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Dahomey becomes a French colony, 1894

When
1894
Where
Administrative decree issuance
Episodes
1

The Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies was established in 1894 following the Second Franco-Dahomean War. A decree dated 22 June 1894 formally created the colony, which was later incorporated into French West Africa in 1904. This administrative change followed the military victory of French forces over King Béhanzin.

Episodes

  1. 22 June 1894 · Administrative decree issuanceDecree Creating Colony of Dahomey

    A decree dated 22 June 1894 established the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies, formalizing French control after the war.

Background and detail

Administrative Establishment. A decree dated 22 June 1894 officially created the 'Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies'. This entity was part of French West Africa from 1894 to 1958. The colony gained autonomy in 1947 and full independence in 1960, eventually being renamed Benin in 1975.

Post-War Context. Following the war, Dahomey was incorporated into the growing colonial territory of French West Africa. The decree of 22 June 1894 created the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies, which was to be incorporated into French West Africa in 1904. The colony remained part of French West Africa until its incorporation into the French Union in 1947.

Sources

  1. French Dahomey Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-09
  2. Second Franco-Dahomean War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.