Editing Dahomey (section)

===King===
{{main|King of Dahomey}}
[[File:Gezo (2).jpg|thumbnail|King [[Ghezo]] displayed with a royal umbrella]]
The King of Dahomey (''Ahosu'' in the [[Fon language]]) was the [[Sovereignty|sovereign power]] of the kingdom. All of the kings claimed to be part of the ''Alladaxonou'' dynasty, claiming descent from the royal family in [[Allada]]. Much of the succession rules and administrative structures were created early by Kings [[Houegbadja]], [[Akaba of Dahomey|Akaba]], and [[Agaja]]. Succession through the male members of the line was the norm, with the kingship typically (but not always) going to the oldest son.<ref name=Law-1997/> The king was selected largely through discussion and decision in the meetings of the Great Council, although how this operated was not always clear.<ref name=Bay-1998 /><ref name=Yoder /> The Great Council brought together a host of different dignitaries from throughout the kingdom yearly to meet at the [[Annual Customs of Dahomey]]. Discussions would be lengthy and included members, both men and women, from throughout the kingdom. At the end of the discussions, the king would declare the consensus of the group.<ref name=Yoder />