Reign of Agokoli (jun 29, 1670 – feb 1, 1720)

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Legendary king of Notsé [1670-1720] whose excesses sparked the Ewe dispersal to the south. Agokoli was the second king of Notsé, succeeding his father Afotché, founder of the dynasty. He ruled during the first decades of the eighteenth century. During his reign, ritual sacrifices were made of Akposso children, leading to the migration of an important segment of the latter tribe to Savalou in Benin. Agokoli's brutal excesses, haughty mannerisms, and autocratic rule (including the insistence on the building of earthen walls around Notsé) led to the Adja-Ewe dispersal in 1720, when an important part of the population deserted him. The painful memory of his rule contributed to the Ewe's future distaste of monarchical government; the Notsé dispersal is a major Ewe celebration annually commemorated in the Hogbetsotso festival.

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