Obioye

Obioye (r. 1119–1121) was the twenty-ninth Ogiso ('King') of Igodomigodo, an early kingdom of the Benin Empire. Born and raised in the rural community of Ihinmwirin as the eldest son of Idugioduwa (later Ogiso Oduwa), he had little urban or aristocratic experience before his accession. His short reign was dominated by a severe, kingdom-wide famine (commonly dated c. 1119 – c. 1125) and runaway inflation; contemporary sources record widespread hardship, migration and the collapse of customary tribute and guild support systems. In response Obioye ordered the seizure of privately held cowries to restrict money supply (known as Igho Obioye ('Obioye's money' or 'hard currency')) and urged subjects to practise austere consumption with the proclamation Le ne ukhunmwu ('flee the inflation'); these measures failed to restore food supplies and provoked resistance from merchants and nobles.

Obioye
29th Ogiso, Monarch of Igodomigodo
Ogiso of Igodomigodo
Reign	c. 1119 – 1121 AD
Coronation	c. 1119
Predecessor	Oduwa
Successor	Arigho
Born	Ihinmwirin, Igodomigodo
Died	c. 1079 Uhunmwidunmwu, Igodomigodo
Issue	Arigho
Dynasty	Ohuede dynasty
Father	Oduwa

Contemporary chroniclers like Osarẹn Boniface Ọmọregie judged Obioye ill-suited to active kingship—he is remembered in the royal bardic tradition as "Obioye who knew not how to act the king"—and he died isolated in 1121. He was succeeded by his son Arigho, whose subsequent fiscal and trade measures are credited with attempting to stabilise the kingdom's economy.

Early life and background

Obioye was from Ihinmwirin, a rural community in Igodomigodo (modern-day Benin Kingdom).^[a] He was the firstborn of Idugioduwa, who later became Ogiso Oduwa (c. 1112 – c. 1119).^[2] When Idugioduwa moved to the city to work as an ironsmith at Ugboha — an event dated to the reign of Ogiso Odoligie — Obioye remained in Ihinmwirin to manage farmland and maintain agricultural activities.^[3] This was before the introduction, during Ohuede's reign, of the Ugbo Owinna ('guildworkers' farms') system, in which each village farmer allocated a plot for royal city artisans to harvest at year's end.^[3]

He grew up in a rural farming setting. Unlike his grandfather Ohuede, he did not hold the title of Senior Noble; he did not have the same urban exposure as his father and did not train in artisan work, focusing on subsistence agriculture.^[4] Even after his father became Ogiso, Obioye only occasionally visited the royal court and did not reside permanently at the palace in Uhunmwidunmwu.^[5]

Reign

When Obioye became ruler, the kingdom experienced a severe famine. The scarcity was notable as it came only two years after Oduwa had undertaken a diplomatic journey to Uhe ('Ife').^[6] Contemporary accounts cited three main factors for the crisis: poor harvests, reduced goods production, and a rise in prices (inflation), which prolonged shortages.^[7] In some cases, the price of a modest basket of yams could exceed one ebigho — an ebo or "money bag" holding 200,000 cowries.^[8]

Cowries were counted in ebo ('bags') of 200,000 shells (equal to one ebigho), and reserves were stored in deep pits called uye, which could reportedly hold up to 1,000 ebo (200 million cowries). Cowries were also used for personal adornment by some wealthy individuals.^[9] The period was described in the following verse:

Edo	English
Obioye khin Ogiso Ukhunmwu suun lele ere; Igho akhua loobo hanfua, Te emunu yei ban unu.[8]	Obioye became Ogiso Famine dragged after him; Had savings poured out of hands, Yet food stayed scarce against the mouth.[8]

As prices increased, the Ugbo Owinna system weakened, and many artisans returned to rural farming.^[10] Some Royal Council members left palace duties to manage their households, and tribute deliveries from the Enigie ('dukes') and Edionwere ('senior village chiefs') were suspended.^[10] The Edionnisen ('Great Nobles') and the Ughoron ('men of heaven's gate')^[b] continued to meet their obligations.^[3] Obioye's limited administrative experience affected his response to the challenges.^[5] The Ughoron referred to him with the phrase Obíoye ne o mai ren owe egie ('Obioye who knew not how to act the king').^[3]

To reduce inflation, he ordered the collection of all cowry shells from private holders to limit circulation and stabilise their value.^[11] This did not resolve the food shortage.^[12] The policy became known as Igho Obioye ('Obioye's money' or 'hard currency'),^[13] a term later used in reference to periods of high prices.^[14] Merchants and nobles expressed opposition to the policy.^[10] He also called for reduced consumption, sending the Avbiogbe ('royal messengers') with the proclamation Le ne ukhunmwu ('Flee the inflation'),^[15] which some interpreted as a directive to eat less. He reportedly limited his own diet to roasted yam with raw palm oil.^[15] This is recorded in the verse:

Edo	English
Ogiso ne o lee ne ukhunmwu Ton iyan re, b'e mu evbi won.[15]	The Ogiso who fled the famine By roasting yam and quaffing oil.[15]

Some inhabitants left the kingdom during the crisis, while others remained and adopted the austerity measures. Agricultural production did not significantly increase, and the shortages persisted.^[16] The issues of this period were later addressed through reforms under his successor, Arigho, who implemented trade and monetary policies intended to stabilise the economy.^[17]

Death and aftermath

The famine prompted migration, with many citizens leaving the kingdom in search of relief.^[18] Obioye neither initiated notable diplomatic negotiations nor introduced infrastructural measures to alleviate the crisis.^[19] By the end of 1120 his position had become isolated and precarious; he died in 1121, with some accounts reporting that he effectively starved himself as part of his austerity measures.^[15] Other traditions interpreted his death as divine retribution linked to his conduct and curses against the past and present.^[19]

The famine continued after his death, having already devastated agriculture and disrupted trade; Obioye's currency measures had failed to restore stability or resolve runaway inflation.^[16][12] Political authority was also weakened as nobles, chiefs, and officials increasingly detached themselves from palace affairs.^[10]

Following Obioye's death, his son Arigho succeeded to the throne and inherited a kingdom in economic distress.^[20] Arigho pursued a different course, introducing trade and fiscal measures aimed at stabilising revenue and managing currency circulation—policies collectively described in sources as Igho Arigho.^[21] Scholars cite the contrast between Obioye's austerity and Arigho's monetary reforms when assessing the period's economic history and the effects of government intervention in currency and prices.^[12]

Notes

1. The Kingdom of Benin no longer functions as a political state, but the Oba of Benin continues to preside over a traditional kingdom and holds an advisory role within the governance of Benin City, Nigeria.^[1]
2. Royal bards