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Osei Tutu Research Paper

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An able military leader, Osei Tutu, won control of the trading city of Kumasi. From there he conquered neighboring peoples and unified the Asante kingdom. Osei Tutu had been a hostage in the Denkyera court but had escaped eastward to the powerful state of Akwamu, where he was exposed to new ideas of political and military organization. When he returned to Kumasi, some Akwamu accompanied him. One was a priest, Okomfo Anokye, who is usually given credit for introducing the legendary Golden Stool, which, according to Asante tradition, was brought down from heaven by the priest, and, as the repository of the spirit of the nation, became the symbol of the mystical bond between all Asante. Osei Tutu helped to build up the Asante kingdom and make it successful. …show more content…

The Asante faced a great challenge in the Denkyera, a powerful neighboring enemy kingdom. Osei Tutu realized that in order to withstand the Denkyera, the people of his kingdom needed to be firmly united. To do this, he claimed that his right to rule came from heaven, and that people in the kingdom were linked by spiritual bonds. This strategy paid off when the Asante defeated the Denkyera in the late 1600s. Under Osei Tutu, government officials, chosen by merit rather than by birth, supervised an efficient bureaucracy. They managed the royal monopolies on gold mining and the slave trade. A monopoly is the exclusive control of a business or industry. The Asante traded with Europeans on the coast, exchanging gold and slave for firearms. They also played rival with Europeans against one another to protect themselves. In this way they built a wealthy, powerful

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