Behanzin vs Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din

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.

Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din proclaimed himself King of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He established an independent imamate state in northern Yemen, ending Ottoman suzerainty.

Yahya signed the Treaty of Sana'a with Britain, recognizing British control over the Aden Protectorate in exchange for British recognition of his sovereignty over northern Yemen. This treaty defined borders and reduced tensions.

Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din was assassinated in a coup attempt led by opposition figures near Sana'a. His death triggered a succession crisis and a brief civil war before his son Ahmad bin Yahya seized power.