A Historical Analysis of Dutch-Benin Trade Relations, 1593-1741

A Historical Analysis of Dutch-Benin Trade Relations, 1593-1741

Sana Abusin Michael EDIAGBONYA and Johnson Olaosebikan AREMU

Department of History and International Studies, Faculty of Arts, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti

This paper examined the nature of trade relations between the Benin Kingdom and the Dutch between 1593 and 1741. It documented and analysed the features of Benin-Dutch trade; the major items of trade and means of exchange; as well as the terms of the Dutch-Benin Trade Treaty of 1715. The paper further interrogated the causes of the breakdown of trade relations between the two countries in 1741. Data for the study was obtained extensively through archival materials as primary sources; and books, newspapers, articles, theses, dissertations and journals as secondary sources. The paper found out that trade was the hallmark of Benin-Europeans’ relations between the 1440s and 1741. It observed that the trade contact between Benin and the Dutch started around 1593 and declined around 1741. It concluded that the trade relations brought mutual benefits to both parties: great prosperity and fame to the Benin kingdom; and economic buoyancy to the Dutch.