1700 AD: When Two Eze Nri Ruled Together and Died on the Same Day
In 1677, the Nri Kingdom crowned two rulers for the first time in over a millennium. Eze Nri Apia and Eze Nri-Alike shared the throne for 23 years after an oracle insisted both must lead. These trader-kings broke Nri’s ancient ban on bloodshed and commerce in human lives. Oral histories link their reign to the introduction of the slave trade in Igboland. In December 1700, both men died on the same day, a moment seen as divine judgment. Their deaths marked the end of Nri’s spiritual hegemony. The kingdom swiftly returned to a single king, and Aro influence rose across the region. Towns that once sought Nri’s cleansing power now turned elsewhere. You can verify the dual reign of Apia and Alike in the “List of Rulers of Nri” on Wikipedia and in M. A. Onwuejeogwu’s book Igbo Civilization: Nri Kingdom & Hegemony.
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