Military of the Asante Empire

Asante army
Asante Military Field Marshal c. 1819, by Thomas E. Bowdich.
Leaders	Asantehene (commander-in-chief)
Headquarters	Kumasi
Active regions	Gold Coast, Ivory Coast, Togo, Dahomey
Size	capable of 200,000 men.[1][2]
Part of	Asante Empire (Ashanti)
Allies	The Dutch,[3] Akwamu[4]
Opponents	Denkyira, Fante Confederacy, Ga-Adangbe alliances, Akyem, Kingdom of Dahomey, the Danes and British Empire.
Battles and wars	Battle of Feyiase, Battle of Nsamankow, Battle of Atakpamé, War of the Golden Stool

The military of the Asante Empire first came into formation around the 17th century AD in response to subjugation by the Denkyira Kingdom. It served as the main armed forces of the empire until it was dissolved when the Asante became a British crown colony in 1901.^[5] In 1701, King Osei Kofi Tutu I won Asante independence from Denkyira at the Battle of Feyiase and carried out an expansionist policy.^[6]

The Asante army prior to the 18th century used predominantly bows with poisoned arrows, swords, spears and javelins. King Osei Tutu I instituted reforms in the army such as the adoption of military tactics used by other Akan kingdoms. Through trade with Europeans at the coast, the Asante acquired firearms and artillery. By the 19th century, the army was primarily equipped with muskets and rifles. Transportation across water bodies was achieved through the use of canoes. The army was also accompanied by military engineers. Cavalry was not adopted alongside the Asante infantry. In order to mobilize personnel for the army, volunteers and contingents from tributaries were supplemented with a core of professional soldiers. The Asante developed various tactics such as encirclement and pincer movement.