Benin Expedition of 1897

The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir Harry Rawson. It came in response to the ambush and slaughter of a 250-strong party led by British Acting Consul General James Phillips of the Niger Coast Protectorate. Rawson's troops captured Benin City and the Kingdom of Benin was eventually absorbed into colonial Nigeria. The expedition freed about 100 Africans enslaved by the Oba. The expedition had significant impacts on the Kingdom of Benin, including the looting of cultural artefacts and the exile of the Oba.

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1897  Wikimedia, Wikidata
military operation, punitive expedition, colonial war, Harry Rawson, Cape of Good Hope Station, Benin Empire, 
Ape, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

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Frameless

Benin Expedition, 1897

Interior of Oba's compound burnt during siege of Benin City (present day Nigeria) , with bronze plaques in the foreground and three British soldiers of the Benin Punative Expedition 9-18 February 1897

Looted objects from the Benin Punative Raid, 1897

Interior of Oba's compound burnt during siege of Benin City (present day Nigeria) , with bronze plaques in the foreground and three British soldiers of the Benin Punative Expedition 9-18 February 1897

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
commons	image		Benin Expedition, 1897		Commons
commons	image		Interior of Oba's compound burnt during siege of Benin City (present day Nigeria) , with bronze plaques in the foreground and three British soldiers of the Benin Punative Expedition 9-18 February 1897		Commons
commons	image		Looted objects from the Benin Punative Raid, 1897		Commons
commons	image		Interior of Oba's compound burnt during siege of Benin City (present day Nigeria) , with bronze plaques in the foreground and three British soldiers of the Benin Punative Expedition 9-18 February 1897		Commons