Udagbedo

Udagbedo (reigned c. 1299 – c. 1334) was the seventh Oba ("king") of the Kingdom of Benin. He succeeded his brother, Oba Edoni. During his reign, he implemented agricultural reforms, expanded the kingdom’s territory, and established trade contacts via Saharan trade and later with European states. His rule coincided with the first recorded migration of the Ga from Benin to present-day Ghana, an event seen as evidence of Benin’s regional influence. Oral traditions refer to him as "Olagbeno" and place him at the center of the transition from the Ogiso dynasty to the Obaship. Primary accounts of Udagbedo's life and reign derive from Jacob Egharevba’s A Short History of Benin, which relies heavily on oral sources. Scholars such as Philip Dark, A.F.C. Ryder, and John Fage have noted its cultural significance while advising caution regarding its chronology and integration of oral tradition with written records.