Oba Ewuare reorganizes Benin and begins imperial expansion

From about 1440, Oba Ewuare mystified the office of oba with the annual Igue festival, walled the palace, and split governance into separate town (eghaevbo n'ore) and palace (eghaevbo n'ogboe) administrations. As Benin's first warrior king, he expanded it from a small kingdom of 15 km radius into an empire overrunning Yoruba and western Igbo communities.