Iye Idolorusan

Iye Idolorusan, also known as Queen Dola (died between c. 1870 and 1875), was a ruler of the Itsekiri Kingdom of Warri in Nigeria.

Daughter of King Erejuwa and his wife Emaye, Iye Idolorusan had a sister, Uwala. Their father died, and their mother remarried his son from a prior marriage, Akengbuwa, with whom she had three more children, including sons Omateye and Ejo. The former was recognized as heir, but was in a rivalry with his elder half-brother Agbagba. Iye and Uwala founded the town of Batere in the event that their brother should need a refuge. Akengbuwa died in 1848, followed closely by the deaths of his two sons in what some felt were suspicious circumstances; as a result, for three years Warri appears to have had no leader, during which time trade declined and the royal family dispersed. Iye then took control of the kingdom's affairs; not only was she a member of the royal house, she was married to Omoku, a former governor of the tributary state of Bobi. The couple had a son, Chanomi. Iye was a wealthy trader, and was joined as ruler by Ebrimoni, a senior slave formerly owned by her and her half-brother. The British, fearing further destabilization in local trading circles, appeared not to welcome Iye as queen; for her part, she, too, tried to find a suitable ruler, with no luck. Erbimoni was suggested, but the idea met with resistance among the Itsekiri. As a result, Warri lacked another king until 1937, although Iye served as a regent. She continued to live in Bobi, while her son founded his own village.[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong; Mr. Steven J. Niven (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.
  2. ↑ Kathleen E. Sheldon (2005). Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5331-7.
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