Osei Tutu I (Otumfuo Osei Tutu)

Otumfuo Osei Tutu I (c. 1660–1717) was the founder and first Asantehene (King of all Ashanti) of the Ashanti Empire in modern-day Ghana. Successor to the chieftaincy of Kumasi, Osei Tutu formed a legendary alliance with his chief priest and advisor, Okomfo Anokye, to liberate the Ashanti clans from the oppressive tributary domination of the Denkyira kingdom.

According to sacred tradition, Anokye called down from the skies the Sika Dwa Kofi (Golden Stool), which contained the soul (sunsum) of the entire Asante nation, binding all chiefs in eternal allegiance to the Asantehene. At the Battle of Feyiase in 1701, Osei Tutu crushed the Denkyira army, establishing an imperial state that dominated the Gold Coast trade routes in gold, ivory, and firearms for over two centuries.