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Fall of the Asante Empire: The Hundred-Year War for Africa's Gold Coast
In 1817, the first British envoy to meet the king of the Asante of West Africa was dazzled by his reception. A group of 5,000 Asante soldiers, many wearing immense caps topped with three foot eagle feathers and gold ram's horns, engulfed him with a "zeal bordering on phrensy, " shooting muskets into the air. The envoy was escorted, as no fewer than 100 bands played, to the Asante king's palace and greeted by a tremendous throng of 30,000 noblemen and soldiers, bedecked with so much gold that his party had to avert their eyes to avoid the blinding glare. Some Asante elders wore gold ornaments so massive they had to be supported by attendants. But a criminal being lead to his execution - hands tied, ears severed, knives thrust through his cheeks and shoulder blades - was also paraded before them as a warning of what would befall malefactors. This first encounter set the stage for one of the longest and fiercest wars in all the European conquest of Africa.
At its height, the Asante empire, on the Gold Coast of Africa in present-day Ghana, comprised three million people and had its own highly sophisticated social, political, and military institutions. Armed with European firearms, the tenacious and disciplined Asante army inflicted heavy casualties on advancing British troops, in some cases defeating them. They won the respect and admiration of British commanders, and displayed a unique willingness to adapt their traditional military tactics to counter superior British technology.
Even well after a British fort had been established in Kumase, the Asante capital, the indigenous culture stubbornly resisted Europeanization, as long as the "golden stool, " the sacred repository of royal power,remained in Asante hands. It was only after an entire century of fighting that resistance ultimately ceased.
At its height, the Asante empire, on the Gold Coast of Africa in present-day Ghana, comprised three million people and had its own highly sophisticated social, political, and military institutions. Armed with European firearms, the tenacious and disciplined Asante army inflicted heavy casualties on advancing British troops, in some cases defeating them. They won the respect and admiration of British commanders, and displayed a unique willingness to adapt their traditional military tactics to counter superior British technology.
Even well after a British fort had been established in Kumase, the Asante capital, the indigenous culture stubbornly resisted Europeanization, as long as the "golden stool, " the sacred repository of royal power,remained in Asante hands. It was only after an entire century of fighting that resistance ultimately ceased.
293 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 21, 2022
Robert B. Edgerton's The Fall of the Asante Empire recounts the century-long conflict between the British Empire and the Asante people. Edgerton, an anthropologist who wrote extensively about African and Japanese history, brings a sympathetic approach to the Asante, a confederation of Akan groups that became the largest polity in pre-colonial West Africa. Far from backward savages, they marshaled a sophisticated society with elaborate cities, intricate government bureaucracy and a well-managed economy that belied any need to "civilize" them. And yet their military aggression and hostility towards neighboring people made them easy marks for the British, who expanded from isolated ports on the Gold Coast (Ghana) inland throughout the 19th Century. Though their conquest was no easy task: the first major British army sent against the Asante was wiped out, its commander's skull turned into a drinking cup, and subsequent campaigns (lasting from 1824 to 1903) found disease and terrain as formidable as the Asante themselves. Edgerton's book makes clear that however violent the Asante could be, they were more than matched by the British, who "civilized" Africa with machine guns and bayonets and forced the Asante into humiliating displays of fealty. Despite this, the Asante maintained a proud cultural identity that lasted into modern Ghana's independence, and earned respect as one of the most successful resistants to the Scramble for Africa. A little-known story expertly, and sympathetically told.
June 8, 2017
The Fall of the Asante Empire: The Hundred-Year War for Africa's Gold Coast, by Robert B. Edgerton is about the slow British invasion of modern day Ghana and the slow eclipse of the powerful Asante Empire. The Asante Empire was a regional power in Western Africa, roughly corresponding to the border of modern Ghana, that stretched its power over a large number of diverse states and peoples in the region. The Asante Empire was ruled by a King who was commander of the armed forces, and served a largely constitutional role in terms of exercising direct political power. Political power was held largely by a diverse body of princes, generals and notables who met frequently to decide on major issues of state and direct policy choices to be carried out by the King and state. The Asante's had a huge and well disciplined army, to the point that British soldiers in the field were largely impressed by the discipline and courage of Asante soldiers - a tough thing to concede to the notoriously stoic British soldier in this time period. The Asante's power was at its height in the early 19th century, and they were easily able to hold their own against all but the largest European expeditionary force. Asante troops were armed with flintlock muskets only slightly inferior to British weaponry early in the 19th century. Their armies were large enough, and the terrain of Ghana difficult enough, to make defense of the capital, Kumase, fairly easy.
The British attempt at conquest began at the beginning of the 19th century, but did not conclude until the beginning of the 20th century, when an Asante rebellion was put down and various tributary states finally conquered. During this time the British fought numerous battles with Asante armies. The Asante were largely victorious up until the 1860's, when superior British arms (Breech loading rifles, for example) began to overtake Asante arms. The British also employed local Fante militia, who were hostile to Asante influence, as allies. This relentless hundred years of warfare between Britain and the Asante was costly to the British, who lost hundreds killed and wounded in battle, and thousands to diseases like malaria in the deep bush of Ghana. The Asante, however, began to shake. The Empire was built on a confederation of tribal states who were cowed into submission by the threat of Asante punitive raids. The British succeeded in holding off repeated Asante attacks on the fortress port of Accra. They also supported and armed local hostile tribes against their tributary masters. This shook the foundations of Asante power, and the state began to crumble, culminating, after the 1900 rebellion, in the destruction of Asante power and the annexation of the Gold Coast region into the British colonial Empire.
Edgerton has written a fairly interesting book that does get tiresome after a while. The book is most interesting when describing either the composition of the Asante state, or the slow build-up of British influence in the region, as they competed with French and German interests in Western Africa. However, the dizzying portrayal of one hundred years of warfare, with multiple battles, numerous Kings and generals, and numerous governors in the Ghana region, make a difficult and dry read. Edgerton tries his best to craft an interesting book, and in some places does an excellent job. However, the lack of good sources from this time period, and from Asante sources, make reasoning very difficult. Edgerton often guesses the motivation behind certain decisions, but due to a lack of good sources from the Asante, it is difficult to speculate on why and how certain things occurred. Although it posses interesting information on the Asante Empire, and on British colonial interests, the confusing nature of the one hundred year conquest, and the lack of good Asante sources, make this a difficult read to enjoy. Still, this can be recommended for those interested in the topic of British colonial expansion, or reading more on the Asante Empire.
The British attempt at conquest began at the beginning of the 19th century, but did not conclude until the beginning of the 20th century, when an Asante rebellion was put down and various tributary states finally conquered. During this time the British fought numerous battles with Asante armies. The Asante were largely victorious up until the 1860's, when superior British arms (Breech loading rifles, for example) began to overtake Asante arms. The British also employed local Fante militia, who were hostile to Asante influence, as allies. This relentless hundred years of warfare between Britain and the Asante was costly to the British, who lost hundreds killed and wounded in battle, and thousands to diseases like malaria in the deep bush of Ghana. The Asante, however, began to shake. The Empire was built on a confederation of tribal states who were cowed into submission by the threat of Asante punitive raids. The British succeeded in holding off repeated Asante attacks on the fortress port of Accra. They also supported and armed local hostile tribes against their tributary masters. This shook the foundations of Asante power, and the state began to crumble, culminating, after the 1900 rebellion, in the destruction of Asante power and the annexation of the Gold Coast region into the British colonial Empire.
Edgerton has written a fairly interesting book that does get tiresome after a while. The book is most interesting when describing either the composition of the Asante state, or the slow build-up of British influence in the region, as they competed with French and German interests in Western Africa. However, the dizzying portrayal of one hundred years of warfare, with multiple battles, numerous Kings and generals, and numerous governors in the Ghana region, make a difficult and dry read. Edgerton tries his best to craft an interesting book, and in some places does an excellent job. However, the lack of good sources from this time period, and from Asante sources, make reasoning very difficult. Edgerton often guesses the motivation behind certain decisions, but due to a lack of good sources from the Asante, it is difficult to speculate on why and how certain things occurred. Although it posses interesting information on the Asante Empire, and on British colonial interests, the confusing nature of the one hundred year conquest, and the lack of good Asante sources, make this a difficult read to enjoy. Still, this can be recommended for those interested in the topic of British colonial expansion, or reading more on the Asante Empire.
May 19, 2021
I was not aware of the Asante Empire prior to reading this book. I had just finished Edgerton’s book, “Like Lions they fought” and enjoyed his novel approach to history, so this book was the logical next choice.
His background is anthropology, and his books have this point of view. I see pros and cons to this approach, i.e., he becomes wordy at times describing the culture in minute detail and maybe going astray from the point of his main objective.
The Asante Empire he describes in this book was advanced and included democratic governance, cultivated agriculture and vast herds of cattle, and Gold mining. The Capital City of Kumase had broad boulevards, food markets and a beautiful Moorish palace. The Asante were influenced by trade with the Arabs in the north of Africa as well as trading partners like the Dutch and the Cape Coast, this was not an isolated tribe of savages but, they were dangerous adversaries! they were barbaric and war like, with many pagan beliefs, and they enslaved many of their neighbors.
Edgerton’s belief is that there is a pervasive assumption among anthropologists that a population’s long-standing beliefs and practices—their culture and their social institutions—must play a positive role in their lives or these beliefs and practices would not have persisted. Thus, it is widely thought and written that cannibalism, torture, infanticide, feuding, witchcraft, painful male initiations, female genital mutilation, ceremonial rape, headhunting, and other practices that are abhorrent must serve some useful function in the societies in which they are traditional practices. Edgerton goes into detail regarding these gruesome practices, maybe too much for this reader. But he does not explain what useful function any of this bestiality serves, so I miss his point.
I was surprised at the sophistication of the Asante in creating a culture that reviled European cultures in so many ways, and further amazed at their ability to wage war and employ tactics that rivaled the sophistication of European armies, but the shock of their savagery reminds us they are not the noble savage.
I believe that Edgerton does favor the Asante in this story of their fall, and I felt the same discomfort with the British. After reading about the English Zulu wars and now this war with the Asante, I do not put the English too many rungs up on the ladder of civilized society.
The English came to Southern Africa because of its beautiful climate and fertile soil. Then after gold and other valuable minerals were discovered the natives had to go. This would allow for the exploitation of land and natives in the name of progress. There is little difference between the story of the American “manifest destiny” resulting in the genocide of America’s native peoples, and the English exploitation of the natives of Africa. After acknowledging the failings of the English, I must admit to being an Anglophile. Maybe it is because of Errol Flynn in the Charge of the Light brigade or Michael Cain in Rorke’s Drift or Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Victor McGlocklin in Gunga Din, yet all these films and these histories speak to a certain virtue like valor and honor in the English soldier and officer. They convey pride in Country and Queen, and an arrogance in the belief that their way of life, God and Country are superior to all others. Even their ability to suffer deprivation with a stoic stiff upper lip makes me love and admire them.
What makes these two books interesting is that the native populations of Africa were a match for the British army with one exception: armament; the British superiority in weapons was the only thing that brought victory, add a bit of luck also, not leadership or grand strategy, just superior killing tools.
There was a popular quotation in London about this time, “the English soldiers were lions who were led by donkeys” and for the most part the quotation is true, maybe except for Wellington at Waterloo. The English leadership never seemed to learn from previous encounters with native populations or even the Boer war, each new General committed the same mistakes as their predecessor.
Edgerton makes this point in his chapter on General Wolseley’s march on Kumase in 1872. Wolseley recalled that it was the most horrible war he ever took part in; and Edgerton added, “the luckiest of his many campaigns”. Others stated, “despite the great bravery of his officers and men and incredible luck, he was within an ace of defeat” After victory was declared, Queen Victoria bestowed the greatest of awards and honors possible on Wolseley.
During the English wars of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, they fought primitive cultures with similar outcomes. It was that “Britannia Ruled the Waves” that made the English great not her armies of conquest against indigenous people.
One of many points driven home in this book was the incredible bravery of the Asante warrior. They did not want this war with England and over the 100 years of fighting they constantly endeavored to secure a piece. When they did fight, they were ferocious; they were brave and disciplined fighters. In the 1900 war they developed large stockades to try and offset the English fire power and this was an effective tactic.
The Nineteenth century, saw the England fighting all over the globe. In Africa, they fought the Zulu and the Boers and finally the Asante. This was a remarkable race of people who just wanted to live as they always lived in peace. The British would not allow it and therefore had to fight for one hundred years to conquer these people.
Robert B. Edgerton’s book introduced me to a proud race of Africans and his gifts in anthropology, research and history added to my understanding of the history of Africa and the Victorian age of British.
His background is anthropology, and his books have this point of view. I see pros and cons to this approach, i.e., he becomes wordy at times describing the culture in minute detail and maybe going astray from the point of his main objective.
The Asante Empire he describes in this book was advanced and included democratic governance, cultivated agriculture and vast herds of cattle, and Gold mining. The Capital City of Kumase had broad boulevards, food markets and a beautiful Moorish palace. The Asante were influenced by trade with the Arabs in the north of Africa as well as trading partners like the Dutch and the Cape Coast, this was not an isolated tribe of savages but, they were dangerous adversaries! they were barbaric and war like, with many pagan beliefs, and they enslaved many of their neighbors.
Edgerton’s belief is that there is a pervasive assumption among anthropologists that a population’s long-standing beliefs and practices—their culture and their social institutions—must play a positive role in their lives or these beliefs and practices would not have persisted. Thus, it is widely thought and written that cannibalism, torture, infanticide, feuding, witchcraft, painful male initiations, female genital mutilation, ceremonial rape, headhunting, and other practices that are abhorrent must serve some useful function in the societies in which they are traditional practices. Edgerton goes into detail regarding these gruesome practices, maybe too much for this reader. But he does not explain what useful function any of this bestiality serves, so I miss his point.
I was surprised at the sophistication of the Asante in creating a culture that reviled European cultures in so many ways, and further amazed at their ability to wage war and employ tactics that rivaled the sophistication of European armies, but the shock of their savagery reminds us they are not the noble savage.
I believe that Edgerton does favor the Asante in this story of their fall, and I felt the same discomfort with the British. After reading about the English Zulu wars and now this war with the Asante, I do not put the English too many rungs up on the ladder of civilized society.
The English came to Southern Africa because of its beautiful climate and fertile soil. Then after gold and other valuable minerals were discovered the natives had to go. This would allow for the exploitation of land and natives in the name of progress. There is little difference between the story of the American “manifest destiny” resulting in the genocide of America’s native peoples, and the English exploitation of the natives of Africa. After acknowledging the failings of the English, I must admit to being an Anglophile. Maybe it is because of Errol Flynn in the Charge of the Light brigade or Michael Cain in Rorke’s Drift or Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Victor McGlocklin in Gunga Din, yet all these films and these histories speak to a certain virtue like valor and honor in the English soldier and officer. They convey pride in Country and Queen, and an arrogance in the belief that their way of life, God and Country are superior to all others. Even their ability to suffer deprivation with a stoic stiff upper lip makes me love and admire them.
What makes these two books interesting is that the native populations of Africa were a match for the British army with one exception: armament; the British superiority in weapons was the only thing that brought victory, add a bit of luck also, not leadership or grand strategy, just superior killing tools.
There was a popular quotation in London about this time, “the English soldiers were lions who were led by donkeys” and for the most part the quotation is true, maybe except for Wellington at Waterloo. The English leadership never seemed to learn from previous encounters with native populations or even the Boer war, each new General committed the same mistakes as their predecessor.
Edgerton makes this point in his chapter on General Wolseley’s march on Kumase in 1872. Wolseley recalled that it was the most horrible war he ever took part in; and Edgerton added, “the luckiest of his many campaigns”. Others stated, “despite the great bravery of his officers and men and incredible luck, he was within an ace of defeat” After victory was declared, Queen Victoria bestowed the greatest of awards and honors possible on Wolseley.
During the English wars of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, they fought primitive cultures with similar outcomes. It was that “Britannia Ruled the Waves” that made the English great not her armies of conquest against indigenous people.
One of many points driven home in this book was the incredible bravery of the Asante warrior. They did not want this war with England and over the 100 years of fighting they constantly endeavored to secure a piece. When they did fight, they were ferocious; they were brave and disciplined fighters. In the 1900 war they developed large stockades to try and offset the English fire power and this was an effective tactic.
The Nineteenth century, saw the England fighting all over the globe. In Africa, they fought the Zulu and the Boers and finally the Asante. This was a remarkable race of people who just wanted to live as they always lived in peace. The British would not allow it and therefore had to fight for one hundred years to conquer these people.
Robert B. Edgerton’s book introduced me to a proud race of Africans and his gifts in anthropology, research and history added to my understanding of the history of Africa and the Victorian age of British.
November 28, 2022
I was tempted, and I may actually attempt to read this book, but I was put off by cover illustration which is of Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill saving the Colours at Isandlwana, Zululand, Southern Africa. This as no connection to the Asante Kingdom and Empire which was located in West Africa. It doesn't inspire confidence for the quality of the book if they have cover illustration with no connection to the subject of the book. I can only hope that the decision to use that illustration was made by the publisher and not the author.
June 4, 2013
_The Fall of the Asante Empire_ by Robert B. Edgerton is a rather engaging book that can be read on several levels. It is an account of one of the last existing preliterate sub-Saharan African civilizations, the author providing speculation and first-hand contemporary accounts of one of the most noteworthy and powerful non-European civilizations of West Africa. As one might imagine it is also a vivid, detailed, and exhaustive (though certainly not tedious) tale of the various cold and hot wars that broke out between an ambitious, imperialistic British Empire and a sometimes bellicose but often surprisingly peace-loving native civilization, a tale filled with bravery, treachery, humor, and tragedy, of an African state that though locally quite powerful was increasingly aware of the growing disparity in military might between the two civilizations. It is also an interesting study in international affairs; one filled with failed peace attempts, misread intentions, and missed opportunities for peace.
The Zulus are with good reason both during the 19th century and today a highly respected example of the military power, success, and bravery of native African armed forces, one that for a time prevailed against a much more powerful British Empire, its flamboyantly dressed and clearly very brave warriors capturing the imaginations of many Westerners. The author though laments that for many Americans and Europeans recognition of the valor and success of the African fighting men begins and ends with the Zulus. Largely unrecognized is the longest and most successful military resistance to European colonization, that of the Asante of Ghana, which fought against the British from 1807 to 1900, a century long conflict of numerous small and many large battles, several of which the Asante were the clear victors, the only West African army to defeat the Europeans in more than one major engagement.
At the start of the 19th century the Asante Empire was at its height, easily the most powerful state in West Africa, an empire of over three million people in what is now Ghana and then referred to as the Gold Coast. This was more than half as many people as there were in the U.S. at the time and more than one quarter of the population of Britain (eleven million people in 1801). In land area the empire was larger than England, Wales and Scotland (or the state of Wyoming), stretching four hundred miles north from the coast, dominating nearly five hundred miles of coastline. The heartland of the Asante people was the tropical forest zone of the Gold Coast, a hot, humid, wet, and luxuriant forest that was not well-liked by Europeans.
More than just the physical and population size of the Asante were impressive. Unusual among the native African states, the Asante, particularly at the beginning, had a remarkably successful governmental structure. It was able to balance the needs and desires of the king with a ruling oligarchy, a system of checks and balances in which sometimes the king was supreme on a given issue, at other times a near-parliamentarian body had the last say. It had a fairly large and successful government bureaucracy that oversaw many aspects of daily life. Though the empire included many subject kingdoms, conquered peoples, and a sometimes restive slave population, it had a surprisingly cohesive national identity, a "deep patriotism" that survived the worst military setbacks in a century of conflict, that despite internal divisions among a "hodgepodge" of people there was a surprisingly large core that was "always willing to fight and die for the Asante union."
Most remarkable of all perhaps was the Asante fighting man himself. Despite the fact that most of its common soldiers were slaves, often recently captured, they often fought superbly and obeyed their orders with bravery and enthusiasm, amazing the British as they stood their ground against clearly superior firepower (which would later include artillery and machine guns). Also, most were only part-time soldiers, not living and serving in units like their British opponents, required to own and maintain their own flintlock musket (this long musket, called the "long Danes," gave the Asante an enormous advantage over their native neighbors as the Asante possessed a near monopoly on guns along the Gold Coast, though as the century progressed these guns became vastly inferior to later British weaponry).
The heart of the book is an account of the military campaigns that took place between the two great powers, the author detailing the causes, course, and consequences of each battle, discussing the tactics of each encounter, the role various weapons played, the bravery (or cowardice) of individuals of note in each battle, whether the conflicts were small-scale conflicts that occurred basically by mistake or massive mobilizations of men, planned well in advance and involving tens of thousands of individuals. This made for gripping reading and the author, though primarily working with writings from those of the British side, nevertheless worked hard to provide a balanced portrayal of both sides of these various conflicts.
Regrettably misunderstanding was as often at the root of Asante-British fighting as was British imperial ambitions, as each side "struggled with their colossal incomprehension of one another's values, religious beliefs, diplomacy, sense of honor, and national purpose." Both sides could be self-righteous, insistent upon their cultural and in the case of the British oftentimes racial supremacy. In many ways economics was at the heart of the conflict, but even there misunderstanding prevailed, as each side was oftentimes ignorant of the others needs and goals in that arena. Even attitudes towards the other's culture, even ones that did not directly affect the other, would color policy towards the other (such as the British distaste for Asante human sacrifice, well-detailed in this book, as well as the views of their source for porters and interpreters, the native Fante, who hated their Asante overlords and never missed an opportunity to paint vivid pictures of Asante "cruelty, rapacity, untrustworthiness, and lust for war," hardly providing a balanced portrait to the British).
The Zulus are with good reason both during the 19th century and today a highly respected example of the military power, success, and bravery of native African armed forces, one that for a time prevailed against a much more powerful British Empire, its flamboyantly dressed and clearly very brave warriors capturing the imaginations of many Westerners. The author though laments that for many Americans and Europeans recognition of the valor and success of the African fighting men begins and ends with the Zulus. Largely unrecognized is the longest and most successful military resistance to European colonization, that of the Asante of Ghana, which fought against the British from 1807 to 1900, a century long conflict of numerous small and many large battles, several of which the Asante were the clear victors, the only West African army to defeat the Europeans in more than one major engagement.
At the start of the 19th century the Asante Empire was at its height, easily the most powerful state in West Africa, an empire of over three million people in what is now Ghana and then referred to as the Gold Coast. This was more than half as many people as there were in the U.S. at the time and more than one quarter of the population of Britain (eleven million people in 1801). In land area the empire was larger than England, Wales and Scotland (or the state of Wyoming), stretching four hundred miles north from the coast, dominating nearly five hundred miles of coastline. The heartland of the Asante people was the tropical forest zone of the Gold Coast, a hot, humid, wet, and luxuriant forest that was not well-liked by Europeans.
More than just the physical and population size of the Asante were impressive. Unusual among the native African states, the Asante, particularly at the beginning, had a remarkably successful governmental structure. It was able to balance the needs and desires of the king with a ruling oligarchy, a system of checks and balances in which sometimes the king was supreme on a given issue, at other times a near-parliamentarian body had the last say. It had a fairly large and successful government bureaucracy that oversaw many aspects of daily life. Though the empire included many subject kingdoms, conquered peoples, and a sometimes restive slave population, it had a surprisingly cohesive national identity, a "deep patriotism" that survived the worst military setbacks in a century of conflict, that despite internal divisions among a "hodgepodge" of people there was a surprisingly large core that was "always willing to fight and die for the Asante union."
Most remarkable of all perhaps was the Asante fighting man himself. Despite the fact that most of its common soldiers were slaves, often recently captured, they often fought superbly and obeyed their orders with bravery and enthusiasm, amazing the British as they stood their ground against clearly superior firepower (which would later include artillery and machine guns). Also, most were only part-time soldiers, not living and serving in units like their British opponents, required to own and maintain their own flintlock musket (this long musket, called the "long Danes," gave the Asante an enormous advantage over their native neighbors as the Asante possessed a near monopoly on guns along the Gold Coast, though as the century progressed these guns became vastly inferior to later British weaponry).
The heart of the book is an account of the military campaigns that took place between the two great powers, the author detailing the causes, course, and consequences of each battle, discussing the tactics of each encounter, the role various weapons played, the bravery (or cowardice) of individuals of note in each battle, whether the conflicts were small-scale conflicts that occurred basically by mistake or massive mobilizations of men, planned well in advance and involving tens of thousands of individuals. This made for gripping reading and the author, though primarily working with writings from those of the British side, nevertheless worked hard to provide a balanced portrayal of both sides of these various conflicts.
Regrettably misunderstanding was as often at the root of Asante-British fighting as was British imperial ambitions, as each side "struggled with their colossal incomprehension of one another's values, religious beliefs, diplomacy, sense of honor, and national purpose." Both sides could be self-righteous, insistent upon their cultural and in the case of the British oftentimes racial supremacy. In many ways economics was at the heart of the conflict, but even there misunderstanding prevailed, as each side was oftentimes ignorant of the others needs and goals in that arena. Even attitudes towards the other's culture, even ones that did not directly affect the other, would color policy towards the other (such as the British distaste for Asante human sacrifice, well-detailed in this book, as well as the views of their source for porters and interpreters, the native Fante, who hated their Asante overlords and never missed an opportunity to paint vivid pictures of Asante "cruelty, rapacity, untrustworthiness, and lust for war," hardly providing a balanced portrait to the British).
August 9, 2017
A tale roughly told through research of the British occupation and claiming of the Gold Coast, we hear about the Asante. Tough, battle-ready folk that would remind anyone of the Dothraki hordes that reside in the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire and its tv counterpart Game of Thrones, we are treated to a new look at one of the most mysterious continents.
The only thing I have against the book is the Chapter lengths that go through a number of people with no logical cohesion between them. It took me to the end of each chapter before I could gauge what the descriptor means for each. Unfortunately, I couldn't really do anything about the publication of this book, but it is a fun one if you can find yourself slogging through cast changes and point of view flips frequently.
Best wishes to all who attempt it.
The only thing I have against the book is the Chapter lengths that go through a number of people with no logical cohesion between them. It took me to the end of each chapter before I could gauge what the descriptor means for each. Unfortunately, I couldn't really do anything about the publication of this book, but it is a fun one if you can find yourself slogging through cast changes and point of view flips frequently.
Best wishes to all who attempt it.
August 13, 2023
The story as narrated by Robert Edgerton, the Asantes were proud, formidable and strategic people, that part isn't up for debate.
However, upon series of combat, they could not rub shoulders with the Brits. —a strategic lapse on the side of the Asantes.
However, upon series of combat, they could not rub shoulders with the Brits. —a strategic lapse on the side of the Asantes.
January 3, 2026
Honestly only read this for my trip to Ghana. Some of the history was interesting to learn, but a lot of the book is just a straight play-by-play that can drag on. I would’ve appreciated a different structure that broke things up a bit more, like Greg Grandin in America, América.
June 20, 2023
Very glad I read this great book before my first trip to Ghana.
November 26, 2014
A balanced, compelling history of the one hundred year war for Africa’s Gold Coast.
I’m a sucker for history books on ‘new-to-me’ subjects, and I snapped up Robert B. Edgerton’s The Fall of the Asante Empire the moment I saw it on the bookstore shelf. Well-researched and engagingly written, Edgerton offers a concise history of the Asante Empire, an African kingdom that dominated the Gold Coast for centuries, before prolonged conflict with the British would ultimately lead to military defeat and the kingdom’s dissolution.
Rich with details, Edgerton paints a vivid picture of life and culture within the Asante kingdom at the apex of its power – a realm which reminded me of a cross between fictional Wakanda and Aztec Tenochtitlan -- before delving into the antecedents of the century long conflict. The author carefully chronicles the clash of powers, adding plenty of historical nuggets to hold the reader’s attention -- from Asante executioners, to the siege and narrow escape of British forces from the Asante capital in 1900, to the heinous use of “locust” troops who, like their namesake, were given license by the British military to ravage and enslave Asante civilians.
One of the great strengths of this book is its balance. Edgerton keeps his narrative objective, noting acts of heroism, savagery, miscalculation, and misunderstanding on both sides of the conflict. Just as importantly, Edgerton does not limit his story to military side of things, but seasons the narrative with important civil, cultural and economic context. Edgerton’s The Fall of the Asante Empire is a compelling look at one of Africa’s lost cultures and the rapaciousness of European imperialism which brings a surprising amount of clarity and drama to this little explored subject.
September 11, 2011
Good history book written objectively about Britian's war with the Asante from 1804 - 1906. Very helpful in understanding current conditions in Ghana. A lot of books that deal with countries in Africa cover a historical period of 50 years and forget that many of Africa's problematic interactions with the West began hundreds of years ago.
October 10, 2014
A great and thorough study on a totally neglected series of conflicts, which until the end, certainly were neither lopsided nor predetermined. In addition to covering the wars themselves there is also alot of great detail on the Asante kingdom's internal politics and society, festivals, and organization.
November 2, 2020
Great book on the Asanti before, during, and after British conquest. Has lots of "like you were there" details.
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