Oba Ewuare (Ewuare the Great) was the greatest warrior legend and the most outstanding king in the history of the Benin Empire. “The title Ewuare (Oworuare), meaning it is cool or the trouble has ceased” and as a result the war is over. The title symbolizes an epoch of reconciliation, reconstruction and the return of peace among the warring factions in Benin between 1435-1440 AD.

Oba Ewuare ruled the Benin kingdom between 1440-1473 AD. His rule is also cited as extending to 1480.^[1] His reign marked the beginning of recovery and reform which opened up the pathway to the power and advancement of the Benin Kingdom and the emergence of the Benin Empire as one of the leading states in West Africa in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Ewuare’s political intelligence, is credited with transforming the character of the state along its quest for imperial expansion.^[2] Ewuare is also responsible for territorial expansion of Benin, with assertions that he marched against and subdued 201 villages in southern Nigeria.^[3] Coastal trade with the Portuguese, who came into contact with Ewuare toward the end of his reign, provided increased wealth for Ewuare and resulted in the introduction of new weaponry, such as the crossbow.^[4]

Oba Ewuare is credited as the founder of the igue festival that is still celebrated in the Benin Kingdom of Edo State in Nigeria.^[5]

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