The 1680s–1720s

The chapter attempts to provide a bird’s eye overview of the period in question. It details the strong rivalry between the Europeans in this period of intense slave-trading, due in part to the arrival of the French (linked to the War of the Spanish Succession, 1702–1714). The rivalry was heightened by the strengthened position of the Portuguese/Brazilians, thanks to Brazilian gold and the famous third-grade tobacco. This climate of rivalry on the European side exacerbated internal tensions among the Africans, and among the main polities: Allada, Hueda (increasingly independent of Allada), Dahomey, but also Glidji and even Akwamu, both of whom tried their luck at times on the Central Slave Coast. One important outcome was the famous treaty of 1703 (to 1794) which guaranteed the neutrality of the “port” of Ouidah-Glehue, converting that place into a safe haven, and triggering the rapid development of the town of Ouidah.