Complete Timeline of Asante History

Use the filters to focus on one era. Each entry links to the page that tells the story in detail.

1. 16th–17th c.Origins

   Akani merchants carry gold from the Pra, Ofin and Birim valleys to coastal markets such as Elmina and Kormantine. → Origins & Foundation

2. 17th c.Origins

   The Kingdom of Denkyira dominates the region and imposes heavy tributes of gold and labour on the early Asante chiefdoms. → Origins & Foundation

3. c. 1680Origins

   Osei Tutu I takes the lead of Kwaman (later Kumasi) and begins to unite the Akan states with the help of Okomfo Anokye. → The Golden Stool & Law

4. c. 1700Origins

   According to oral tradition, Okomfo Anokye brings down the Golden Stool; the chiefs surrender their own stools and swear allegiance to it. → The Golden Stool & Law

5. 1701Empire

   Battle of Feyiase: the Asante defeat Denkyira and execute Ntim Gyakari. The Asante Empire is born. → Origins & Foundation

6. 1717Empire

   End of the reign of Osei Tutu I. → The Asantehenes

7. 1720–1750Empire

   Opoku Ware I expands the empire to its fullest interior extent and formalizes the Great Oath. → The Asantehenes

8. c. 1750Empire

   By tradition, Queen Pokou leads a dissident group west across the Komoé: the origin of the Baoulé of Côte d'Ivoire (dates debated). → The Baoulé People

9. 1764–1777Empire

   Osei Kwadwo's "Kwadwoan Revolution" turns the state into a merit-based bureaucracy. → Governance & Bureaucracy

10. 1804–1823Empire

    Osei Bonsu absorbs the Fante Confederacy and builds diplomatic ties with Britain. → The Asantehenes

11. 1817Empire

    Thomas Edward Bowdich visits Kumasi and signs the Bowdich Treaty; his account describes the city's streets, houses and cleanliness. → Culture, Kente & Architecture

12. 1820Empire

    The Dupuis negotiations. → Wars with Britain

13. 1824Empire

    The Asante defeat the British; Governor Sir Charles MacCarthy's head is taken as a trophy. → Wars with Britain

14. 1831Empire

    The tripartite Maclean Treaty regulates trade and borders with the coastal forts. → Wars with Britain

15. 1834–1867Empire

    Reign of Kwaku Dua I; he abolishes pawnship (awowa) around 1838. → Society & Matrilineality

16. 1873–1874Colonial era

    Third Anglo-Asante War: Sir Garnet Wolseley's forces reach Kumasi, burn it and blow up the Aban palace. → Wars with Britain

17. July 1874Colonial era

    Treaty of Fomena: Asante renounce coastal claims and tributary states and owe an indemnity of 50,000 ounces of gold. → Wars with Britain

18. 1874–1883Colonial era

    Reign of Mensa Bonsu; high taxes lead to civil war and his destoolment. → The Asantehenes

19. 1884Colonial era

    Kwaku Dua II dies after 40 days on the Stool, opening a succession crisis. → The Asantehenes

20. 1888Colonial era

    Prempeh I becomes Asantehene. → The Asantehenes

21. 1896Colonial era

    The British arrest Prempeh I, his mother and top generals without a declaration of war and exile them to Sierra Leone, then the Seychelles. A British fort is built in Kumasi. → Wars with Britain

22. 1900Colonial era

    Governor Hodgson demands the Golden Stool. Yaa Asantewaa leads the War of the Golden Stool and besieges the Kumasi fort for about six months. → Yaa Asantewaa

23. 1902Colonial era

    The Asante are formally annexed into the British Empire; the Golden Stool is never captured. → Wars with Britain

24. 17 Oct. 1921Colonial era

    Yaa Asantewaa dies in exile in the Seychelles. → Yaa Asantewaa

25. 1924Colonial era

    Prempeh I is repatriated (initially recognized only as a local chief). → Legacy & Restitution

26. 1925Colonial era

    The Manhyia Palace in Kumasi dates from this year. → Kumasi, the Garden City

27. 1931Colonial era

    Prempeh II becomes Asantehene. → The Asantehenes

28. 1935Colonial era

    The Asante Confederacy is officially restored under Prempeh II. → Legacy & Restitution

29. 6 Mar. 1957Modern era

    Ghana becomes independent. → Legacy & Restitution

30. 1960Modern era

    Yaa Asantewaa Girls' Senior High School is founded in Kumasi. → Yaa Asantewaa

31. 1970–1999Modern era

    Reign of Opoku Ware II, through the politics of independent Ghana. → The Asantehenes

32. 1980Modern era

    Asante traditional buildings are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. → Culture, Kente & Architecture

33. 26 Apr. 1999Modern era

    Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is enstooled as the 16th Asantehene; the Otumfuo Education Fund is created the same year. → Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

34. 3 Aug. 2000Modern era

    The Yaa Asantewaa Museum opens at Kwaso for the centenary of the war. → Yaa Asantewaa

35. 2002–2019Modern era

    Osei Tutu II chairs the committee of eminent chiefs mediating the Dagbon crisis. → Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

36. 2021Modern era

    Census: the Ashanti Region has 5,440,463 inhabitants. → Ashanti Region & Towns

37. 2024Modern era

    150 years after the sack of Kumasi and on the king's silver jubilee, 32 regalia items return on a six-year loan from the V&A and the British Museum; UCLA's Fowler Museum permanently returns seven objects. → Legacy & Restitution