The Princess Who Challenged The Throne: Igwiyisi’s Fight That Nearly Split Benin

By IGBINAZAKA OGIESUYI OGIAMIEN

PRINCESS Igwiyisi, the trailblazing first daughter of Oba Eweka II, occupies a complicated and often overlooked chapter in Benin’s royal history. Upon the passing of their father in 1933, she challenged the traditional succession order, entering into a fierce dispute with her younger brother, the future Oba Akenzua II. Her demand was unprecedented: she insisted that the Benin throne be opened to women, and she pressed her case not only before the palace chiefs but all the way to the British Crown, writing multiple letters to the King of England appealing for intervention.

The colonial authorities, however, sided with palace tradition. Both they and the Benin chiefs rejected her claim, reaffirming the long-standing male line of succession. Undeterred, Princess Igwiyisi attempted a second strategy—seeking to elevate another younger brother, who shared her mother, despite his being junior to Akenzua II. That effort was also firmly dismissed.

To avoid unrest in the kingdom and ensure a smooth transition, Benin chiefs eventually compensated Princess Igwiyisi and her brother, allowing Akenzua II to ascend without further conflict. Her resistance, though ultimately unsuccessful, remains a potent reminder of early gender-rights agitation within the Benin monarchy—and a near-crisis that almost fractured the kingdom.