Opoku Ware I.

Opoku Ware I was the great-nephew of the previous (first) Asantehene, Osei Tutu, and sat down at the behest of the powerful priest Okomfo Anokye against a competing for dominance nephew Osei Tutu as the ruler of the Ashanti by. Early in his tenure, he had in two wars insurrections of subjugated by his predecessor Denkyra, Akwapim and Sefwi reflected, who had allied with the Akim against the rule of Ashanti. 1730, while Opoku Ware and his army were in Akyem, conquered a head of Sefwi the capital of Kumasi, and plundered the city and the palace together with its rich gold treasures. The so-called Ankobea Division, a military unit that was responsible from now on principle for guarding the capital and the State Treasury Opoku Ware founded thereupon.

Opoku Ware captured in the following years the neighboring states of Techiman, Bono, Gyaman and Gonja. 1744/45 after all, he also forced the Kingdom of the Dagomba under his rule and urged the Dagomba to pay an annual tribute of slaves. The figures given for these " tribute deliveries " vary between a few hundred and 2,000 slaves per year. In this way, the Dagomba (and soon more people ) were forced to go for the Ashanti on slave hunting. In addition, the Aschantireich now controlled the trade routes between the great empires of the Niger and the Gold Coast. At the end of his tenure, he ruled the greater part of what is now Ghana, with the exception of direct coastal region. A victory over the Kingdom of the Ga also brought the Aschantikönigreich control of the European forts in Accra.