By Nick Richwagen

War between the Asante and the coastal Fante Confederacy would lead the kingdom into their first conflict with British forces.

← Previous: The Rise of the Asante Empire (1680-1750)

Update March 2018: Previously, this article was titled The Asante Fante-War of 1806-1807 and the Battle of Cape Coast Castle. This basis for the description of these incidents came from Edgerton’s The Fall of the Asante Empire (1995), which describes the first conflict between the Asante and British as occurring at Cape Coast Castle, the headquarters of the British Cape Company at the time. However, a reading of the Records Relating to the Gold Coast Settlements from 1750 to 1874 by J.J. Crooks (1923) suggests that the first conflict actually took place at Fort William, in Anomabu. I have changed the article to more accurately reflect this account.

Introduction

Between 1750 and 1800, the Ashanti (Asante) Empire would remain the predominant power in West Africa. Further campaigns to the north cemented its authority among non-Akan peoples, and trade with the western powers along the coast continued to be extremely important. However, two important changes were taking place in the Gold Coast region that emerged as a threat to the Asante kingdom. Along the coast, the Fante people developed a robust confederacy that acted as a trade intermediary between the European coastal forts and interior kingdoms. Although the Asante believed them to be their subjects, the Fante were another Akan tribe with a strong independent streak who chafed under Asante rule. By the start of the 18^th century, the Fante became openly hostile to the power of Kumasi.

The other significant development was the increasing power of British agents in West Africa. Founded in 1752, the African Company of Merchants was chartered by the British Government to engage in profitable trade in the Gold Coast region. This included the purchase and transport of slaves. Over time, the African Company expanded their authority to a number of coastal forts previously held by other European powers. By the start of the 19^th century, British trading agents only significantly competed with the Dutch in the region (though the Danes still had a coastal presence at Accra, the future Ghanaian capital). The main British fortress was at Cape Coast Castle; to their west, the Dutch held Elmina.

The African Company of Merchants, and then the British government, would come to ally themselves with Fante confederacy against the Asante. This was a slow development, fraught with frequent misunderstandings between British agents and Asante ambassadors. Indeed, many British officials, deeply impressed with Asante society and the sophistication of the kingdom, wished the Asante to continue their preeminent position in West Africa. Tragically, the two countries would come to blows. In the Asante-Fante War of 1806-1807, first blood would be drawn between British and Asante.

Continue reading “The Asante-Fante War of 1806-1807 and the Battle of Anomabu” →