Dahomey was an African state bordering Egba, the capital city of which, Abeokuta, is now the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria. In the early 19th century the area was governed by the Oyo Empire, but by 1829, this had broken up, and various contingent states gaining limited independance.
Little is known of the warrior women who served the Dahomey Kings of the region, since they did not keep their own records, but they are known to have fought under the Kings of Dahomey against Abeokuta in 1851 and 1864. They were heavily beaten on both occasions, mainly because the fortress at Abeokuta had been armed with canon by the French, whilst the amazons fought with spears and bows. France ultimately annexed the territory in the later 19th century