Oba begins civil war against the town chiefs

About 1690 the Oba of Benin began to take drastic action against powerful chiefs both within Benin City and in the provinces, striking particularly at the wealth of the town chiefs. Led by the Iyase, these chiefs with their followers rose in rebellion, encamped some miles from the capital, harassed the Oba for several years, inflicted defeats on his armies, and on one occasion sacked the city and palace. The Oba cultivated the favour of the Dutch West India Company and showed willingness to receive missionaries from São Tomé. A Portuguese patched up a truce in the last years of the century, though the Iyase still refused to return to Benin City.