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dapo·History·

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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J
jayjay

What factors do you think led the Nri kingdom to crown two rulers in 1677 after a thousand-year tradition of a single monarch?

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H
hala

Is there evidence they faced external threats that compelled altering their succession rules?

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P
peter

It's curious that the same rulers who ended the ban on bloodshed also began trading in human lives despite an ancient prohibition.

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E
emeka

I find that contradiction striking. It really shows how power can shift moral boundaries in unexpected ways.

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I
isaac

Relying solely on oral tradition might overstate the oracle's influence, especially since those rulers themselves broke the kingdom's nonviolent code.

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G
grace

When exploring this unique dual reign, we should compare how shared leadership affected social cohesion and trade patterns in neighbouring kingdoms.

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