Tegbessou was the sixth King of Dahomey. He succeeded Agadja, and ruled from 1732 to 1774. Dahomey was a kingdom in Africa, situated in what is now the nation of Benin. ... Dossou Agadja was the fifth King of Dahomey. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ...

Tegbessou's reign was characterized by internal intrigues and a failed foreign policy; he killed many coup-plotters and political enemies, refused to pay tribute to the Yorubas, and lost many battles in the punitive raids that followed. His main symbol is a buffalo wearing a tunic. His other symbols are the blunderbuss, a weapon he gave his warriors--the first time in Dahomey that the royal army had ready access to firearms-- and a door decorated with three noseless heads, a reference to his victory over a rebellious tributary people, the Zou, whose corpses he mutilated. The Yoruba (Yorùbá in Yoruba orthography) are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. ... Dahomey was a kingdom in Africa, situated in what is now the nation of Benin. ...

Proverb - "Once a buffalo is dressed it is very difficult to undress him." The buffalo is symbolic of the strength of the king. During the enthroning ceremony, Tegbessou's enemies put an herbal potion that would cause severe itching on the royal costume, so when he put it on he would have to remove it immediately. This would have led to an on-the-spot selection of a new king. Warned in time, Tegbessou took the necessary precautions and put the costume on, hence the dressed buffalo (buffalo wearing a tunic). [[1]]

Tegbessou was succeeded by Kpengla. Kpengla was the seventh King of Dahomey. ...