The French in Dahomeay

(1890-2)

In 1890 the Dahomeans attacked the French and in 1892 a French Army led by Colonel Dodds invaded the Kingdom of Dahomeay in order to put an end to the raids on friendly tribes, the slave trade and human sacrifices by King Behazin.

Prior to the 1890’s the Dahomeans had only had access to old smoothbore muskets. In the years before the invasion, the Germans, sold them 5,000 “rifles”, six Krupp guns and five “mitrailleuse”, and provided a few instructors to train them in their use.

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