The women beside the throne

The Kpojito (pronounced kpo-jee-toh) were not queen consorts. They were not wives who happened to be the king's mother. They were co-sovereigns — women chosen during a king's reign to hold formal political authority, with their own court, their own wealth, and their own sphere of jurisdiction.

Every king of Dahomey had a Kpojito. The institution lasted as long as the kingdom itself. Here is the complete known list, compiled from oral tradition, European accounts, and the work of historians.

How the list was compiled

The Kpojito were not systematically recorded by Dahomey's own scribes, and European visitors often failed to distinguish them from the broader category of "queen mother." The list below draws on the scholarship of historians including Edna Bay, Robin Law, and Suzanne Preston Blier, as well as Fon oral tradition preserved in Abomey.

Some early Kpojito names have been lost. For others, only the Fon name survives, and the precise dates of their tenure remain uncertain. Gaps are noted where they exist.

The complete list

1. hwanjile (c. 1645-1700s)

King: Houegbadja (reigned c. 1645-1685) The first known Kpojito. Hwanjile is credited with establishing the spiritual foundations of the role. She was a powerful Vodun priestess who integrated Vodun rituals into the royal institution.

2. adonon (c. 1685-1708)

King: Akaba (reigned 1685-1708) Adonon served during Akaba's reign. She is remembered for her role in the royal succession and for managing the palace during Akaba's military campaigns.

3. name unknown

King: Hangbe (reigned 1708-1711, regent) Hangbe herself was a woman who ruled as regent after Akaba's death. Her Kpojito is not recorded in surviving sources. This gap reflects the incomplete state of the historical record.

4. nasentou (c. 1711-1740)

King: Agadja (reigned 1711-1740) Nasentou served during the reign of Agadja, the king who conquered Allada and transformed Dahomey into a regional power. She was involved in the administration of the newly conquered territories.

5. tohonou (c. 1740-1774)

King: Tegbesu (reigned 1740-1774) Tohonou is recorded as a woman of considerable political skill. Tegbesu's reign was marked by consolidation and diplomacy, and Tohonou played a role in the negotiation of Dahomey's relationship with the Oyo Empire.

6. hwanjile II (c. 1750s)

King: Tegbesu (reigned 1740-1774) Some sources mention a second Hwanjile during Tegbesu's reign. This may be a confusion with the original Hwanjile, or it may indicate that a Kpojito could serve a term and be succeeded by another during the same king's reign. The evidence is inconclusive.

7. kpadonou (c. 1774-1789)

King: Kpengla (reigned 1774-1789) Kpadonou is referenced in oral tradition as a woman of strong will who advised Kpengla on military matters.

8. senugbe (c. 1789-1818)

King: Agonglo (reigned 1789-1818) Senugbe served during Agonglo's long reign. She is associated with the palace's alchemy tradition — Agonglo was known for his interest in distillation and chemical processes.

9. adjontou (c. 1797-1818)

King: Agonglo (reigned 1789-1818) A second Kpojito during Agonglo's reign, suggesting the role made have been held sequentially.

10. na adjimon (c. 1818-1858)

King: Ghezo (reigned 1818-1858) Na Adjimon was Kpojito during the reign of Ghezo, Dahomey's most powerful 19th-century king. She was a figure of considerable authority, with her own court and significant economic resources.

11. na hounsou (c. 1858-1889)

King: Glele (reigned 1858-1889) Na Hounsou served during Glele's reign. She is recorded in European accounts as a dignified and authoritative figure who participated in the annual customs and state ceremonies.

12. na gbebe (c. 1889-1894)

King: Behanzin (reigned 1889-1894) Na Gbebe was Kpojito during the reign of the last independent king. Her tenure coincided with the Franco-Dahomean Wars. Little is recorded about her specifically, but she would have been witness to the kingdom's final struggle.

13. na dada (c. 1894-1900)

King: Agoli-Agbo (reigned 1894-1900) Agoli-Agbo was installed by the French after Behanzin's exile. Na Dada served as his Kpojito, though the institution was already in decline under colonial rule.

After the kingdom

After the French conquest, the Kpojito institution did not disappear immediately, but it was transformed. Under colonial rule, the Kpojito lost their political authority and became primarily symbolic figures. The French administration did not recognise the dual sovereignty structure.

In independent Benin, the role of Kpojito was maintained within the traditional royal structure, though without formal state power. The current king of Abomey, Dah Dedjalagni, has a designated Kpojito who participates in traditional ceremonies.

What the list reveals

The list reveals several patterns:

Longevity: Some Kpojito served across multiple decades, while others served for shorter periods.

Political importance: The Kpojito were not passive figures. They were involved in military administration, diplomacy, and the management of the palace economy.

Institutional continuity: Despite the gaps in the record, the institution clearly persisted for over 250 years — longer than most European dynasties.

Lost knowledge: The names that have been lost remind us how much we do not know. For every Kpojito whose name survives, there were women whose authority was considered unremarkable at the time and therefore unrecorded.

Visiting the Kpojito memory

In the Royal Palaces of Abomey, the Kpojito are remembered in the bas-reliefs and in the oral tradition preserved by the palace guides. The Palace of King Glele includes spaces that were associated with the Kpojito's court. The museum displays objects that belonged to the Kpojito's household.

A visit to Abomey with a knowledgeable guide can bring these women back to life — not as footnotes to male kings, but as the co-sovereigns they were.

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Explore further: The Kpojito — Dahomey's Queen Mothers · Nansica — The Mino Warrior · Dahomey Amazons — Real History · Royal Palaces of Abomey · Ouidah Origins · Visit Ganvie

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