Origins & Early Life

Osei Kofi Tutu I (c. 1660 – c. 1717) was one of the founders of the Asante Empire, assisted by Okomfo Anokye, his Chief Priest. He led an alliance of Asante states against Denkyira, the regional hegemon, defeating them at the 1701 Battle of Feyiase.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He ruled the Kwaman State between c.1680 and 1701 and the Ashanti Empire from 1701 to 1717. As Asantehene, he incorporated a number of Akan states into the growing empire, and established the institutions of government that underpinned the state for nearly 200 years. Osei Kofi Tutu Opemsoo was born c. 1660 in the town of Kokofu Anyinam, in the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana. His father was Owusu Panyin, an Akan noble from Nyameani.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

His mother, Maanu Kotosii, was the sister of the Omanhene of Kwaaman Oti Akenten and his successor Obiri Yeboa. It is said that Osei Tutu's mother was barren for many years, so her brother Obiri Yeboa sent her to a powerful and famous shrine called Otutu in Akuapem to obtain a blessing. When Kotosii gave birth to a child, she named him Tutu, after the shrine. Due to the matrilineal succession the Akan practised, Osei Tutu was the heir to the Kwaaman throne.

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