Asante Empire

The Asante Empire was founded around 1701 by Osei Tutu in what is now Ghana, with its capital at Kumasi. It became one of the most powerful states in West Africa, rich from gold and trade.

According to tradition, the priest Okomfo Anokye called down the Golden Stool from the sky. It became the symbol of the Asante nation and is believed to hold its soul, so it was never sat on, even by the king.

Through the 19th century Asante fought a series of wars against Britain. In 1824 its army defeated a British force and killed the governor, Charles MacCarthy. In 1874 British troops burned parts of Kumasi.

In 1900, when the British governor demanded the Golden Stool, Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa led the War of the Golden Stool. Britain annexed Asante in 1901, but the Golden Stool was never handed over, and the Asantehene still reigns today.