Komenda Wars
| First Komenda War |
| Part of Komenda Wars |
| Date |
1694-1695 |
| Location |
Eguafo and Komenda |
|
| Belligerents |
| Eguafo, John Cabess, Royal African Company, Denkyira (Akan kingdom), Fante (Akan kingdom), Asebu (Akan kingdom) |
Dutch West India Company, Cabess Terra (Akan kingdom), Twifo (Akan kingdom) |
| Second Komenda War |
| Part of Komenda Wars |
| Date |
1696 |
| Location |
Eguafo and Komenda |
|
| Belligerents |
| Eguafo, John Cabess, Akrons (Akan kingdom) |
Dutch West India Company, Takyi Kuma (Prince of Eguafo), Akani (Akan kingdom), Adom (Akan kingdom) |
| Third Komenda War |
| Part of Komenda Wars |
| Date |
1698 |
| Location |
Eguafo and Komenda |
|
| Belligerents |
| Eguafo (some support by John Cabess) |
Royal African Company, Takyi Kuma (Prince of Eguafo), Asebu (Akan kingdom), Cabess Terra (Akan kingdom), and Akani (Akan kingdom) |
| Fourth Komenda War |
| Part of Komenda Wars |
| Date |
1699-1700 |
| Location |
Eguafo and Komenda |
|
| Belligerents |
| Eguafo (partial support from the Dutch West India Company and Adom) |
Takyi Kuma (Prince of Eguafo), Royal African Company, Twifo (Akan kingdom), and John Cabess |
The Komenda Wars were a series of wars from 1694 until 1700 largely between the Dutch West India Company and the British Royal African Company in the Eguafo Kingdom in the present day state of Ghana, over trade rights. The Dutch were trying to keep the British out of the region to maintain a trade monopoly while the British were attempting to re-establish a fort in the city of Komenda. The fighting included forces of the Dutch West India Company, the Royal African Company, the Eguafo Kingdom, a prince of the kingdom attempting to rise to the throne, the forces of a powerful merchant named John Cabess, other Akan tribes and kingdoms like Twifo and Denkyira. There were four separate periods of warfare, including a civil war in the Eguafo Kingdom, and the wars ended with the British placing Takyi Kuma into power in Eguafo. Because of the rapidly shifting alliances between European and African powers, historian John Thornton has found that "there is no finer example of [the] complicated combination of European rivalry merging with African rivalry then the Komenda Wars."
The Dutch West India Company (WIC) and the Eguafo Kingdom engaged in an earlier set of hostilities in 1688. The Dutch and the British had both established factories in the port city of Komenda. In 1687, the French negotiated with the king of Eguafo to open a factory in Komenda and the WIC responded by launching its military to force the king of Eguafo to expel the French. The Dutch tried to induce neighboring states to attack Eguafo at the same time, while the French provided gold to the King to pay the neighboring states to remain out of fighting. In the end, the Twifo did join the Dutch and secured trade concessions in Komenda as a result. The violence resulted in the killing of the King of Eguafo and a prince who allied with the Dutch was placed on the throne named Takyi. Komenda then became largely controlled by the Dutch and their allies Twifo. This situation gradually resulted in tensions between Takyi and both actors. As a result, Takyi repeatedly tried to balance British interests in the port of Komenda.
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Wikipedia
