Glele

Glele, or Badohou (died December 29, 1889), was the tenth King of Dahomey, ruling from 1858 until his suicide in 1889.

Life Badohou, who took the throne name Glele, is considered (if Adandozan is not counted) to be the tenth King of the Aja kingdom of Dahomey (part of modern-day Benin). He succeeded his father, Ghezo, and ruled from 1858 to 1889. and had its navy make raids against slavers along the West African coast Glele's symbols are the lion and the ritual knife of the adepts of Gu (Vodou of fire, iron, war, and cutting edges). His favorite wife was Visesegan. Another wife was the Yoruba-speaking high official Miagbe, with whom he had three sets of twin offspring, the eldest of whom was Yaya Migansi; Miagbe was rewarded by being honoured with an independent household, land and servants.

Glele, despite the formal end of the slave trade and its interdiction by the Europeans, and New World powers, continued slavery as a domestic institution: his fields were primarily cared for by slaves, and slaves became a major source of 'messengers to the ancestors' (sacrificial victims) in ceremonies. In 1860, he met with William Foster, captain of the Clotilda, the final ship to (illegally) take slaves to the United States, presumably to approve the sale.

Near the end of Glele's reign, relations with France deteriorated due to Cotonou's growing commercial influence and differences of interpretation between Dahomey and France over the extent and terms of the Cotonou concession grant. Glele died suddenly just before the French arrived for negotiations, possibly by suicide. Glele's son Prince Kondo handled negotiations with the French.

Glele died on December 29, 1889, to be succeeded by his son Kondo, who took the name Béhanzin.