Behanzin vs Khalid of Saudi Arabia

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.

Following the assassination of King Faisal, Khalid became King of Saudi Arabia. His reign was marked by continuity of Faisal's policies but with a more cautious approach to reform, focusing on stability and religious conservatism.

During King Khalid's reign, Juhayman al-Otaybi and his followers seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, holding hundreds of pilgrims hostage. The Saudi military, with French assistance, recaptured the mosque after a two-week siege, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

The Iranian Revolution and the Grand Mosque seizure led to a second oil price shock during Khalid's reign. Saudi Arabia increased oil production to stabilize markets, demonstrating its role as a swing producer in OPEC.