Behanzin vs Hamoud bin Mohammed

Upon ascending the throne, Behanzin refused to sign a French protectorate treaty that would have made Dahomey a French colony. This act of defiance directly led to the escalation of hostilities and the Second Franco-Dahomean War.

Behanzin led a full-scale war against French colonial forces under General Alfred Dodds. Despite fierce resistance and the use of the Dahomey Amazons, the French superior firepower and logistics led to the capture of the capital, Abomey, in November 1892.

After surrendering to the French in 1894, Behanzin was deposed and exiled to Martinique, a French colony in the Caribbean. This exile ended his reign and marked the definitive end of Dahomey's independence, as the French established full colonial control.

After the Anglo-Zanzibar War, the British installed Hamoud bin Mohammed as sultan. He was chosen for his pro-British stance and willingness to cooperate with British anti-slavery policies, marking Zanzibar's transition to a British protectorate.

Hamoud bin Mohammed issued a decree abolishing the legal status of slavery in Zanzibar. This ended the island's role as a major slave trade hub, freeing approximately 60,000 enslaved people and compensating slave owners.

Hamoud bin Mohammed signed the Slavery Abolition Decree on April 5, 1897, which freed all slaves in Zanzibar and Pemba. The decree included provisions for former slaves to become tenants or wage laborers on plantations.