonramwen, into a six-month exile. The expeditionary force consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers based in colonial-era Nigeria. Numerous artworks (collectively known as the Benin Bronzes) looted from the city palace were sold off to defray the costs of the expedition. Ovonramwen died in 1914, his throne never having been restored to him. His son, grandson and now his great-grandson, however, all preserved their title and status as traditional rulers in modern-day Nigeria. History List of Obas of the Benin Kingdom Pre-Imperial Obas of Benin (pre-1280–1440) Eweka I (1180–1246) Uwuakhuahen (1246–1250) Henmihen (1250–1260) Ewedo (1260–1274) Oguola (1274–1287) Edoni (1287–1292) Akang (1292–1296) Udagbedo (1296–1329) Ohen (1329–1366) Egbeka (1366–1397) Orobiru (1397–1434) Uwaifiokun (1434–1440) Obas of Imperial Benin (1440–1897) There is some uncertainty in the dates of the reigns of some of the earlier warrior kings Ewuare I (1440–1473) Ezoti (1473–1474) Olua (1475–1480) Ozolua (1480–1504) Esigie (1504–1547) Orhogbua (1547–1580) Ehengbuda (1580–1602) Ohuan (1602–1656) Ohenzae (1656-1675) Akenkpaye (1675–1684) Akengbedo (1684–1689) Ore-Oghene (1689–1701) Ewuakpe (1701–1712) Ozuere (1712–1713) Akenzua I (1713–1740) Eresoyen (1740–1750) Akengbuda (1750–1804) Obanosa (1804–1816) Ogbebo (1816) Osemwende (1816–1848) Adolo (1848–1888) Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (1888–1914) (exiled to Calabar by the British in 1897) Post-Imperial Obas of Benin (1914–present) Eweka II (1914–1933) Akenzua II (1933–1978) Erediauwa (1979–2016) Ewuare II (2016–present) See also Iyoba of Benin Ogiso Akenzua II References External links Africa Reparations Movement | Campaign for the return of the Benin Bronzes Stories of royalty in brass. Collections Multimedia Public Access System, The British Museum, 2000. Accessed