The 1851 British Bombardment of Lagos: Ending the Slave Trade

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The 1851 British Bombardment of Lagos: Ending the Slave Trade

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In 1851, the British Royal Navy bombarded Lagos, deposing Oba Kosoko and installing a rival in a bid to end the transatlantic slave trade. But this intervention, led by Consul John Beecroft and Commander Henry William Bruce, was less a humanitarian crusade than a calculated move to secure palm oil trade and naval dominance. The episode traces the political landscape of Lagos under Oba Osinlokun and Kosoko, the role of Brazilian and Portuguese slave traders, the ex-slave returnees known as Saro, and the 1851 treaty that banned slave exports but opened the door to colonial rule. We also examine how the bombardment set the stage for Lagos's annexation as a British colony in 1861 and its lasting impact on Yoruba politics, including the exile of Kosoko to Epe. Through names like Chief Posu, Madame Tinubu, and Captain Wilmot, this story challenges simple narratives of abolition and explores the messy, contingent origins of British power in Nigeria. #History #FexingoHistory #Lagos #SlaveTrade #Abolition #RoyalNavy #ObaKosoko #JohnBeecroft #HenryWilliamBruce #PalmOil #Saro #MadameTinubu #Yoruba #Epe #Nigeria #Colonialism #1851 #WestAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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