Tegbessou
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Tegbesu)
Tegbessou was the sixth King of Dahomey. He succeeded Agadja, and ruled from 1732 to 1774.
Tegbessou's reign was characterized by internal intrigues and a failed foreign policy; he killed many coup-plotters and political enemies, refused to pay tribute to the Yorubas, and lost many battles in the punitive raids that followed. His main symbol is a buffalo wearing a tunic. His other symbols are the blunderbuss, a weapon he gave his warriors--the first time in Dahomey that the royal army had ready access to firearms-- and a door decorated with three noseless heads, a reference to his victory over a rebellious tributary people, the Zou, whose corpses he mutilated.
Tegbessou was succeeded by Kpengla.
